1. The Harappan Civilization
INDUS RIVER VALLEY
The Harappan Civilization

2. GEOGRAPHY Located in the Indus River Valley on the Indian subcontinent
Yearly floods deposit fertile soil in the region
Weather is influenced by yearly monsoons
The Khyber Pass through the Hindu Kush mountains allow people to cross into the Indus River Valley

3. HARAPPAN SOCIETY BACKGROUND
Neolithic villages in Indus River valley by 3000 B.C.E.
Earliest remains inaccessible because of silt deposits and rising water table
Also little known because writing not yet translated

4. ECONOMY
People who lived in the towns and cities were mostly merchants and craftsmen
People who lived in areas outside the cities were farmers and herders
Cultivated wheat, barley, and cotton
The Harappans invented the first system of weights and measures for trade
They traded as far away as ancient Sumer where they imported textiles and food in exchange for copper, lumber, precious stones, cotton, and luxury goods

5. POLITICAL STRUCTURE
The Harappans had a strong and well-organized central government
We are unsure of the exact political structure
There were “twin” capitals at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Eventually, the Aryans took control

6. THE ARYANS Nomadic people from the Caspian and Black Sea region
Patriarchal tribes of herders
Did not associate with the natives of India which they conquered
Did not build large cities or permanent settlements
Influenced modern social structure and religion of India

7. RELIGION Polytheistic Originally, probably an animistic religion
Rulers probably ruled by divine right
Eventually developed the Hindu religion when the Aryans brought their ideas

8. ARYAN RELIGION Aryan gods War god, Indra
Gods of the sun, the sky, the moon, fire, health, disease
God Varuna: ethical concern, cosmic order

9. SOCIETY
More people involved in trade and craftsmanship than other civilizations
Little evidence to suggest what their class system was like
Women had no legal rights and were considered the property of their husbands
As the Aryan influence spread, a caste system developed

10. CASTE SYSTEM Caste and varna Social distinctions in the late Vedic Age
The meaning of caste: hereditary, unchangeable social classes
The Sanskrit word varna, "color," refers to social classes
Social distinctions in the late Vedic Age
Four main castes, recognized after 1000 B.C.E.: brahmins (priests), kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats), vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants), shudras (landless peasants and serfs)
Later the category of the untouchables was added

12. INNOVATIONS Well-planned cities (streets at 90o angles)
Sewer systems and garbage bins
Private and public baths
Kilns for baking bricks
Public wells provided water
Written language (mostly pictographic)
[The Aryans brought the Sanskrit language when they took over]

13. THE END OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
No one really knows what happened to the Harappans
Theories
Natural disaster (earthquake, floods) destroyed the cities and the people migrated to other areas
They were conquered by other people
They moved from the region for some other reason