Curious Indian Things

When people talk about ancient civilisations, they usually get excited about kings, palaces, and big stone buildings.

Nobody ever says,

“Wow. Tell me more about the toilets.”

Which is unfair.

Because in the Indus Valley Civilization, toilets were actually a big deal. Many homes had their own toilets, neatly connected to covered drains. Not just palaces. Regular houses too.

That means someone sat down thousands of years ago and thought:

“Okay, but where is all this… going?”

And then they planned it.

They built channels so waste didn’t end up on the streets. They cared about cleanliness before anyone had invented disinfectant sprays or warning signs.

What I find funniest is this:

we call ancient people “primitive,” but they solved problems we still complain about today.

Maybe toilets aren’t glamorous.

But they quietly tell us something important.

Good ideas don’t always look impressive.

Sometimes they just make life less gross.

When I first started reading about ancient history, I thought it would be full of dates, names, and very serious people doing very serious things.

I was wrong.

Some of the most interesting parts were things I almost skipped—like drains, beads, seals, and tools that didn’t even look exciting at first.

Take drains.

I didn’t expect them to be clever. Or planned. Or everywhere.

But once I noticed them, I couldn’t stop.

Or toys.

Why were ancient toys so carefully made? Why wheels? Why animals? Why bother?

Then there were seals—tiny objects with symbols on them. No one even knows exactly what they say, which somehow makes them more interesting, not less.

What I’ve realised is this:

boring things are usually only boring because we haven’t asked the right question yet.

History doesn’t suddenly become interesting when something dramatic happens.

It becomes interesting when you start paying attention.