1. Chapter 7

2.  India is a subcontinent (like a continent, only smaller.)  It is located in southern Asia.  In the north, India has 2 mountain ranges: 1. Hindu Kush 2. Himalayas  India’s great rivers include: 1.The Ganges 2. The Indus 3.The Saraswati (ran parallel to the Indus, dried up because of an earthquake.)

3.  The tall mountains block much of the cold wind from reaching India, resulting in WARM temperatures.  Monsoons also shape India’s climate.  A monsoon is a seasonal wind.  Winter  DRY  Summer  WET  Look at diagram on page 220

4.  Civilization centered along the Indus river and began with agriculture.  Early farmers grew/domesticated: Wheat, barley, cotton, sheep, goats, cattle, chickens.  2 of the best known cities: Mohenjo-Daro Harappa Each contained at least 35,000 residents. Harappa gave its name to the entire Indus River culture, and today that culture is called Harappan Civilization.

5.  Featured planned cities (cities built according to a design)  Harappan homes contained a bathroom and a toilet. (Human waste was not a problem)  Harappan writing system is a mystery.  Religion- the public bath in Mohenjo-Daro  Around 2000-1500 B.C. earthquakes shook the Indus area: Saraswati River dried up Harappan civilization ceased to exist

6.  Around 2000 B.C (the same time as the violent earthquake) a group of Indo- Europeans left their homeland and settled in different regions of Europe.  1500 B.C. the Aryans traveled east into India.  When the Aryans arrived in India, the former Harappan civilization lay in ruins.  Unlike the city-dwelling Harappans, the Aryans were herders, who lived in simple houses and spoke an Indo-European language called Sanskrit.

7.  A new religion Appealed to the Dravidians (who were the inhabitants living in India at the time.) Dravidians taught the Aryans about city life.   Aryan society was organized into classes: warriors, priests, and commoners  As society grew more COMPLEX, these classes developed into the CASTE SYSTEM.

8. Brahmin Ksatriya Vaisya Sudra Untouchables