The Indus Civilization c4.12

c4.12

The mounds of Mohenjo-daro are of a light red tint which contrasts pleasingly with the blue of the sky and the yellow-grey of the surrounding plain. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, being built almost entirely of burnt brick, have become so heavily impregnated with salt that, to this day, a shower of rain produces a mass of crystals which crumble the surfaces of newly-exposed walls. The same thing also occurs during the rare frosts that are experienced in Sind. The denudation of the mounds is slowly but surely reducing their height, while their area is correspondingly increased by the débris carried down from above. The masonry lying a foot or so beneath the surface is, of course, unaffected by disintegration, the bricks being permanently dry or damp according to their situation. When wind, rain, or the excavator’s spade removes the superficial coating of dust and exposes fresh masonry, this in turn gradually crumbles away.