The ruins of Mohenjo-daro stand as a testament to human ingenuity – and vulnerability. This Bronze Age metropolis, with its grid-pattern streets, multi-story buildings, and sophisticated drainage systems, rivaled ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in technological advancement. Then around 1900 BCE, something happened. The city was abandoned, its residents seemingly vanished, leaving behind skeletal remains scattered through streets and evidence of extreme heat that melted brick and stone.

We explore this archaeological mystery from multiple angles. What caused vitrification requiring temperatures over 1,500 degrees Celsius? Why do ancient Indian texts like the Mahabharata describe weapons "as bright as ten thousand suns" that reduced people to ash and contaminated food? Could these be poetic descriptions of natural disasters, metaphorical battles between cosmic forces – or something more literal?

Mainstream archaeologists point to environmental factors like the Indus River changing course, climate change affecting monsoon patterns, and gradual resource depletion. But alternative researchers like David Davenport proposed more dramatic scenarios involving advanced ancient technology or even extraterrestrial intervention. We weigh the evidence for both conventional and unconventional explanations, examining what makes each compelling or problematic.

The enduring mystery of Mohenjo-daro ultimately serves as a mirror reflecting our own anxieties about civilizational collapse. As we contemplate our technology-dependent society, we might wonder what puzzling evidence our own ruins could present to future archaeologists. Will they understand us any better than we understand Mohenjo-daro? Subscribe to our podcast for more explorations of history's greatest enigmas and what they reveal about humanity's past – and future.