Warm-up 1/6 Congratulations on making it through 2013! You are almost halfway through your first year of middle school! What have been your biggest challenges so far at Piedmont? How have you been able to overcome these challenges and struggles? What are your goals for 2014?

1- Indian Subcontinent Label the Indian Subcontinent on your map Scientists believe that Pangea broke apart into separate continents millions of years ago About 10 million years ago, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia collided

2 - Himalayan Mountains The Himalayan Mountains were created by the collision – The plates are still running into each other and the Mountain Range continues to rise It is the tallest mountain range in the world – The top 98 out of 100 tallest mountains in the world

Himalayan Mountains from Space

Rivers As the snow and ice in the Himalayas melts, small streams form Slowly, streams start to meet and combine, forming rivers These rivers move downhill and gather more force as more streams empty into the river

4- Indus River Located in modern-day Pakistan Starts in the Himalayas and empties into the Arabian Sea This is where the Indus Valley Civilization originated

Climate Climate- Weather conditions over a long period of time – Climate and weather are similar, but not the same thing!

Monsoons Seasonal winds that produce wet and dry seasons in India Summer monsoons bring rain – Blow from the southwest over the Indian Ocean Winter monsoons bring dry weather – Blow from the northwest over the Himalayas

Summer Monsoons On your map, sketch and label the summer monsoons

Winter Monsoons On your map, sketch and label the winter monsoons

Which one is the winter monsoon? Arrival of the Summer Monsoon in India

Floods In the summer months, the rains from monsoons can cause floods – Floods caused by monsoons- New Report Floods caused by monsoons- New Report

Indus Valley Civilization Farming led to a stable food supply and the Indus Valley Civilization formed around 2500 BCE and lasted until about 1700 BCE Two major cities from this civilization have been discovered by archaeologist – Harrapa – Mohenjo-daro

Harrapa Archaeologist discovered the city in 1921 in Pakistan The town grew because of the harvesting of grains A granary is a large building used for storing grain. One was located in the center of Harrapa The granary was protected by a citadel, a large protective wall

Mohenjo-Daro Large city with advanced technology City divided into two parts: – Administrative (Government) and Religious Buildings – Lower City (Residential) Also had a granary and was protected by a citadel

Mohenjo-Daro Evidence suggests that Mohenjo-Daro suffered damage from major floods, caused by the Indus River Citizens traded with surrounding communities to get resources and goods they did not have: – Metal – Gems – Wool – Olive Oil

Decline By 1900 BCE, the civilization began to decline Deforestation caused the fertile soil to turn to desert Not enough food could be produced for the population, so people began to abandon the cities In 1500 BCE, Mohenjo-Daro was raided and destroyed

Aryan Invasion India was protected by natural barriers like the Himalayan Mountains The Aryans were a nomadic group that came from modern-day Russia and conquered the Dravidian people of India The Aryans gave up their nomadic lifestyle and settled in India – They brought their culture to India

Impact of Aryan Culture The Hindu religion is based off several Aryan beliefs: – The belief in many gods and that these gods lived in nature – The Vedas are sacred texts (similar to the Bible) The Aryan’s religion and the people of India beliefs combined to form Hinduism Today Hindu is practiced by almost 1 billion people and the 3 rd largest religion in the world

Sanskrit When the Aryans came to India, the people in India did not have a language The Aryans introduced Sanskrit and it spread throughout India – The Vedas were written in Sanskrit

8) Which statement best explains why the Aryans’ settlement in India helped in the creation of a written form of their language? A)Once the Aryans had taken control of India, they developed a bureaucracy that needed to keep good records to control the vast territory. B) The peoples that the Aryans conquered already had an alphabet that the Aryans adopted for their own language once they had taken control. C) By giving up their nomadic lifestyle, the Aryans were able to develop a settled way of life that made it possible to develop their culture further. D) Prior to the Aryans’ arrival in India, Sanskrit was mostly spoken by priests, who had no need to transmit their ideas to other members of society.

Caste System The Aryans introduced the Caste System This is when the population is divided into different social classes that decide what job you will have and who you can marry This was a dominant part of Indian culture until the mid- 1900s

Chandragupta Maurya Strong military commander who rose to power at the age of 20 United the kingdoms of Northern India, becoming the first true emperor of India Died in 297 BCE Created a dynasty- His sons would go on to rule the Mauryan Empire

Maurya Empire Founded by Chandragupta Maurya when he was only 20 years old Developed a trading network across South Asia – Created a system of finance, administration, and security – Created the world’s first currency (money) Ashoka the Great (the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya) spread the teachings of Buddha – After witnessing a devastating war that killed thousands, he renounced war and violence

Ashoka the Great The 3 rd and final leader of the Mauryan Empire in 265 BCE He was a great warrior and conquered much land for the Empire After fighting, he was disgusted with the violence and decided to lead a peaceful life He converted to Buddhism

Ashoka the Great Ashoka changed from being a warrior to spreading education and trade He built schools and universities He established trading with neighboring communities Ashoka died in 238 BC He is best known for spreading Buddhism throughout Asia

Gupta Empire Built roads, linking cities and towns and increasing trade – India was wealthy under the Gupta Empire Hinduism became the main religion, although religious freedom was encouraged

Gupta Empire Many inventions and scientific discoveries – Called the “Golden Age of India” Schools and universities were built Developed Arabic numerals, the basis of our number system – Created the concept of 0 (zero) – The zero makes it possible to use multiple digits and make math operations easier

11) Which statement best explains how mathematics benefited from the invention of the zero by Gupta mathematicians? A)The zero creates a method for representing negative quantities, which has applications in science as well as commerce. B) The zero allows mathematicians to extend the number system beyond humans’ ability to count only objects that they can see. C) The zero introduced abstract concepts into mathematics, which connected it with developments occurring in religion and philosophy. D) The zero makes it possible to use a placeholder system that shortens the writing of numbers and makes mathematical operations easier to perform

India is located in Southern Asia

Geography of India