During which approximate period did the Indus Valley or Harappan Civilization flourish?

Introduction / Context:
The Indus Valley or Harappan Civilization is one of the earliest urban civilizations in the world. Examinations often ask about its time span because it provides context for comparing Harappan culture with contemporary civilizations such as Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. This question asks you to identify the approximate period during which the Indus Valley Civilization flourished.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The time periods are given in ranges of years before Christ.
• The question is about the mature or flourishing phase of the civilization, not the earliest village stage.
• The options offer overlapping time ranges, so you must select the best match.

Concept / Approach:
Archaeologists usually divide the Indus culture into early, mature, and late phases. The mature urban phase, when cities like Harappa and Mohenjo daro were at their peak, is commonly placed roughly between twenty six hundred and nineteen hundred BC. Among the given ranges, the one that most closely matches this widely accepted period is twenty five fifty to nineteen hundred BC. The other ranges either start too early or end too late and do not match the standard interpretation.

Step by Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that many history books state the mature Harappan phase as approximately twenty six hundred to nineteen hundred BC. Step 2: Compare this with the given options. Step 3: Option twenty five fifty to nineteen hundred BC is the closest to the textbook range. Step 4: Option nineteen hundred to sixteen fifty BC covers mostly the late or post Harappan phase, not the peak urban phase. Step 5: The ranges thirty six hundred to twenty eight seventy BC and thirty three hundred to three thousand BC start much earlier and do not reflect the mature city centred period.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you remember even an approximate two thousand years band for the Harappan cities, such as around twenty five hundred BC, then you can discard options that do not include that central value. Archaeological timelines, museum information panels, and standard exam guides all mention that the civilization flourished around twenty six hundred to nineteen hundred BC. Therefore, the range twenty five fifty to nineteen hundred BC is a reasonable approximation and the best available choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1900 to 1650 BC: This period is too late and is often associated with the decline and transformation of Harappan culture rather than its flourishing stage.
3600 to 2870 BC: This range starts much earlier than the widely accepted mature phase, overlapping more with pre Harappan developments.
3300 to 3000 BC: This also refers mainly to the early Harappan stage and does not include the height of city development.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may try to memorize exact dates instead of understanding that archaeology uses approximate ranges. Another error is confusing early and mature phases or mixing Harappan dates with those of other civilizations. It is safer to remember that the peak of Indus urban life was around twenty five hundred BC and lasted several centuries until about nineteen hundred BC.

Final Answer:
The Indus Valley Civilization flourished approximately between 2550 to 1900 BC.