The Indus and Ganges Rivers India The Indus and Ganges Rivers

Class Objective Students will analyze the effect geography has on the South Asian civilizations and investigate the technological advances of them.

India The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt rose and fell. They left behind a rich history of themselves but culturally very few links have lasted through to today. This is not the case in India

Civilizations in India arose about 2500 B.C. Many characteristics of modern Indian culture can be traced to that early civilization.

Geography: Mountain Ranges Mountain ranges served as a natural barrier between the Indus civilizations and other civilizations. Because of the mountains, Indian culture was not as preoccupied with war and expansion.

Geography: Rivers There are two rivers that provided for this early civilization. The Indus The Ganges This area stretches 1,500 miles across northern India and is called the Indus-Ganges Plain. These rivers’ floods were unpredictable.

The Two Rivers Indus River Valley Ganges River Valley

Climate Seasonal winds called monsoons dominate India’s climate. A monsoon is a seasonal wind that shifts direction. From October to May, winter monsoons from the northeast blow dry air across the country. Spring monsoons start in the middle of June, and blow from the southwest, carrying moisture from the ocean in great rain clouds.

Monsoon Season

Early Villages It is uncertain how the first people ended up in India whether they came by boat from Africa or migrated from the north. By about 3,200 B.C., people were farming in villages along the Indus River.

Early Cities Archaeologists have found ruins of over 100 early cities. The largest cities were Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro, and Harappa. The most surprising aspect of these cities is the presence of urban planning. Archaeologists have found ruins of over 100 early cities. The largest cities were Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro, and Harappa. The most surprising aspect of these cities is the presence of urban planning.

The cities in Mesopotamia were jumble of buildings connected by a maze of winding streets.

In contrast, the people of the Indus laid out their cities on a precise grid system.

Cities featured a fortified area called a citadel, which contained the major buildings of the city. Buildings were made of baked clay bricks.

Accomplishments: Sewer!!!! Mrs. Robertson’s favorite In most ancient cities, people retrieved water from the river or a central well. They dumped wastes into open drainage ditches or carted them out of town. Only the rich had separate bathrooms in their homes.

Accomplishments The Indus peoples built extensive and modern-looking plumbing systems. (not that modern) In Mohenjo-Daro, almost every house had a private bathroom and toilet. No other civilization would achieve this convenience until the 19th and 20th century.

Accomplishments Economic: Division of labor Specialization of crafts Variety of services products made for export Crop surplus

Accomplishments cont. Technological: Architectural skill City planning Flood protection and water drainage system

Accomplishments: cultural Citadel: strong central fortress. Store houses for grain. (could hold enough food for 35,000 people.) Farmers grew cotton, wheat, barley, and rice. They raised cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats Developed a written language (it has not be deciphered yet). Some sort of religion focused around a great God and nature.

Where are they now? In 1750 B.C., the quality of building in the Indus valley cities declined. We do not know why the Indus River civilization disappeared. Archeologists suspect the rivers might have changed courses or a nomadic Aryan group conquered the area. Evidence of earthquakes ravaged the area in 1700BC. All we know is there is evidence that some disastrous event occurred because unburied skeletons were found and people appear to have abandoned their homes and possessions.