Vocabulary UrbanHimalaya Mountains MonsoonHarappa RuinsMohenjo Daro Civilization Fertile granary

India Began as a River Valley Civilization: Began along the Indus river (like Egypt and the Nile, and Mesopotamia and the Tigris and Euphrates) The river would flood from the snow melting in the northern mountains It would leave the soil rich and fertile This allowed a surplus of TIME People developed tools People built better houses

 As many as 35,000 people lived in these URBAN areas  Wide main streets  Wall surrounded each neighbor hood  Fortress was built on a brick platform  Narrow lanes separated the houses  Granaries were built to store food.

 Made of mud brick  Some were fired in Kilns  Had flat roofs  All had similar layouts  Wells  Indoor bathrooms  Drains-a sewage system  Garbage chutes

 Had a special writing  Still cannot be deciphered  Used it to write on seals and stamps

FARMERS ARTISANS MADE: COPPER AND BRONZE TOOLS CLAY POTTERY COTTON CLOTH JEWELRY  Grew rice  Wheat  Barley  Peas  cotton

 The People of India most likely traded with Mesopotamians around the year 2300 B.C

 The Indus Civilization collapsed around 1500 B.C.  Historians believe it was because of natural events such as earthquakes, and this caused the Indus River to change its course.  After these events is when the Aryans came to settle into the area

 They lived in Central Asia  Herders  Migrated to Iran and India in the 1500”s  Prized cattle and even used it for money  Wealth was measured by how much cattle a person owned.  Excellent warriors  Expert horsemen  Metal tipped spears, wooden chariots

Around 1000 B.C. they expanded into the Ganges region Features of their culture merged with the Indians.

 In India the Aryans dropped their nomadic lifestyle and became farmers and still raised cattle.  The Aryans eventually declared cattle as sacred!!!!!!!!!  The Aryans invented the iron plow and built canals.  As nomads they had no written language, but once they settled down they developed the written language of SANSKRIT

 They were organized into tribes under the leadership of a RAJA  Each raja ran their own small kingdom and fought among themselves  The kingdoms lasted until about 400 B.C  (about 1000 years.)

Society In Ancient India The Aryans developed the Caste System Caste- a social group someone is born into and cannot change Caste- Portuguese Word Caste- Indian word is JATI

 Dictates your job  Dictates who you can marry  Dictates who you can eat and drink with

Caste 1. Kept groups separate 2. Set rules for everyone’s behavior

 Could have been racially motivated  The Aryans had a lighter skin color  They thought they were better than the darker skinned Indians  Could have been because the Indians out- numbered them

 Family was the center of life  Extended family lived together (grandparents, parents, children)  Oldest man in the family was in charge  Upper class people in India had a GURU to teach the boys until they could go to the city for a more formal education  Parents arranged marriages  90% of marriages are still arranged today  Divorce was not allowed  Couples with no children allowed men to take a second wife

 It was customary to cremate the dead.  Cremation is the burning of a dead body

 It was quite an honor for a woman to throw herself on her husbands funeral pyre  If she did not she, she brought great shame to her family.  People would avoid her from then on.