Ch. 6 Ancient India Lesson 1b The Indus Valley Civilization Aryan Migrations and Settlements Ancient Indian Society pp. 142-148

B. The Indus Valley Civilization About 5,000 years ago, nomads settled in Indus River Modern day Pakistan

Indus Valley Civilization Indus River Valley 2600 B.C. – 1900 B.C. Most were farmers Very fertile soil Grew wheat, barley, and beans With abundant crops, not all needed to farm, so the division of labor led to specialization of jobs Craftsman - Many made tools Builders - Constructed houses Merchants – trading extra food and goods Spread over western India and Pakistan

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro We know the Indus culture flourished from studying the ruins of 2 major cities: 1 – Harappa 2 – Mohenjo-Daro Large cities Populations of 35,000 Like twin cities in design Large streets paved with mud bricks; small streets unpaved West side of the city stood a fortress built on brick platform surrounded by strong, thick walls *Ruins – the remains of something was destroyed or disintegrated

Studying the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro cities Highly skilled engineers and builders built the Indus people’s homes Used large ovens to bake the mud into bricks build = mud brick homes Some were several stories tall Flat wooden roofs Enclosed courtyards Wells supplied water so every house had Indoor plumbing Waste flowed through pipes to pits outside the city walls Each house had garbage chutes connected to bins in the streets

No written records found in these cities. So, what did archaeologists learn about the culture from studying the ruins of the city? Found ruins of royal palaces and temples that were enclosed in a fortress – this tells us that that their religion and government was important to them Found villages surrounding the cities -- this tells us that they were farmers outside the city Found Copper and Bronze tools – this tells us that they mixing metals -- making Alloys so they must be studying Metallurgy Found in the city walls = copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, cotton cloth, toys, and even jewelry made out of shells, ivory, and gold – this tells us that they were weavers, carpenters/ builders, merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans. Found items from civilizations as far away as Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Egypt, and China – this tells us that they were traders and merchants

C. Aryan Migrations and Settlements c.1900 B.C Indus Valley people left and abandoned their cities and villages Why might they have left? - drought ; starvation - earthquakes and floods Meanwhile c. 1500 BC, groups of people called Aryans migrated to India from Asia Raised cattle for meat, milk, and butter Moved from place to place to find pastures and water fro their cattle Expert horse riders and hunters Fierce warriors – raided villages from food Eventually, they mixed with the Indus Valley people and began to settle down and farm BUT they saw their cattle as sacred and banned them as food Made iron tools to clear the forests for farm land Built irrigations systems Turned the Ganges River valley into productive farmland Lived in Tribes Each tribe is ruled by rajas (prince) Created own small kingdoms, which often fought each other over cattle, treasure, and land

Writing Aryans developed a written language, Sanskrit Vedas Recorded sales, trade, and land ownership Vedas - sacred texts - songs, stories, and prayers “Let us call upon today, to aid our labor, the Lord of Speech…may he hear kindly all our prayers who gives all bliss for aid, whose works are righteous.”

D. Ancient Indian Society The Aryans eventually set up towns along the Ganges River. Still farming Some specialized in crafts such as carpentry or weaving Others are trading So this means… The economy is growing and a system of social classes will develop

Caste System Aryans developed social classes or groups called varnas Could never change groups Groups were hereditary – passed down from father to son Rules for life (marriage, work, and friendship) 4 classes called the varnas

Caste System – Who belonged in each varna?

Caste System The Brahmins were at the top - priests - most power Next were the Kshatriyas or the warriors Ran the government and army

Caste System Vaisyas - common people - farmers, craftspeople, and merchants Sudras manual workers and servants few rights largest group

Caste System Untouchables - too low to even be part of the system - live apart - did the dirty work

The Untouchables Video http://youtu.be/j31veR74gSo 7 mins

12 Facts Family Life Family is the center of life Grandparents, parents, and children all live together Oldest male in the family was in charge of the entire household Men had more rights than women Males inherited property Men attended school or became priests Women educated at home In leading families, a boy had a guru (teacher) until he attended school in the city Men could only marry after finishing 12 years of school Parents arrange the marriages even today Married in their teens No divorce = it was NOT allowed

Research Questions: Prepare for possible test questions When the Aryans migrated / invaded, how did the way of life change? Describe each class of the social structure of the caste system. Explain what family life was like? India’s ancient people relied on three major rivers for what 3 things? Which was a nomadic people that entered the Indus River valley around 1500 B.C.? Under which group of people did the caste system emerge in India? As the Aryans settled in India, many of them began to build towns along what River?