1. Indus River Valley Civilization

2. Geography Indus and Ganges Rivers form 1500 miles of a river valley
Indus: Link to the sea=trade
Residents of the Indus River Valley depended on unpredictable flooding for crops

3. Residents must also deal with monsoons October-May: dry winter air
Seasonal winds that dominate the climate
October-May: dry winter air
June-September: wet moist air

4. Geographical barriers
Hindu Kush Mountains
Karakoram Mountains
Himalayan Mountains
Thar Desert
Geographical barriers provide protection

5. Civilization Emerges on the Indus
As early as 3200 BCE—farming villages
Historians to date cannot decipher the writing system

6. Planned Cities 100 settlements along the Indus by 2500 BCE
City planning took place along a precise grid system
Fortified area=citadel
Residential areas—all buildings made of bricks
Sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems

8. Culture and Trade
Stable society without much conflict or rigid class system
Religious artifacts indicate connections to Hindu society of today
Polytheistic
Gods, like in Sumer, based on nature
Mother goddess: nature, agriculture
Fertility: plants, children

9. Economy and Society Based off of agriculture and trade
Evidence of trade with Sumer
Products with Indus seals found in Sumer and Sumerian objects found in Indus ( BCE)

10. Mysterious End to Indus Valley Culture
1750 BCE: period of decline and decay
What happened? No one knows for sure, but some ideas exist:
1. Indus changed course and failed to fertilize fields surrounding cities
2. Over-farming of the land

11. Compare/Contrast Indus and Sumer
Area of Comparison
Indus
Sumer
Similar/Different/Both
Geography
Economy
Religion