1. Early Indus River Valley Civilization

2. Geography Indus and Ganges Rivers – Mostly the Indus, but the land extends towards the Ganges

3. Geography (continued) Indian Subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh) are separated from the rest of Asia by the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan Mountains. Beyond the mountains is a huge, fertile plain formed by the Indus and Ganges Rivers (floods not predictable like Nile). Monsoons dry the country in the Winter, and bring lots of rain in the Summer

5. Geography (continued) Due to unpredictable flooding and monsoons, farming was far less stable Cut off by the mountains, and desert to the West, but Indus River provided access to sea, and they actually traded with Mesopotamians

6. Harappa Civilization 3000 BC – 1500 BC Ancient civilization Little is known aside from archaeological evidence because their language has still not been translated (not much knowledge of origins, but modern traditions started here) Major Cities were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro – They had brick walled homes (sometimes 3 stories), bathrooms with drainage systems, and other modern advances

8. Harappa (continued) Most discoveries were made at Harappa so it is often referred to as Harrapan Civilization They were excellent city planners (which leads to likelihood of strong central government) – Streets on a grid system – Fortified citadel for major buildings – Residential districts – Plumbing and Sewage systems

10. Aryan Invasion Invaded around 1500 BC Aryan – 2 possible translations – Literally “pertaining to ourselves,” and refers to the native people of Iran and India – Or “ar” as a root word for noble, or superior

11. Aryans (continued) Developed Sanskrit (writing system) which is still not fully translated; so we don’t know a whole lot about them either Started an education system for sons, led by a Guru (teacher) India’s landscape is diverse. Many economic activities took place; mostly farming (despite monsoons), herding, and trading

12. Aryans (continued) Their belief systems and way of life, eventually morphed into Hinduism and Buddhism (we will cover the religions in more depth later) – Also earlier Harappan traditions were predecessors to Hindu gods, and there were signs of cattle worship Caste System – 5 social classes based on economic and social position – Brahmins = priests, Kshatriyas = warriors, Vaisyas = commoners, Sutras = non-Aryan peasants, Harijan/Untouchables = slaves

13. Theories of Decline The Harappan Civilizations declined around the same time as the takeover by the Aryans. There are several theories: – Indus changed course – Land was over used – Natural disaster – Aryan invasion