Ancient India

Planned Cities on the indus Chapter Two Section Three

India Objective Trace the impact of Indo- European migration on migration on language, literature, technology, religion, and social classes

Setting the Stage the great civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt rose and fell; they left behind much physical evidence about their ways of life Pakistan and part of India (in today’s geography) arose about 2500 B.C. historians know little – can not decipher writing knowledge comes from digs; floods washed away most ** we do NOT know a lot about the Indus River Civilization (India) because the lack of a writing system and flooding washed much away ** influenced a larger area than Mesopotamia or Egypt

Guided Reading - Answers 1. Geographers often refer to the landmass that includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as the Indian subcontinent. 2. Define subcontinent: a large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent 3. The world’s tallest mountains to the north and a large desert to the east help protect the Indus Valley from invasion .

Guided Reading - Answers 4. List the two rivers and their importance that the mountains guard the enormous flat and fertile plain. a. Indus River Importance: farming is possible only in the areas directly watered by the Indus b. Ganges River Importance: it joins the Brahmaputra River as it flows to the Bay of Bengal 5. Below the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the southern part of the subcontinent is a Peninsula that thrusts south into the Indian Ocean.

Geography subcontinent – wall of highest mountains in world separates region from rest of Asia (Hindu Kush & Himalayas) mountains and desert protect them from invasion rivers are important link to water (Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal) The two water bodies that influence Early Indian civilization are the Indus and Ganges Rivers

Guided Reading - Answers 6. Define monsoons: a wind that shifts in direction at certain times of each year 7. List the environmental challenges along the Indus River. a. yearly floods along the Indus that is unpredictable b. rivers sometimes change course c. the cycle of wet and dry seasons brought by monsoon winds was unpredictable

Geographical Challenges yearly floods spread rich silt – floods unpredictable monsoons unpredictable - monsoons – season winds October –February = blow dry air west across India June – October = blow moisture from ocean east across India causes flooding no monsoon = drought and crop failure

Guided Reading - Answers 8. By 2500 B.C., people in the Indus Valley were laying the bricks for India’s first cities. 9. What was done to keep water out of the Indus cities? built strong levees (earthen walls); constructed human-made islands to raise the cities above possible floodwaters 10. List the largest cities. a. Kalibangan b. Mohenjo-Daro c. Harappa

Guided Reading - Answers 11. Indus Valley civilization is sometimes called Harappan civilization because of the many archaeological discoveries made at that site. 12. What is one of the most remarkable achievements of the Indus Valley people? - their sophisticated city planning -- laid out their cities on a precise grid system

Guided Reading - Answers 13. What is the main reason the Harappan language has not been deciphered? linguists have not found any inscriptions that are bilingual 14. The Harappan cities show a remarkable uniformity in religion and culture. 15. Archaeologists think that the culture, for religion, was a theocracy. 16. What evidence exists to show that Indus Valley civilizations traded with Sumer? seals used by Indus merchants to identify their goods have been found in Sumer

Government early Indian civilization also called the Harappan Civilization ( 7000- 1500 B.C.) probably had a strong central government – due to city planning and construction the evidence suggests that the Indus River cities had a well-organized government because of their well planned cities

Government The early Harappan Civilization was a theocracy and some of their earliest beliefs may be the beginning of Hinduism Shiva

Public Works strong levees to keep water out man-made islands advanced city planning – grid system Citadel – fortified area which contained major buildings advanced plumbing and sewage systems Mohenjo-Daro

Jobs, Social classes and Culture Writing and Language 400 symbols make up their language and is found inscribed on pottery and tools has not been translated as of yet Jobs, Social classes and Culture primarily an agricultural civilization trade along the Indus River made them profitable were able to trade overland to Persia and to the West no real social division

Guided Reading - Answers 17. List the factors that may have contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley civilization. a. change in river’s course b. sudden catastrophe such as a flood or earthquake c. shifts in tectonic plates 18. The Aryans, nomadic people from north of Hindu Kush mountains, swept into the Indus Valley around 1500 B.C.

Downfall 1750 B.C. – quality of building declined – cities fell into decay plate movement caused earthquakes and floods trade on rivers became impossible – cities died overuse of soil – environmental changes – can not produce food many left due to droughts or flooding

Downfall ARYANS (1500 B.C.) – swept into Indus Valley – nomads did not violently take over, but destroyed what was left taller, lighter in skin color, spoke a different language no writing system pastoral and counted wealth in cows Caste System – more subgroups as time went on extended settlements – several kingdoms The outsider group of people that migrated into India thus officially ending the Harappan Civilization were they Aryans

Guided Reading - Answers 19. What landforms presented natural barriers around the Indus Valley? a. Hindu Kush b. Karakoram c. Himalaya mountains d. Thar Desert 20. Why do the winter monsoon winds carry so little moisture? they blow across Asian and over the Himalayas before reaching the Indian subcontinent

Essential Question Explain one conclusion about the Indus Valley Civilization. Write three complete sentences in the summary location on your note sheet

India Objective Trace the impact of Indo- European migration on migration on language, literature, technology, religion, and social classes