Indus River Valley Civilization

Question How did the cities along the Indus River Valley effectively confront the climatic and environmental challenges they faced?

Maps

Geographic/ Environmental Conditions unpredictable rivers (similar situation to Mesopotamian region) strong winds / monsoons

Question How did the early Indus River Valley civilization compare to that of Egypt and Mesopotamia?

Characteristics Inhabitants began farming along Indus about 3,200 B.C. Size of settled region larger than Egypt or Mesopotamia Careful city planners; laid out in grid with a defendable citadel Engineered sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems Peaceful people because few weapons were found Similarity in housing indicates little differences between social classes Religious objects and symbols clearly linked to Hinduism

Do Now: What are 3 similarities and differences between the Indus River Valley Civilization and Mesopotamia? Ancient Egypt?

Introduction The Indus Valley civilization flourished around 2,500 B.C. Located in western part of South Asia (modern day Pakistan and western India) It is often referred to as Harappan Civilization after its first discovered city, Harappa. The nearby city of MohenjoDaro is the largest and most familiar archaeological dig in this region. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China

Lost Civilization This ancient civilization was not discovered until the 1920's. Most of its ruins, including major cities, remain to be excavated.

Images Left: The excavated ruins of Mohenjodaro – one of several planned cities laid out on a grid system in the Indus region. Right: The citadel at Mohenjodaro.

Indus Valley Seals These small objects have been beautifully carved out of stone and then fired to make them more durable. Over 3,500 seals have been found so far.

Question Make some predictions...why did the early Harappan civilization crumble?

Reasons for the Demise Scholars can only speculate on the causes of the decline of Harappan civilization. Some argue either climate change or overuse of resources were responsible. a) The river may have changed course, floods (caused by heavy monsoons), severe drought, other natural disasters b)The people may have overworked the land (overcutting trees, overgrazed, over farmed land depleting nutrients) Others suggest it was destroyed by invading Aryans who roamed across the upper Indus about 1800 BC

Do Now: Why were the Aryans able to control and rule the inhabitants of the Indus River Valley? (hint: think about how other civilizations were conquered in the other regions we have studied)

The Aryan Invasion The Aryans were semi-nomadic warriors may have entered India about 1800 BC from modern-day Afghanistan by crossing the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush mountain range settled in the Punjab and the Indus Valley established a new language, a new form of social organization, new military techniques, and new religious ideas and rituals. According to the Vedas, centuries of warfare followed as the Aryans established themselves and then expanded, ultimately occupying the entire Indian sub-continent The invading Aryans also mixed with Indus and other peoples living on the subcontinent and assimilated elements of earlier cultures

Vedic Aryan Civilization 1700-500 BC Vedic Aryan civilization was a rural not an urban civilization and few material remains existed so there is little archaeological evidence no written documents that record this invasion The Vedas: collection of hymns and other religious texts composed in India between about 1500 and 1000 BCE includes elements such as liturgical material as well as mythological accounts, poems, and prayers the most important collection are the 1,028 Sanskrit hymns called the Rig Veda

Political and Social Order The Vedic Aryans were originally a semi-nomadic and non-urban people Basic political and social order was based on the patriarchal family and the grouping of related families into kin groups and tribes. Early in the development of the social structure, there were probably only two Aryan social classes, nobles and commoners, and the Dasas, the original inhabitants of the Indus River Valley region.

Characteristics of Aryan Society The Aryans had a horse culture, and no evidence exists of horses among the many representations of animals of the lost Harappan civilization. It is believed by some that like other pastoral people, the Aryans were warriors. They had two-wheeled chariots like the Hyksos that they packed away on carts pulled by oxen. The Aryans were familiar with prowling and hunting with bow and arrow. They enjoyed chariot racing, gambling and fighting. Like other pastoral peoples, men dominated the women. Like the pastoral Hebrews each family was ruled by an authoritarian male. And each Aryan tribe was ruled by a king who felt obliged to consult with tribal councils.

Do Now In groups/pairs, please address the question below: Do you believe that a caste system does more to hurt or benefit society? Why is that the case?

Caste System = Varna Over a long period of evolution, however, a more complex and rigid fourfold class or caste system (Varna) developed, and it was more or less in place by the 7th century BC: the Brahman (priestly) class the Kshatriya [=kuh-SHA-tree-yuhz] (warrior/noble) class the Vaishya [=VYSH-huhx] (commoner/herdsmen/tradesman) class the Shudra [SHOO-drah] (peasant/servant) class.

Question How did the Aryans change the Indus River Valley cultures?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMRjWJZkwdk 6-12 mins