First Urbanization: Some Old Thoughts and a New Model

Since the discovery of the Harappan civilization, many scholars have tried to understand the nature, origin, and extent of its urbanization. It is spread over a large area comprising the modern nations of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The unique nature of this civilization is the commonness observed in the built and material culture. At the same time, differences are also a common phenomenon that is put forth more strongly by recent scholarship. There are many thoughts put forward by scholars to understand the origin and the administrative system of the Harappan urbanization. Even with a large number of excavations, the puzzle of its socio-political and administrative organization is an unsolved mystery. The major reason for this problem is the non-decipherment of the Harappan script. This chapter is a review of some earlier concepts proposed by scholars and the new probable model to understand the urban administrative organization of the Harappans. The Harappan civilization’s urbanism was defined by its multidimensional trade, highlighting the critical role of socio-economic organization in its communities.