The Indus Civilization c5.24

c5.24

The lower portion of many a staircase of burnt brick, which once led to the upper floors and roof, still survives, and is always solidly constructed with no space left underneath. In some houses no means of reaching the upper stories now exists, so it must be assumed that staircases were occasionally made of wood, which has, of course, long since perished. To economize space in what appears to have been a very overcrowded city, the stairways have high narrow steps, sometimes fifteen inches high and but five inches wide, which the average European finds somewhat difficult to negotiate (Pl. E, d). In a few of the public buildings, however, the steps are of a more modern pattern, and in one especially important house, which evidently belonged to a person of considerable wealth, a very spacious double staircase was discovered with treads only about two and a quarter inches high and eight and a half inches wide (Pl. F, b). Occasionally a house has an outside staircase from the street, which suggests that the floors were occupied by different families, but the usual place for a stairway was in an inner court, where more room could be found for it.