Transcript ANCIENT INDUS CIVILIZATIONS

ANCIENT INDUS CIVILIZATIONS
Mesopotamia
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INDIA
CHINA
Early India & Geography
Early Indian civilizations developed in the Indus
River valley
India is separated from the
Asia by two major
ranges
– Himalayas
– Hindu Kush
rest of
mountain
Indian
subcontinent
Invaders can only enter the
Indian subcontinent by
water or through a small
number of mountain
passes
Khyber Pass
Indian subcontinent
Khyber Pass
most well-known
mountain pass
Early India & Geography
Plains stretch south from the mountains
There are three major rivers on these plains
– Indus
– Ganges
– Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra
River
Indus
River
Ganges
River
Early India & Geography
• Two seasonal winds
called Monsoons affect
the climate
– Winter or Northeast
(November to March)
• Brings dry air from
mountains
– Summer or Southwest
(June to September)
• Brings wet air from
the ocean
HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
Harappan civilization
reached its zenith about
2500 B.C.E.
Most important
advancement of the
Harappan people was
the development of
planned cities
– Cities were laid out in a
grid pattern
ARRIVAL of the ARYANS
About 1500 B.C. a
group of
peoples called
Aryans invaded
the Indus River
valley thru the
Kyber Pass
ARYANS
ARRIVAL of the ARYANS
∆ Nomads at first, settled down into agriculture in
Indus Valley
∆ each tribe led by a Rajah (chief)
∆ Cattle served as basis of diet, eventually used as
money
∆ spoke Sanskrit language
∆ wrote the Vedas
– means “Books of Knowledge”
– formed basis of the Aryan religion that would become
Hinduism
ARRIVAL of the ARYANS
Society developed into the “Caste System”
oLaw of Manu
 laws that governed caste system
o4 Varnas (social classes) developed
oEach Varna had its own duties
called Dharma
oVarnas were subdivided into smaller Jati
5th group developed = Dalits
o “broken people”
UNTOUCHABLES
Outcasts
Harijan (“Children of God”)
Chandalas (“Impure Ones”)
MOVEMENT THROUGH CASTE
SYSTEM COULD ONLY BE
ACHIEVED THROUGH
REINCARNATION
•Too low to be in the caste system
•Considered “impure” from birth
•Perform jobs that are traditionally considered “unclean”
Scavengers, clean toilets and sewers, handle dead bodies
Originally
-could not enter villages/city during the day
-could not walk in same street with other castes
-shadow was considered impure
-very sight of them was a bad omen
-generally lived on outskirts of villages/cities
-unknown/uncared for
CASTE SYSTEM
Varnas
Groups
outside
the
Varnas
Mauryan Empire
321 BC - 184 BC
Chandragupta Maurya
• Unified India
• Skilled administrator
• Developed efficient postal system
Ashoka
grandson of Chandragupta
built an empire that covered 2/3 of India
Mauryan Empire
321 BC - 184 BC
262 BC – Ashoka converted Buddhism
after battle saddened by loss of life
never again went to war
ruled by morality
Carved laws on poles and put throughout India
followed “Ahimsa”
non-violence
began building hospitals, schools, sent out Buddhist
missionaries
built road with “Rest Stops” for travelers
Gupta Empire
310 ad – 415 ad
“Golden Age” of India
Education, Arts
Folktales & Drama:
• Panchantantra
–folktales to teach moral lessons through stories of
animals
• Kalidasa, wrote Shakuntala
–about the love between a king and forest maiden
Mathematics:
• principles leading to algebra
• Invented concepts of infinity and zero
• devised symbols for 1-9 (“Arabic Numerals”)
Gupta Empire
310 ad – 415 ad
“Golden Age” of India
Astronomy:
Geography
earth is round
Trade:
• Arabia – gems, spices, cotton, ebony
• China – silk
• Rome – gold
built many Hindu temples