How do Historians and Archeologists Explain It?
Although the answer is not yet solid, many theories have been made to explain the decline of the Harrappan Empire.
- Historians and archeologists believe that around 1900 B.C.E. that the Harrappan began their ecological demise when they started to cut down trees for firewood and land cultivation. Erosion and minimal rainfall resulted in this act, presumably turning the Indus River Valley into a desert. This ultimately caused climatic and ecological change that caused a reduction of agriculture (which arose the need for artificial agriculture).
- Others believed that natural disasters, such as floods and earthquakes, weakened their society.
- Some believe that invaders from central and western Asian were the destroyers of Harrappan cities. These include the Aryans (who became the next settlers) or other such groups, bit it is still under speculation.