THE RECORD
What changed
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had planned streets, drainage and standardized bricks. At roughly the same time, Egypt's Old Kingdom built royal pyramid complexes at Giza.
EVIDENCE
What remains
Urban plans and water systems in the Indus region, and quarries, workers' settlements and pyramid complexes at Giza, demonstrate sustained organization and specialist labour.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Complex societies did not produce identical politics or monuments. Indus cities and Egyptian kingdoms left different material priorities.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
The undeciphered Indus script limits claims about government. The old image of pyramids built solely by slaves is also inconsistent with archaeological evidence.