The year is 2600 BCE and you have to go to the bathroom . . .

Source: CiviltàValleIndoMappa, Wikimedia

Imagine for a moment that we could step into a time machine and visit the earliest days of human civilization. Pretend that we could travel back in time 4600 years and go halfway across the world to the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, in present-day India.

Mohenjo-Daro was created by a people known as the Harappan, and it was undoubtedly one of the most amazing cities of the ancient world.

Imagine how exciting it would be to explore one of the first urban environments humankind ever created. You might walk along the streets and admire the houses or watch people in the marketplaces selling and exchanging goods. You look up to the top of the city and marvel at the tall citadel overlooking your position.

But soon your adventure is interrupted, and you have to go to the bathroom! This could be embarrassing. How exactly did that sort of thing work in ancient times?

Well, thanks to archaeologists we know the answer. Click here to find out.

Interesting, huh? While it is unlikely that every Harappan person had a big fancy toilet in his or her house, it is interesting to know that such technology could have existed over 4000 years ago!

Impressive technology such as toilets and sewer systems were only one part of Harappan civilization. Let's explore some other aspects of Harappan life and see what we can learn . . .