Did YOU Know??!!  Babies are born without knee caps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.  On April 15 th 1912, the SS Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage and over 1,500 people died. Fourteen years earlier a novel was published by Morgan Robertson which described a ship the same size as the Titanic which crashed into an iceberg on a misty April night. The name of Robertson’s fictional ship was the Titan.  There are 92 known cases of nuclear bombs lost at sea.

Geographical (Natural) Protection

India Geography  South Asia (a diamond shaped area) is considered a subcontinent  Natural/Physical Barriers of Protection ○ Mountain ranges in Northern India- Himalayas and Hindu Kush ○ Khyber Pass provided entrance routes for people to migrate into the Indian subcontinent Indian Ocean isolated India by water

Monsoons  Seasonal winds called monsoons dominate India’s climate Winter monsoons (Oct-May): Cool, dry winds blow SW from the Himalayas Summer monsoons (June-Sept): Hot, humid winds blow NE with heavy rain from the Arabian Sea  If the rains can come too early or too late Flooding or drought Crop failure => famine

Rivers  Ganges and Indus River  Provided fertile farmland and ready supply of water  Earliest civilizations emerged in 2500 BCE

Early Indus River Valley Civilizations  Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro 2500 BCE in the Indus River Valley (modern day Pakistan)  350 miles apart Shared many common characteristics

Characteristics of Indus River Valley  Urban planning Cities in grid system Buildings built with bricks cut in standard sizes Great plumbing and sewage system Controlled the Indus River through levees for crops.  Uniformity of cities = Strong central government  First to grow cotton and make cotton clothes  Domesticated animals including dogs, cats, elephants, and water buffaloes First known to domesticate chickens

Aryans  The Aryans Invaded the Indian Subcontinent in 1500 BCE, possibly through the Khyber Pass Easily took over due to advanced military technology ○ Chariot ○ Asserted their dominance early through military

 The Aryans established a politically unstable civilization ○ Divided into smaller kingdoms ○ Ruled by local chiefs who were military in nature  The Aryans introduced a new language to the subcontinent Sanskrit ○ Becomes the written language of the Indus River Valley

The Caste System  The Caste System is a social class system based on heredity- brought by the Aryans ○ People were born into the class of their birth parents ○ Could not change their caste or class through any means ○ Used to assert control over people ○ Influenced social interactions and jobs Caste system is found in Hinduism

Caste System  Caste membership determined: The work that you could do The person you could marry People with whom you could interact  Ritual Purity- habits of eating and cleaning that made a person physically and spiritually clean- became all important  The untouchables lived outside the system as their touch endangered the ritual purity of the others

The Caste System represents parts of the body of Perusha- the first human being

Aryan Influence  Their sacred literature, the Vedas, left a fairly reliable picture of Aryan life  The Aryans migrated into the area, blended their beliefs with those of the indigenous people, and asserted their dominance  The Aryans were taller, lighter in skin color, and spoke a different language than the people they found in India

Mauryan Empire  The Mauryan Empire was established by King Chandragupta Maurya in India in 321 BCE. Believed war would give him fame Amassed a huge army to conquer India

Mauryan Empire  Created a highly bureaucratic government  Divided into 4 provinces  Divided the provinces into local districts run by officials who would collect taxes and enforce laws  Carefully chose his officials and very closely supervised them

King Asoka  Asoka was the grandson of Maurya  He took power of Mauryan Empire in 268 until 232  The early years of his rule were very militaristic  Asoka experienced a life change that changed both his himself and his kingdom – he converts to Buddhism Follows Buddha's (Siddhartha’s) teachings

King Asoka  Buddhism spreads using Asoka’s missionaries  Asoka constructs hospitals, veterinary clinics, & builds roads  His Rule brought peace and prosperity to Indi Religious Tolerance  After his death, the empire falls apart

Gupta Empire  After 500 years of turmoil Chandra Gupta emerged as a leader  Built an empire under which India flourished  Existed from 320 CE to 550 CE in India  India’s Golden Age Time period of peace, prosperity, and development

Gupta Golden Age Contributions  The Golden Age of the Gupta Empire led to many contributions to other societies  Mathematics (concept of zero)  Medical advancements (setting of bones)  Astronomy (concept of round earth)  New textiles and literature

Compare the Empires