Ch. 6, Sec. 2: The Indus Valley Civilization pg Name Date History

Focus Question How did people live in the first Indus Valley civilization?

Indus Valley Civilization: Lost and Found 2500 B.C. to 1650 B.C. Also known as the Harappan civilization In the 1920s archaeologists uncovered two ancient cities 1) Harappa 2) Mohenjo-Daro Since then, there are 1,400 cities and towns- Present day Pakistan

A River Valley Civilization Like Egypt and Mesopotamia, Indus Valley Civilization arose in a major river valley. Their people relied on a great river for water and fertile soil. People learned to manage floods by planting crops in the rich soil and raising a surplus of food.

Well-Planned Cities The Indus Valley People built large and well-organized cities. Cities were built on raised mounds of earth and rock to keep the cities above water during flooding. Most cities had wide, straight streets arranged in a grid pattern Buildings were built of hard, oven- fired brick to last longer Cities offered well-designed plumbing and sewage systems.

2 min. Video on Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa Cities

The Indus Valley Economy The Indus Valley people developed an efficient economy. They used irrigation to raise wheat and barley. They stored surplus crops in a granary (special building used to hold grain). Farmers were the first to grow cotton for making cloth. They raised sheep, cattle, chickens, and duck for food. They kept horses, camels, and donkeys for transportation.

Far-Reaching Trade Traders imported (brought goods in from another land) precious metals, stones, and timber from distant lands. Traders exported (sent out goods to another land for sale) jewelry, cotton, cloth and other goods to Egypt and Mesopotamia. Trade was highly organized and regulated -stone seals (to identify their goods) - a system of weights (scales and stones)

Think-Pair-Share Checkpoint Question Describe the economic organization of the Indus Valley Cities.

me_life/ “ Professor Indus Game”

Indus Valley Mysteries There is no evidence about who organized the society or why they did so.

Other Mysteries Religion- very little evidence found. Some artifacts suggest Hinduism Writing- scholars are unable to read the writing found on pottery The decline of civilization Some possibilities for the decline include: Climate change Heavy flooding Years of drought Earthquakes or foreign invaders may have damaged the cities. The Harappans abandoned their city around 1750 B.C. and by 1500 B.C., the civilization disappeared.

Think-Pair-Share Checkpoint Question Describe two mysteries surrounding the Indus Valley civilization.

Summarize Your Notes Please reflect on the Focus Question: How did people live in the first Indus Valley civilization? Life in the Indus Valley was maintained by…...