Transcript River_Valley_Civilizations_Indus_River_Valley_Bonnerx

RIVER VALLEY
CIVILIZATIONS
INDUS RIVER VALLEY
Essential Question:
– What were the important characteristics of the
civilizations
in the Indus River Valley?
Warm-Up Question:
– Name 2 similarities between Egypt & Mesopotamian
civilizations
– Name 2 differences
The Indus River
Valley (India)
India began
along the Indus
River, which
flooded and left
behind fertile soil
(yet another
perfect place to
start a
civilization)
Seasonal monsoons
caused summer rains
and floods, which
helped create more
fertile soil
The people of
the Indian
“subcontinent”
were well
protected by
several natural
barriers: the
oceans,
Himalaya
Mountains, and
the deserts that
surrounded the
Indus River
Valley kept out
invaders
Mountains
Deserts
Oceans
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Advanced cities:
Indus cities were laid out in
a
grid system with high walls
and
citadel of major buildings
This grid system would be used in many modern
cities (such as New York City)
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Specialized
Workers:
Indian society was
divided by the
“caste system”.
This system
divided people
into classes
based on their
“purity” in
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Government:
Little is known about
Indus government other
than they were ruled by
kings
LASTING
CONTRIBUTIONS
Religion:
People in the Indus
River Valley believed in
a polytheistic religion
called Hinduism
Hindus believe in
reincarnation: one’s
soul is repeatedly
reborn until moksha
occurs
Moksha (also known as
nirvana or
enlightenment) is the
release of the spirit
from the human form
A soul’s karma (good or
bad deeds during life)
effects your
reincarnation (what you
come back in life as)
Today, Hinduism is the
world’s oldest organized
religion and its 3rd
largest with nearly a
billion followers
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Writing:
Indus writing has not
been fully translated so
much of Indus life is still
a mystery
Writing
contained
about 400
symbols that
were both
pictograms and
phonetic
characters
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Technology:
Advanced
plumbing: most
houses in the
Indus Valley had
toilets and
private
bathrooms
connected to
underground
sewer systems
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS
Technology:
They also made standardsized, oven-baked bricks
Empires in India: the
Mauryan and the Gupta
The Mauryan Empire of India
Indus River Valley
The Mauryan Empire of India
After the
river valley
era, India
transitioned
into the
Mauryan
Empire
Indus River Valley
Chandragupta
Maurya
became
king
of
India
in
The Mauryan Empire of India
321 BCE (Before Common Era), created a vast
army, and conquered surrounding lands
Chandragupta’s empire controlled most of the
Indian subcontinent
MAURYAN EMPIRE’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL
King Chandragupta
Maurya used
tactics similar to
the Persians’ to
control his empire
The king divided
his empire into
provinces, each
ruled by a local
prince that
reported to him
The Mauryan Empire of India
In 269 BCE, King Asoka took over; he
Indus River
expanded
theValley
Empire to its greatest extent
DuringEmpire
his warsofofIndia
expansion,
The Mauryan
Asoka converted to Buddhism
After witnessing an extremely
bloody battle, Asoka developed
new policies of tolerance and
non-violence for his empire
Buddhism spread as a result
Indus
of River
Asoka’sValley
influence
The Gupta Empire of India
After Asoka’s death, the Mauryan
Empire declined and was replaced
by the Gupta Empire
Chandra Gupta formed the
Gupta Empire in 320 A.D.
and expanded the empire
Gupta Empire: Classical India
India experienced a “golden age” of art,
learning, and science during the Gupta Empire,
which was known as a “classical empire”
Indian astronomers were the first to discover
that the Earth is round
Mathematicians invented modern numerals,
the number zero, pi, and the decimal system
Gupta Empire: Classical India
Merchants sold exotic spices and silks to people
throughout Asia and the Mediterranean world,
increasing India’s prosperity