The Indus Civilization c5.21

c5.21

The ground-floor of a small house averaged 27 × 30 feet, measured outside, and a large one was about double this size. There are, of course, larger houses than this, but in some cases it is difficult to say whether they were used solely for domestic purposes and even whether they were occupied by one or more families. The walls of every house, both inside and out, had to be raised from time to time (Pl. G, a), as the rubbish and ashes thrown out of doors, the mud washed down from walls and roofs, and the deposit of wind-borne dust, all combined to raise the levels of the streets. Even to-day a ground-floor room in the East gradually becomes a cellar, which in turn becomes too deep to be used, so that the walls have to be built up to provide fresh accommodation above. The same process goes on in modern cities, though here it is extremely slow, owing to our higher standards of cleanliness.