"Dr. Liang, do you have any evidence to support your hypothesis beyond mere speculation?" a student from Peshawar University asked Liang En.
For these students, interacting with a professional at the forefront of historical research was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss. Naturally, they took the initiative to ask various questions.
Perhaps because they were all of similar age, the conversation flowed more smoothly, and the students began to inquire about things they didn't fully understand.
For example, the theory proposed by Liang En. Although others had suggested similar ideas during the excavation of similar ruins, there was not much evidence to support them.
This was mainly because these ruins were excavated long ago, and they had been severely damaged, leaving few traces behind, making it difficult to confirm certain things.
"If you're asking for evidence, I do have some." Liang En smiled and pointed to the ruins below. "I think by now, everyone should have a general understanding of this site, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," the young student who asked the question nodded. "At least the general layout of the entire city has been mapped out, and we've identified the purposes of many of the buildings."
Although the ruins were mostly in a dilapidated state, many aspects were easy for these professionals to determine.
Finding key information from minute clues is a fundamental skill for professional archaeologists and historians, and much of important history has been pieced together this way.
For example, the walls of the residences in the ruins were all very thick, leading to the simple deduction that these buildings likely had second stories, requiring more time, effort, and materials to build thick walls.
After all, the overall climate of this place was hot and humid, so if not to support an upper floor, people would have preferred to build thinner walls to cool down the temperature.
Another example is that during the exploration, it was discovered that most of the remains identified as residential buildings had a solid wall facing the street on the ground floor, with no windows—
This urban custom, intended to guard against harsh weather, noise, odors, neighbor disturbances, and bandit invasions, is still observed in many parts of the Near East today, especially in the old quarters of some ancient cities.
Additionally, all residential houses had their main doors facing the back alleys, leading to a spacious foyer, with a courtyard in front, providing good lighting and ventilation.
From this design, one can easily conclude that this city had very professional construction planning, with a unified overall design and construction.
Only in this way would the buildings show so many consistent features, a phenomenon unlikely to be seen if ordinary people were building them individually.
"Very well, then you will notice that the construction of this city is quite distinctive." After confirming that everyone understood the general layout of the city, Liang En shared his view.
Because of his long experience in lecturing, Liang En had developed his own method of explanation, such as now, where he used induction to encourage the questioners to think actively, which naturally helped them grasp the knowledge.
"From the current exploration, the ancient city has a circumference of about 5 kilometers, with an estimated population of at least 30,000 to 35,000. It was divided into the Acropolis and the Lower City, with the Acropolis being the residence of the rulers. Here, there was a very complex underground drainage system and water supply network."
"Most importantly, the Acropolis was surrounded by tall and sturdy city walls. For example, the walls of the Acropolis in Harappa's ancient city to the north were 15 meters high, essentially a strong fortress, and there were also tall towers built along it."
"Yes, that's what we found, but what does it represent?" The student, puzzled, asked why Liang En was reiterating what they had already discovered.
"Don't forget the 15-meter-high city walls, the towers, the massive granaries, and the population of over 40,000." Liang shook his head slightly and then said seriously.
"This means that this ancient city had a strong defensive system, ample food reserves, and the ability to recruit an army of 8,000 during wartime, all of which indicate the city's defensive capabilities."
"Obviously, all of this wasn't prepared for wild beasts. Moreover, several cities of similar scale have been found in the Indus Valley, which clearly indicates the tense situation of the time."
"And in such a time of turmoil, the destruction of cities became a very common occurrence, and with the destruction of cities, it's not impossible for a civilization to disappear."
Whether in ancient times or today, cities have always been the central locations for human activity and the core of productivity in a region, so as these cities were destroyed, a civilization would gradually fade away as well.
For example, this was the case with ancient Indian civilization. As these cities, which were the core of the civilization, were destroyed, the entire ancient Indian civilization showed obvious signs of decline.
People no longer remembered the honors of their ancestors, lost the various skills their ancestors possessed, and eventually, the entire civilization completely disappeared into history.
This is not an uncommon phenomenon in world history. For instance, the Mycenaean civilization that Liang En previously excavated also completely disappeared from history.
The reason for its disappearance is simple: the rise of maritime peoples significantly affected the Mediterranean trade routes, thereby cutting off the Greeks' access to goods from ancient Egypt.
Although ancient Egypt, as an ancient civilization, exported a variety of goods, only two things were crucial for the Greeks at that time: food and tin.
The importance of food needs no further explanation, especially for Greece, which had small lands mostly covered in mountains. Processing and trading cash crops like grapes and olives for food could be considered the lifeline of this civilization.
As for tin, it was an absolutely strategic material in the Bronze Age. Unlike copper mines and fuel, which were abundant in many places, tin mines were scarce in the ancient Mediterranean, primarily concentrated in Egypt.
Without tin, it would be difficult to manufacture various bronze tools and weapons, naturally putting a country at a disadvantage in warfare.
After all, without food and weapons, it would be almost impossible to win a war, and the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization in the Mediterranean was related to this situation.
"It seems that the reasons for the destruction of civilizations are often similar." After listening to Liang En's firsthand account of the Mycenaean civilization, the scholars present nodded in agreement.
With this concept recognized, Liang En continued with his analysis, but compared to the more orthodox content, Liang En's analysis could be considered a mixed bag.
For example, he now believed that the reason for the abandonment of this ancient city was likely a combination of both factors, meaning that the city's destruction was due to a combination of war and flooding.
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