Transcript India and China

India
The Indus and Ganges Rivers
Class Objective
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Students will analyze the effect geography
has on the South Asian civilizations and
investigate the technological advances of
them.
India
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The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia
and Egypt rose and fell. They left behind
a rich history of themselves but culturally
very few links have lasted through to
today.
This is not the case in India
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Civilizations in India arose about 2500 B.C.
Many characteristics of modern Indian
culture can be traced to that early
civilization.
Geography: Mountain Ranges
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Mountain ranges served as a natural barrier between the
Indus civilizations and other civilizations.
Because of the mountains, Indian culture was not as
preoccupied with war and expansion.
Geography: Rivers
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There are two rivers that
provided for this early
civilization.
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The Indus
The Ganges
This area stretches 1,500
miles across northern India
and is called the IndusGanges Plain.
These rivers’ floods were
unpredictable.
The Two Rivers
Indus River Valley
Ganges River Valley
Climate
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Seasonal winds called
monsoons dominate
India’s climate.
A monsoon is a seasonal
wind that shifts direction.
From October to May,
winter monsoons from
the northeast blow dry
air across the country.
Spring monsoons start in
the middle of June, and
blow from the southwest,
carrying moisture from
the ocean in great rain
clouds.
Monsoon Season
Early Villages
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It is uncertain how the first people ended
up in India whether they came by boat
from Africa or migrated from the north.
By about 3,200 B.C., people were farming
in villages along the Indus River.
Early Cities
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Archaeologists have
found ruins of over
100 early cities.
The largest cities
were Kalibangan,
Mohenjo-Daro, and
Harappa.
The most surprising
aspect of these cities
is the presence of
urban planning.
The cities in Mesopotamia were
jumble of buildings connected by
a maze of winding streets.
In contrast, the people of the
Indus laid out their cities on a
precise grid system.
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Cities featured a
fortified area called
a citadel, which
contained the major
buildings of the city.
Buildings were made
of baked clay bricks.
Accomplishments: Sewer!!!!
Mrs. Robertson’s favorite
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In most ancient cities,
people retrieved
water from the river
or a central well.
They dumped wastes
into open drainage
ditches or carted
them out of town.
Only the rich had
separate bathrooms
in their homes.
Accomplishments
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The Indus peoples built
extensive and modernlooking plumbing systems.
(not that modern)
In Mohenjo-Daro, almost
every house had a private
bathroom and toilet.
No other civilization would
achieve this convenience until
the 19th and 20th century.
Accomplishments
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Economic:
Division of labor
Specialization of
crafts
Variety of services
products made for
export
Crop surplus
Accomplishments cont.
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Technological:
Architectural skill
City planning
Flood protection and
water drainage
system
Accomplishments: cultural
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Citadel: strong central
fortress.
Store houses for grain. (could
hold enough food for 35,000
people.)
Farmers grew cotton, wheat,
barley, and rice. They raised
cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats
Developed a written language
(it has not be deciphered yet).
Some sort of religion focused
around a great God and
nature.
Where are they now?
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In 1750 B.C., the quality of building in the Indus valley
cities declined.
We do not know why the Indus River civilization
disappeared.
Archeologists suspect the rivers might have changed
courses or a nomadic Aryan group conquered the area.
Evidence of earthquakes ravaged the area in 1700BC.
All we know is there is evidence that some disastrous
event occurred because unburied skeletons were found
and people appear to have abandoned their homes and
possessions.