3. introduction The Indus Valley Civilization was one of the world's first great urban civilizations. It flourished in the vast river plains and adjacent regions in what are now Pakistan and western India. The earliest cities became integrated into an extensive urban culture around 4,600 years ago and continued to dominate the region for at least 700 years, from 2600 to 1900 B.C. It was only in the 1920's that the buried cities and villages of the Indus valley were recognized by archaeologists as representing an undiscovered civilization. Time Line Indus Tradition Early Food Producing Eraca. 6500 - 5000 B.C.Regionalization Eraca. 5000 - 2600 B.C.Indus Civilization - Harappan Culture Integration Era 2600 - 1900 B.C.Late Harappan Period 1900 - 1300 or 1000 B.C. Post-Indus Tradition Painted Grey Ware+1200 - 800 B.C. Northern Black Polished Ware+ 700 - 300 B.C.Early Historic Period ca. 600 B.C. The Indus CivilizationSouth Asia's first cities were established around 2600 B.C. in what is now Pakistan and western India (Indus Civilization Map 1). The peoples who built and ruled these cities belong to what archaeologists refer to as the Harappan Culture or Indus Civilization. This civilization developed at approximately the same time as the early city states of Egypt and Mesopotamia.