ABUNDANT FRESH WATER MILD CLIMATE FERTILE SOIL INDUS RIVER VALLEY CIV. ABUNDANT FRESH WATER MILD CLIMATE FERTILE SOIL

4 early River Valley Civilizations Sumerian Civilization - Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia) Egyptian Civilization - Nile River Harappan Civilization - Indus River Ancient China - Huang He River PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

SUBCONTINENT: SOUTH ASIA IS CALLED A SUBCONTINENT DUE TO ITS LARGE SIZE, BUT NOT QUITE THE SIZE OF A “CONTINENT”. ALSO, INDIAN RACE / CULTURE IS DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF THE REST OF ASIA, HAS 1/5TH OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLE!!!!

“The Four Early River Valley Civilizations” Sumerian Civilization - Tigris & Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia) Egypt (Nile River) Harappan Civilization - Indus River The ruins of Mohenjo-Daro; Indus Valley http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/map06ind.htm PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

INDO GANGETIC PLAIN LIES IN BETWEEN DECCAN PLATEAU AND THE MOUNTAINS // VERY LARGE LOWLAND “VALLEY TYPE REGION // 3 RIVER SYSTEMS  INDUS, GANGES BRAHMAPUTRA//

India: Geography The Indus Valley Civilization developed along the Indus and Ganges rivers. To the north lies the tallest mountains in the world – the Himalayas. To the Northwest lies another mountain chain called the Hindu Kush. Both acted as a natural barrier to invasion and kept India isolated from its neighbors People of India, both then and now, relied on the monsoons, or seasonal winds to bring rain to water crops.

1. What challenges did the people along the Indus River face? unpredictable rivers (similar situation to Mesopotamia region) strong winds / monsoons PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

The Monsoons

Indus Valley Civilization Two major cities developed along the Indus River: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa Both were very well-planned cities, each city laid out in a grid pattern

INDUS RIVER CIVILIZATION: 2400 – 1500 BCE BLENDED WITH ARYAN INVADERS AND FORMED INDIAN CIVILIZATION WHICH CURRENT INDIAN CULTURE GREW FROM HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM GREW FROM THIS CULTURAL CONVERGENCE EARLY CITIES: HARAPPA AND MOHENJO-DARO BEGAN AROUND 2400 BCE

The Indus Valley civilization flourished around 2,500 B.C. in the western part of South Asia, in what today is Pakistan and western India. It is often referred to as Harappan Civilization after its first discovered city, Harappa. The nearby city of Mohenjo-Daro is the largest and most familiar archaeological dig in this region. The Indus Valley was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. This ancient civilization was not discovered until the 1920s. Most of its ruins, including major cities, remain to be excavated.                                                            Left: The excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro. PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

Cities The similarities in plan and construction between Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa indicate that they were part of a unified government with extreme organization. Both cities were constructed of the same type and shape of bricks (organized gov’t). The two cities may have existed simultaneously and their sizes suggest that they served as capitals of their provinces In contrast to other civilizations, burials found from these cities are not elaborate; they are more simplistic and contain few material goods (complex religion). Remains of palaces or temples in the cities have not been found (public works, architecture). No hard evidence exists indicating military activity, though the cities did contain fortifications and artifacts such as copper and bronze knives, spears, and arrowheads were recovered (art / architecture, job specialization).

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Aerial View of Mohenjo-Daro

Mohenjo-Daro Map Film Clip True or False: Mohenjo-Daro had a sophisticated water and sewage system.

Great Bath

The Great Bath The "great bath" is the earliest public water tank. The tank measures approximately 12 meters north-south and 7 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 2.4 meters. Two staircases lead down into the tank from the north and south and small sockets at the edges of the stairs are thought to have held wooden planks or treads. At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool.

Streets At Mohenjo-Daro narrow streets and alleyways are off of the major streets, leading into more private neighborhoods. Many of the brick houses were two stories high, with thick walls and high ceilings to keep the rooms cool in the hot summer months.

Wells Private wells were rebuilt over many generations for large households and neighborhoods. This well in DK G area at Mohenjo-daro stands like a chimney because all of the surrounding earth has been removed by excavation.

Granary, Mohenjo-Daro

Ruins at Harappa and Mohenjo Daro

pottery, Mohenjo-Daro

Bison Seal, Mohenjo-Daro

A Horned-God Seal, Mohenjo-Daro

A Male Head, Mohenjo- Daro Dravidian

A Priest-King, Mohenjo-Daro

Necklace, Mohenjo-Daro

Female Figures, Harappa

Bull Figurine, Harappa

Elephant Figurine, Harappa

Burial Pottery, Harappa

Male Skeleton, Harappa

Female Skeleton with Child, Harappa

Undecipherable to date. Harappan Writing Undecipherable to date.

The Vedic Age (1500 BCE - 500 BCE)

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

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.

Sanskrit writing

about Indus River culture Summary about Indus River culture Did you know? Hinduism is considered to be the world’s oldest religion. Yet its origins have long been a mystery. Began farming along Indus about 3,200 B.C. Size of settled region larger than Egypt or Mesopotamia. Careful city planners; laid out in grid with a defendable citadel. Engineered sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems. Peaceful people – few weapons found Similarity in housing indicates little differences between social classes. Religious objects and symbols clearly linked to Hinduism. Indus Harappan script has not been deciphered. This means basic questions about the people who created this highly complex culture are still unanswered. Typical Harappan dwellling Above: Terracota household statues such as this female goddess are found frequently in the region. Is this religious icon an early Shiva? Does modern Hinduism have its origins in Harappan civilization? Left: The excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro – one of several planned cities laid out on a grid system in the Indus region. Right: The citadel at Mohenjo-daro.

What happened to the Harappan civilization on the Indus River? Above: The Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro. Surrounding pics: various Harappan artifacts. String of beads, ca. 2600–1900 B.C.; Harappan. Indus Valley, Mohenjo-daro, DK 1541. Gold, vesuvianite or grossular garnet, agate, jasper, and steatite; L. 18 cm (7 1/8 in.). Mohenjo-daro Museum, Mohenjo-daro  MM 1367. Courtesy of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Ministry of Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism, and Youth Affairs, Government of Pakistan. Female figures with headdresses and jewelry, ca. 2600–1900 B.C.; Harappan. Indus Valley, Mohenjo-daro, DK 2384. Terracotta; H. 18.7 cm (7 3/8 in.); W. 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.). National Museum, Karachi. This figure from Mohenjo-daro represents one of the main styles of female figures found in cities as well as smaller settlements throughout the Indus Valley region. The fan-shaped headdress originally had wide cup-shaped extensions on either side of the head, framed by braided tresses. PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.

Three theories about why the Indus Valley civilization ended around 1500 BCE? The river may have changed course, natural disaster (caused by heavy monsoons) The people may have overworked the land (overcutting trees, overgrazed, overfarmed land depleting nutrients) Invaders (Aryan Invasion)                         Harappans abandoning their city. PP Design of T. Loessin; Akins H.S.