The Indus Civilization c5.20

c5.20

Apart from shops and booths, the main streets of Mohenjo-daro must have presented a somewhat depressing appearance, for not only were windows non-existent, but, where possible, the entrances to the houses were placed in narrow by-ways. This, of course, was more often the case where the building was a large one, and it is more than likely that the owner of the house preferred to conceal his wealth behind blank walls, as is still the custom in many Eastern cities; indeed, the strategic position of certain rooms in some of the houses seems to suggest that they were provided for watchmen, a theory which is borne out by the fact that the only means of entrance is from the street. A certain amount of evidence exists to prove that Mohenjo-daro was divided for its protection into wards, and that it was carefully policed, at any rate by night, if not by day. An important city, whose buildings, no doubt, contained much valuable merchandise in addition to personal property, would always be a tempting place for the evil-doer, and theft, if no worse crime, was probably as prevalent as it is in large cities to-day.