Opening  In your notebooks answer the following questions:  What two inventions did the Sumerians create?  What present day country is in the Fertile Crescent?  Define cultural diffusion?  What do all the Ancient River Valley Civilizations have in common?

Planned Cities on the Indus

Geography  The Indus area includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.  It is often called a subcontinent (a large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent).  The world’s tallest mountains to the north and desert to the east protect the Indus Valley from invasion.

Indus Valley civilization

G:What modern day countries was the Indus Valley civ in?

What Rivers????  Indus River  Ganges River  These rivers carry not only water for irrigation but also silt which produces rich land for farming.

Monsoons  Are seasonal winds  Winter monsoons(Oct-Feb) dry air  Summer monsoons (June-Oct) wet air=rain and flooding. BUT no rain= drought

Problems faced in the Indus Valley  Unpredictable flooding but this brings the rich soil  Rivers change course  The cycles of the monsoon season are unpredictable. Little rain=drought or Too much rain= flooding

Don’t Know Much  Compared to Mesopotamia and Egypt very little is know about the Indus Civilization.  Why???  Historians have yet to decipherer their writing system.  The writing has not been translated.

Do Now  Please answer the following questions:  Define the term subcontinent  What are monsoons?  What two rivers made up the Indus River Valley?

Indus River civilization  We do know the cities were sophisticated enough to have brick walls surrounding them for protection against flooding from the Indus River.

Harappan Civilization  Indus Valley civilization is often called this  These people had sophisticated city planning  Examples: ----Created walls or islands to avoid floods ----Streets in a grid system ----Had special protection for important buildings ----Had plumbing and sewer systems

Culture  Had a written language—impossible to translate.  Few weapons were found=little fighting  Religion= were a theocracy (religious leaders in charge). Link to Hindu  Trade with others (near the sea) including those in Mesopotamia.

Decline---Why?  Shifts in tectonic plates created earthquakes and floods which change the course of the Indus River.  Remember the importance of water to these civilization.  No water= harder to create and maintain civilization.