A History of Agriculture in India v1.c19.s11.2

v1.c19.s11.2

According to Wheeler, one of the major factors of the decline and fall of the Harappan culture was the widespread deforestation of the surrounding region to meet the demands of firewood for baking millions of bricks used for the building of the city of Mohenjo-daro. Large-scale use of wood for baking pottery, smelting metals, and as domestic fuel further depleted the forests. The building of houses and ships also made demands on the forest reserves. The clearing of land for cultivation and grazing by domestic animals were other biotic factors which led to the destruction of vegetation. This is how man pays the price of cultural advance and civilization. Eastward shifts of the edge of the south-western monsoon has been suggested by Piggott as the cause of increasing aridity. The final blow was, in all likelihood, delivered by the energetic Aryan nomads who massacred the inhabitants. On the topmost level of the city, skeletons of men, women and children, bearing axe or sword cuts, have been discovered. Though the Harappan cities were destroyed by the invaders, the achievements of the Harappan culture, viz. the use of copper and bronze, pottery, the plough, the bullock-cart and irrigated farming were adopted by the Aryans.