1. Chapter 3
Early Societies
of India

3. Geography

4. Geography
India is a subcontinent, with many diverse climates and geographical features.
The northern plain is fertile due to the Indus and Ganges Rivers.
The Deccan Plateau is dry and sparsely populated.
Winds called monsoons bring summer rains. India depends on monsoons to grow their crops. There is often too much or too little rain when the rains come.

7. Harappan Civilization
3300 BCE BCE 7

8. Foundations of Harappan Society
The Indus River
Silt-enriched water from the Hindu Kush & Himalayan ranges
Major society built by Dravidian peoples, BCE
Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early cultivation of poultry
Decline after 1900 BCE
Major cities: Harrapa (Punjab region and Mohenjo-daro (Southern Indus River)
70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)

9. Indus Valley Cities (2500 – 1500 BCE)
There were two prominent cities on the Indus River: Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro.
These cities were incredibly well planned:
Grid pattern streets
Water Systems (plumbing) with heated public baths and brick sewers.
The wealthy even had two story buildings with indoor bathrooms and garbage chutes.
Each city was dominated by a structure built upon a hill that served as a stronghold, such as a citadel.

11. Mohenjo-daro Ruins Population c. 40,000
Standardized weights & measurements evident throughout the region
Specialized labor
Widespread trade

12. Citadel Of
Mohenjo- Daro

13. Aerial View of Mohenjo-Daro

14. Citadel, Mohenjo-Daro

15. The Great Bath, Mohenjo-Daro

16. Bath Area, Mohenjo-Daro

17. Well, Mohenjo-Daro

18. A Main Street, Mohenjo-Daro

19. Granery, Mohenjo-Daro

20. Pottery, Mohenjo-Daro

21. Bison Seal, Mohenjo-Daro

22. A Horned-God Seal, Mohenjo-Daro

23. A Male Head, Mohenjo-Daro
Dravidian

24. A Priest-King, Mohenjo-Daro

25. Necklace, Mohenjo-Daro

26. Public Well, Harappa

27. Drain, Harappa

28. Unicorn Seal?, Harappa

29. Harappan Society and Culture
Evidence of social stratification
Dwelling size, decoration
Great influence on later Indian culture
Statues, figurines and illustrations reflect a tradition of art and metallurgy
Venerated goddesses of fertility

30. Female Figures, Harappa

31. Female Figures, Harappa

32. Bull Figurine, Harappa

33. Elephant Figurine, Harappa

34. Burial Pottery, Harappa

35. Male Skeleton, Harappa

36. Female Skeleton with Child, Harappa

37. Undecipherable to date.
Harappan Writing
Undecipherable to date.

38. Mysterious End of Harappan Civilization
Reasons for disappearance unclear
Excessive deforestation, loss of topsoil
Earthquakes?
Flooding?
Evidence of unburied dead
Disappearance by 1500 BCE
Harappan traditions survived – agricultural practices, religious beliefs, and urban traditions

39. The
Vedic
Age
(1500 BCE BCE)

40. Aryan Migration pastoral  depended on their cattle.
warriors  horse-drawn chariots.

41. Aryan Migrations Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north
Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa
Color Bias
Socio-Economic Implications
Difficulty of theory: no evidence of large- scale military conquest

42. The Early Aryans Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses, cattle
Vegetarianism not widespread until many centuries later
Religious and Literary works: The Vedas
Sanskrit: sacred tongue
Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into Hindi, Urdu, Bengali
Four Vedas (wisdom), most important Rig Veda
1,028 hymns to gods

43. The Vedas 1200 BCE-600 BCE. written in SANSKRIT.
Hindu core of beliefs:
hymns and poems.
religious prayers.
magical spells.
lists of the gods and goddesses.
Rig Veda  oldest work.

44. The Vedic Age
Conflicts between Aryans and indigenous dasas (“enemies,” “subjects”)
Aryans fighting Dravidians
Also Aryans fighting each other
Chiefdoms: Rajas
Early concentration in Punjab, migrations further south
Development of iron metallurgy
Increasing reliance on agriculture
Tribal connections evolve into political structures

45. Varna: The Caste System
Origins in Aryan domination of Dravidians
Brahmin, Priest
Kshatriya, Warrior
Vaishya, Merchant
Sudra, Commoner
Harijan: “Untouchables; Pariahs”
Jati system of subcastes
Related to urbanization, increasing social and economic complexity

46. Pariahs [Harijan]  Untouchables
Varna (Social Hierarchy)
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Pariahs [Harijan]  Untouchables

47. The Caste System WHO IS… The mouth? The arms? The legs? The feet?
Brahmins
WHO IS…
Kshatriyas
The mouth?
The arms?
The legs?
The feet?
Vaishyas
Shudras
What is a JATI?

48. Patriarchy in Ancient Indian Society
“rule of the father”
A social order that stood alongside the caste system, and varna hierarchy
Enforced in the The Lawbook of Manu
Dealt with proper moral behavior and social relationships
Caste, Jati, inheritance through male line

49. Aryan Religion Major deity of Rig Veda: Indra, war god
Elaborate ritual sacrifices to gods
Role of Brahmins important
Soma
C. 800 BCE some movement away from sacrificial cults
Mystical thought, influenced by Dravidians

50. Sadhus: an Indian mystic or ascetic

51. Teachings of the Upanishads
Texts that represent blending of Aryan and Dravidian traditions
Composed BCE, some later collections until 13th century CE
Brahman: the Universal Soul
Samsara: reincarnation
Karma: accounting for incarnations
Moksha: mystical ecstasy
Relationship to system of Varna

52. Sanskrit writing

53. The foundations for Hinduism were established!
The Vedic Age
The foundations for Hinduism were established!