The Indus and the Ganges River Valleys

Sec. #1

India’s Geographic Setting

• India is a subcontinent because it is surrounded by water on 3 sides • At first, India was isolated from the world because of 2 important mountain ranges, the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush Mts.

A Climate of Monsoons

• Monsoons, strong winds and rain, are a major element of the climate • Winter monsoons blow dry winds from October to May • Summer monsoons blow winds from the south picking up moisture from the India Ocean drenching the land

Barriers and Pathways

• Passageways through the Hindu Kush Mountains served as highways for invaders • The Ganges and the Indus Rivers begin in these mountains and flow across the lands to provide fertile soil for farming

Life in the Indus River Valley

• A surplus of food was harvested from the Indus River Valley • Mohenjo-Daro was a city that developed around 2500B.C

. • Clay pipes ran under the streets that carried waste away from the city • Canals controlled the flooding

Living in Mohenjo-Daro

• Life was busy with merchants selling goods • People lived in homes with open courtyards • Religion and form of government were unknown because their language could not be understood

A Mysterious Decline

• By 2000 B.C. farmers started to leave their land • From 2000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. invaders from the north entered the valley

Conquest by the Aryans

• Aryans migrated from central Asia to India • Aryans conquered the people of the Indus Valley • Aryans moved into the Ganges River Valley to the east • Thick forests were cleared with iron weapons and new villages were settled

Aryan Life • Aryan culture comes from religious books called Vedas • Priests called Brahmins performed religious ceremonies • Society was organized into 3 classes, priests, warriors, and ordinary people • Conquered people made up a 4th class, which also included farmers, laborers, and servants

The Caste System • By 500 B.C. there was a strict division of classes called a caste system • Each caste had special work and duties to perform • Children had to stay in the caste of their parents • Over time, the caste system was divided into hundreds of groups • Each group had the same occupation