Transcript Early India India’s Geography • 1) Subcontinent 2) Cut off from most of Asia because of the massive Himalayan Mountains •

Early India
India’s Geography
• 1) Subcontinent
2) Cut off from most of Asia because of the
massive Himalayan Mountains
•
Geography Continue
• Rivers feed much of India’s landscape
• Monsoon
A. Dry and cool when air is rushing from the
mountains over India
B. Hot and Humid and a massive amount of rain
when wind is coming from the Arabian Sea and
Indian Ocean
Seasonally flooding, from both mountain runoff and
monsoon
Picture of the Monsoon
India’s First Civilizations
• 1) Similar Mesopotamia and Egypt- towns
started in river valleys with rich soil
because of annual floods
• A. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (3000
B.C.- 1500 B.C.): large cities for their time
along the Indus River
• B. Fortress towns
C. Conveniences
Conveniences
Aryans (1500 B.C. - 400 B.C.)Nomads from central Asiamoved into India
• A. Knew how to work iron
– 1. Developed the iron plow: Effect- more
settled has farmers
– 2. New Language- Sanskrit. Origins related to
European Languages
• Rajas- Aryans organized themselves in
small kingdoms that often warred against
each other
Pictures from Aryan Period
Aryan’s also brought the caste system,
which you need to memorize
Priests and educated people
Considered sub-human
and outside of the caste
pyramid
Rulers and Aristocrats
Landlords and business men
Peasants and working class
Dalit/Untouchable
Degrading jobs like sewage,
many unemployed and living
in ghettos and garbage dumps
Caste System Continued
• Way to separate Aryans from locals (skin color
• Fused into Hinduism
• Faced criticism throughout history (Buddha)
• Formally banned by government in the 70s but legacy lives on
today especially in rural areas
The Mauryan Dynasty (327 B.C.
– 183 B.C.)
Alexander the Great’s Invasion
• 1. Empowers Chandragupta Maurya
– a. Seizes Power across India and into Persia
b. Spies and the Postal Service
Asoka- Greatest Mauryan ruler
(273 B.C. – 232 B.C.)
A. Followed the teachings of
Buddha
B. Built hospitals (people and
animals)
C. Roads and Trees
D. Spread Buddhism and built
shrines
E. Tolerant of other religions
After Asoka Empire began to fall
apart due to poor leadership. In
183 B.C. the last Mauryan ruler
was assassinated by one of his
own generals.
India’s Dark Ages lasted for
about 500 years after the fall of
the Mauryan dynasty
The Gupta Dynasty
A. Broke Northern India’s Darks Ages
B. Grew prosperous by trade