The Indus Valley Civilization declined due to what?

The Indus Valley Civilization declined due to what?

• A. Environmental crisis or invasion.
• B. Massive plague.
• C. Invasion by the Sea Peoples.
• D. Invention of writing reduced trade.

Answer: (A)

Environmental changes and shifts in river systems are the most credible explanation for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. Around 1900 BCE, changes in river courses and weaker monsoon patterns would have disrupted farming, irrigation, and the networks that connected cities through trade. That kind of ecological stress leads to a gradual retreat from urban life and abandonment of established centers, which fits the archaeological record better than a single devastating event. While invasion has been suggested in some theories, the evidence for a violent conquest is not strong, and the pattern we see is more consistent with environmental disruption eroding the civilization’s foundations. The other options aren’t well supported: plague leaves little trace in this context, Sea Peoples attacked different regions and much later, and the idea that writing suddenly destroyed trade doesn’t match what we know about the Indus script and the economic changes that accompany ecological stress.

Environmental changes and shifts in river systems are the most credible explanation for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. Around 1900 BCE, changes in river courses and weaker monsoon patterns would have disrupted farming, irrigation, and the networks that connected cities through trade. That kind of ecological stress leads to a gradual retreat from urban life and abandonment of established centers, which fits the archaeological record better than a single devastating event. While invasion has been suggested in some theories, the evidence for a violent conquest is not strong, and the pattern we see is more consistent with environmental disruption eroding the civilization’s foundations. The other options aren’t well supported: plague leaves little trace in this context, Sea Peoples attacked different regions and much later, and the idea that writing suddenly destroyed trade doesn’t match what we know about the Indus script and the economic changes that accompany ecological stress.