1. The Indus River Valley

2. How did climate and geography influence the rise of India’s first civilization?
India is considered a sub- continent of Asia. It is separated by the Himalaya mountains in the north east and the Hindu- Kush mountains in the north west.
Today, five nations make up the Indian sub-continent: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

3. Geography Two fertile river valleys (Ganges River and Indus River)
Ganges runs south out of the Himalaya and flows into Indian Ocean
Indus River empties into Arabian Sea – area around the Indus is called Indus River valley
Dry and hilly Deccan Plateau south of river valleys
Lush, fertile plains on eastern and western coasts

4. Climate Monsoons are important part of climate
Winter monsoon – brings cold, dry air of mountains
Summer monsoon – warm, wet air from Arabian Sea – drenching rains
Rains come on time and rainy season is long enough, crops will be good; rains delayed, drought will occur

5. India’s Early Civilization- Where did the first urban Indian civilization begin?
The Indus river valley was a good place to settle for many reasons: Summer monsoon – river rose higher and flooded nearby land leaving behind rich and fertile soil; Farmers used rich soil to grow crops to feed families
Plentiful food allowed people to make tools, build houses, trade extra food and grow wealthy and then build larger cities, so a surplus of food leads to specialization!
Indus civilization (also called the Harappan) consisted of more than 1,000 villages and towns and stretched from the Himalaya to the Arabian Sea
Historians learn about Indus from ruins of major cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

6. What can we learn from the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
Well-planned cities with fortress built on a brick platform (probably for protection) and wide main streets and smaller side streets
Wall surrounded each neighborhood and narrow lanes separated houses
Most houses had flat roofs and built with mud bricks baked in ovens
Houses varied in size but all had same layout with a courtyard in the middle and smaller rooms around it

7. How did people live in Harappan society?
Although Harappa’s didn’t leave many historical records, we can guess (from the ruins) that religion and politics were closely connected. For example the Royal palace and temple may both have been enclosed in a fortress.
A statue of a priest-king was found among the ruins too. This leads us to believe they had a theocracy- government that combines religion and state.
The seals they left behind show they had a writing and communication system. Most Harappa’s were farmers- they grew rice, wheat, barley, peas, cotton
These Harappa city dwellers made copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, cotton cloth, jewelry from gold, shells and ivory
Toys for children; Shows that the children were cared for and allowed to play

8. How did the Aryans come to dominate the region? Or did they?
Harappan civilization collapsed because of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods
The disputed theory stipulates that this collapse created an opportunity for the Indus River region to be taken over by the Aryans Herders part of a larger group referred to as Indo- Europeans

9. What changes were attributed to the Aryans invasion of the Indian subcontinent?
Left home territories and entered Indus River valley in about BCE and mixed in with those local cultures
Good warriors who invaded nearby villages as expert horse riders and hunters with metal-tipped spears and wooden chariots
Aryans no longer lived as nomads and became farmers; Declared cattle as sacred and forbidden to be eaten
Technology improved farming- they invented the iron plow. India’s varied climate supported crops (wheat, barley and millet, spices – pepper, ginger and cinnamon)
New written language – Sanskrit
Organized into tribes led by rajas who ran own small kingdoms who fought within over cattle and treasure and women kidnapped from other states

10. New Evidence
People once believed that the region was then taken over by the Aryans; a group of people who invaded from Europe or Eurasia- now scholars question this idea
New evidence from genetic studies suggest that no invasion occurred and that any genetic similarities between Europeans and the people of the subcontinent go back to the first migrations out of Africa, and that there is no genetic evidence that a recent invasion occurred from Eurasia.

11. Society in Ancient India- How did the caste system separate people into groups?
Indians call these groups jati. The word caste is Portuguese.
The system may be based on skin color
The caste system kept groups separate and set rules for behavior

12. What were the social levels of the caste system?
The thousands of different jati in society were grouped into four classes called Varnas
The top two were Brahmins and Kshatriyas. Brahmins included priests. Kshatriyas included warriors.
Vaisyas were the farmers and merchants
Sudras were manual labors and servants- most populated group
Untouchables did not belong to any Varna- they performed dirty work such as collecting trash, skinning animals or handling dead bodies.

13. What were the roles of men and women in Aryan society?
Oldest man in family was in charge- men had more rights than women- only sons could inherit property, go to school, or become priests.
In high society, boys were taught by a guru until he was old enough to go to the city – these boys had to finish 12 years of school before they could marry
Marriages are often arranged, even nowadays, divorces are not allowed, but a husband could take a second wife if his first wife couldn’t have kids
The practice of suttee; where wives throw themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands was once common

14. Terms to Know
Subcontinent- A large landmass that is part of a continent but distinct from it.
Himalaya- The mountain range that forms a barrier between India and the rest of the Asian continent.
Ganges River- River in India that flows from the Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal
Indus River- A River in Asia, that begins in the Himalaya in Tibet and flows through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.
Monsoons- An annual strong wind pattern in South Asia that blows in one direction in winter, off of the Himalaya bringing cool winds, and the opposite direction off of the Arabian Sea in summer bringing warm rain.
 Aryans- a group of shepherds and herders, once nomads who lived in central Asia 
Sanskrit- the written language developed by the Aryans 
Raja- a prince of an Aryan tribe
Caste- a social group that someone is born into and cannot change
Brahmins-The top Indian social group 
Guru- a religious teacher and spiritual guide

15. Questions and Answers Why are monsoons important to Indian farmers?
Monsoons flooded the rivers and when they receded rich soil for farming was left behind.
After crossing the mountains, what physical features did the Aryan follow into India?
The Ganges River Valley
Into what area of southern India did the Aryans travel?
The Deccan Plateau

16. More Questions and Answers
What were the five major groups in Indian society?
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, and the Untouchables.
How is India separated from the rest of Asia?
It is separated by the Himalaya mountain range. 
From what material were most of the houses in Mohenjo- Daro made?
They were made from clay bricks and had flat roofs.

17. Even More Q and A What two rivers are found in northern India?
The Indus and Ganges Rivers
Based on the area’s geography, what parts of the Indian subcontinent do you think are best for settlement?
The Ganges and Indus River valleys and the coastal areas.