Indus River Valley Civilization

Geography Indus and Ganges Rivers form 1500 miles of a river valley Indus: Link to the sea=trade Residents of the Indus River Valley depended on unpredictable flooding for crops

Residents must also deal with monsoons October-May: dry winter air Seasonal winds that dominate the climate October-May: dry winter air June-September: wet moist air

Geographical barriers Hindu Kush Mountains Karakoram Mountains Himalayan Mountains Thar Desert Geographical barriers provide protection

Civilization Emerges on the Indus As early as 3200 BCE—farming villages Historians to date cannot decipher the writing system

Planned Cities 100 settlements along the Indus by 2500 BCE City planning took place along a precise grid system Fortified area=citadel Residential areas—all buildings made of bricks Sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems

Culture and Trade Stable society without much conflict or rigid class system Religious artifacts indicate connections to Hindu society of today Polytheistic Gods, like in Sumer, based on nature Mother goddess: nature, agriculture Fertility: plants, children

Economy and Society Based off of agriculture and trade Evidence of trade with Sumer Products with Indus seals found in Sumer and Sumerian objects found in Indus (2350-2000 BCE)

Mysterious End to Indus Valley Culture 1750 BCE: period of decline and decay What happened? No one knows for sure, but some ideas exist: 1. Indus changed course and failed to fertilize fields surrounding cities 2. Over-farming of the land

Compare/Contrast Indus and Sumer Area of Comparison Indus Sumer Similar/Different/Both Geography Economy Religion