Student Question
What was the political structure of the Indus Valley Civilization? Did they have a king or democracy?
Quick answer:
The political structure of the Indus Valley Civilization remains uncertain due to the undeciphered Dravidian language. However, the presence of advanced urban planning and public amenities suggests some form of organized government, likely supported by taxation. It is unlikely to have been a democracy, as democracy was more characteristic of ancient Athens. The later Aryans had tribal units led by rajahs with councils, but there was no centralized government similar to a monarchy or democracy.
Because the Dravidian (or Harappan) language has not yet been deciphered; there is no way to determine their political structure, although the presence of two large cities with roads built on a grid, flush toilets and other amenities plus large city walls for protection indicate that some sort of political structure was present. Substantial public amenities and protective features could only be built by means of an effective system of taxation; therefore the Dravidians apparently had a system of taxation which one would naturally associate with a governmental structure. One can only speculate as to its true nature; although it is doubtful that it was a democracy. Democracy appears to have been a uniquely Athenian feature. The successors to the Dravidians, the Aryan tribesmen of Eurasia, were organized into tribal units each ruled by a Rajah, or chief who governed with the aid of a council of tribal elders. There...
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were apparently hundreds of these local tribal groups, each with its own rajah, but no centralized government existed. Over time, the individual rajahs did attempt to extend their influence over neighboring communities, most often by conquering them. Interestingly, the wordrajah, of Indoeuropean origin, is closely related to the Latin rex meaning "king," and the origin of the words "regal" and "royal." Although Indoeuropeans apparently influenced languages throughout the Eurasian continent, their system of government (or lack thereof) did not extend beyond the Indian sub-continent.