Harappan Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization Located on the Indian subcontinent near the Indus and Ganges rivers

Monsoons Monsoons: seasonal wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia that brings heavy rains in the summer and dry weather in the winter (unpredictable)

Harappan Civilization The Indus Valley civilization aka. Harappan civilization: many archaeological discoveries made in the ancient city of Harappa Harappan civilization is known for its city planning Cities like Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were built using an organized grid system Cities featured a citadel that contained major buildings Buildings were constructed of oven-baked bricks cut in standard sizes Sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems What does the uniformity in city planning and construction suggest?

Harappan Achievements Strong central government to help build organized and advanced cities Used uniformly sized baked bricks for building Developed sophisticated plumbing and sewage systems in their cities

Harappan Achievements Language: the Indus Valley civilization also had a written language, but it cannot be translated Culture: little evidence of a social class system Religion: no temples, developed a religion that influenced the development of Hinduism Trade: by land and sea with other civilizations, including Mesopotamia. E.g. gold, silver, cotton, copper etc.

Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization Historians still disagree about exactly what led to the decline and end of the Indus Valley civilization Aryan Invasion Theory: some historians argue that Indo- European nomads attacked and conquered Indus Valley settlements Climate Change Theory: others argue that natural disasters changed the course of the Indus River which prevented cities from getting water and made farm land less fertile

Homework due Wed. 1/25 1. Complete the Early Civilizations chart for Ancient Egypt Civilization and Indus River Civilization 2. Read textbook p.50-55 and answer questions#1-8 in your notebook.