IttiHaas Chronicle
archaeology

4,500-Year-Old 'Harappan Urban Drainage Maintenance Archive' and Terracotta Repair Manuals Uncovered at Mohenjo-Daro

📅 April 10, 2026 📰 Indus Heritage Review
4,500-Year-Old 'Harappan Urban Drainage Maintenance Archive' and Terracotta Repair Manuals Uncovered at Mohenjo-Daro

New excavations in the western residential sector of Mohenjo-Daro have unearthed a specialized administrative building dedicated entirely to the maintenance of the city's famous sanitation infrastructure. Researchers discovered a cache of terracotta tablets that appear to be "maintenance manuals," featuring schematic drawings of brick-lined street drains and instructions for clearing sediment blockages.

The find suggests that the Indus Valley civilization employed a professional guild of municipal engineers who monitored water flow and structural integrity. These records list specific neighborhoods and the dates of their last inspections, highlighting a level of urban bureaucratic organization previously unimagined for the 3rd millennium BCE.

Original source: Indus Heritage Review