ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Daily Life: The Indus Cities

A ten‑minute glimpse into the homes, food, work, markets and adornments of the people who built the great Indus urban centers.

Chapters

0:07 Home and Family
1:52 Food and Work
2:43 Markets and Trade
3:00 Crafts and Personal Adornment

On-screen text

0:07 Home and Family
0:14 Home and Family
0:31 Brick houses with central courtyards Historical record · Marshall 1931, Excavations at Mohenjo‑daro
0:49 Public baths for communal washing Historical record · Marshall 1931, Public baths at Mohenjo‑daro
1:25 Painted pottery in homes Historical record · British Museum, Indus painted pottery (BM 124123)
1:43 Bronze figurine with jewelry Historical record · National Museum, New Delhi, Bronze Dancing Girl (c. 2500 BC)
1:52 Food and Work
1:59 Food and Work
2:16 Woven cotton clothing The Institute's interpretation · Kumar 2010, Textile impressions on Indus pottery
2:34 Painted pottery in homes Historical record · British Museum, Indus painted pottery (BM 124123)
2:43 Markets and Trade
3:00 Crafts and Personal Adornment
3:17 Bronze figurine with jewelry Historical record · National Museum, New Delhi, Bronze Dancing Girl (c. 2500 BC)
3:35 Painted pottery in homes Historical record · British Museum, Indus painted pottery (BM 124123)
3:53 Public baths for communal washing Historical record · Marshall 1931, Public baths at Mohenjo‑daro

Sources

Historical record: Marshall 1931, Excavations at Mohenjo‑daro · Marshall 1931, Public baths at Mohenjo‑daro · Possehl 1996, The Indus Civilization · Wheeler 1948, Harappa excavation report · British Museum, Indus painted pottery (BM 124123) · Michell 1995, Beads from the Indus Valley · National Museum, New Delhi, Bronze Dancing Girl (c. 2500 BC) · Mishra et al. 2009, Zooarchaeology of Mohenjo‑daro · Mallowan 1963, Indus‑Mesopotamian trade

The Institute's interpretation: Michell 2008, Household size at Harappa · Mithen 1996, Faunal and botanical remains from Harappa · Possehl 2002, Spindle whorls from Harappa · Kumar 2010, Textile impressions on Indus pottery · Wright 2005, Indus urban planning

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 89 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (29) — the next things to make

A family of six shares a meal around a low table inside a multi‑room house.
A family of six shares a meal around a low table inside a multi‑room house.
A laborer clears a stone‑covered drain while water flows beneath a bustling street.
Workers lift sacks of grain into a high, mud‑brick granary while children watch.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
A woman grinds barley on a stone quern beside a hearth.
A woman grinds barley on a stone quern beside a hearth.
A butcher slices meat from a freshly killed goat on a wooden table.
A butcher slices meat from a freshly killed goat on a wooden table.
A woman sits cross‑legged turning a spindle, a skein of thread unwinding beside her.
A woman sits cross‑legged turning a spindle, a skein of thread unwinding beside her.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Workers lift sacks of grain into a high, mud‑brick granary while children watch.
Stalls of pottery, beads and grain line a house courtyard, shoppers haggling.
Stalls of pottery, beads and grain line a house courtyard, shoppers haggling.
A merchant examines a clay tablet with an Indus seal while loading a river boat.
A merchant examines a clay tablet with an Indus seal while loading a river boat.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Workers lift sacks of grain into a high, mud‑brick granary while children watch.
Workers lift sacks of grain into a high, mud‑brick granary while children watch.
A laborer clears a stone‑covered drain while water flows beneath a bustling street.
A potter shapes a vessel on a wheel and paints a stylised pattern before placing it on a shelf.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
Women sit on a low platform threading carnelian beads onto necklaces.
A woman sits cross‑legged turning a spindle, a skein of thread unwinding beside her.
A woman sits cross‑legged turning a spindle, a skein of thread unwinding beside her.