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John Marshall, Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization: Being an Official Account of Archaeological Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro Carried Out by the Government of India between the Years 1922 and 1927, London: Arthur Probsthain, 1931, 3 volumes

Vol. I: xxv, 364 pp., 14 black and white plates and 10 in-text illustrations, 2 folded maps enclosed in a slip at the end.
Vol. II: xii, 365-716 pp., 30 in-text illustrations
Vol. III: xi, 150 black and white plates (some folding); numerous illustrations, plans, and maps in text
Publisher’s original publisher's brown cloth with gilt device of the zebu bull to upper board and gilt spine titles, top edges trimmed, others uncut (each)
11.5 x 9 in (29 x 23 cm) (each)

THE DISCOVERY OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION: MARSHALL’S LANDMARK OFFICIAL EXCAVATION REPORT, 1931

First edition of the official and seminal publication of the excavations at Mohenjo-Daro, documenting the discovery of one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations in the Indus Valley (c. 2600–1900 BCE). A richly illustrated and meticulously detailed account, essential for the study of early South Asian archaeology.

Marshall's 'announcement in 1924 that he had there found a new civilisation of the third millennium marked an epoch in modern discovery; the so-called Indus Valley civilisation is now recognised as the most extensive civilisation of the preclassical world' (ODNB). His 'mass excavation of large areas at Mohenjo-daro, published in 1931, showed a great city, dating from before and after 2000 BC, planned and drained on a vast scale and in a regimented fashion, with wide thoroughfares and closely built houses and workshops. Detail was lost; but, like Schliemann before him, Marshall got to the heart of the matter and gave what was needed first in the current state of knowledge, namely the general shape, the sketch, of a hitherto unknown civilisation. He was a pioneer of a high order' (Ibid).

The Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization volumes, edited by Sir John Marshall, represent the first comprehensive account of the excavations at one of the most significant archaeological sites of the ancient world. Undertaken between 1922 and 1927 under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), these excavations uncovered the remains of a highly sophisticated Bronze Age civilisation centred in the Indus Valley, contemporaneous with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Prior to these excavations, the existence of an advanced prehistoric culture in the Indian subcontinent was largely unknown to the scholarly world. The discoveries at Mohenjo-Daro, together with those at Harappa, revealed a remarkably planned urban centre featuring advanced civic amenities — including a grid-patterned street system, complex drainage networks, large public baths, and impressive residential and public architecture. Artefacts such as seals, weights, pottery, and jewellery testified to a complex society engaged in trade, craft production, and ritual practices. Particularly significant was the discovery of a script — still undeciphered — offering tantalising glimpses into the intellectual life of this early civilisation.

The three volumes produced under Marshall’s direction bring together exhaustive excavation reports, detailed architectural analyses, studies of artefacts, and photographic documentation of the findings. Notably, Marshall collaborated with leading specialists of the time, including E. J. H. Mackay and Ernest J. H. Henry, to ensure multidisciplinary coverage of the site’s significance.

This publication not only announced the existence of the Indus Valley Civilisation to the world but also laid the methodological foundation for modern archaeological practice in South Asia. Its influence persists in contemporary scholarship on urbanism, trade networks, and prehistoric art in the Indian subcontinent.