Ancient India to Modern India The Indus River Valley Ancient India to Modern India

Himalayan Mountains Khyber Pass Hindu-Kush Mtns. Mesopotamia Indus R. Persian Gulf Indian Ocean Indus River Valley

Geography of the Indus Located along the Indus River In Pakistan Plenty of natural barriers Indian Ocean Hindu-Kush and Himalayan Mtns Was almost completely isolated from all other groups Only way in was thru the Khyber Pass Area in mountains that was easily traveled

Geographic Similarities to Mesopotamia & Egypt Indus River flooded Flooded unpredictably like the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Provided fertile soil (silt) to the land Had natural protection like Egypt Mountains instead of desert Used the river and seas for trade Were able to trade w/ Mesopotamians

Geographic Differences to Mesopotamia & Egypt Considered a subcontinent Subcontinent- area of land that is connected, but that is almost totally separated by natural barriers Suffered from monsoons Monsoons- seasonal WINDS (not rain) that creates large climate changes to an area Wet and dry seasons – created by the monsoon winds

Those same winds would change between the months of October and May, creating a dry period as the wind blew dry cold air off the mountains These monsoon winds created terrible problems of not only flooding but also drought for the people of the early Indus valley Seasonal winds (monsoons) bring large amounts of moist air into the area of India between the months of June and September causing terrible flooding from the rivers

Indus Valley Civilization Very little is known about them Thought to have started around 3200 BC First major cities built around 2500 BC Built cities out of red clay bricks Had amazing city planning City was set up in a grid-like system, like NYC Also had a fortified (protected)area- called a citadel Two most advanced cities of Indus were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Advancements of the Indus Valley Civilization Planned cities- huge advancement in the building of cities Also had bricks made to similar sizes Created the 1st plumbing systems Homes had private bathrooms w/ clay pipes underneath to drain waste Had public baths as well Had no social classes and little evidence of religion, but the early beliefs of Hinduism all homes look the same across cities Only little evidence of weaponry or war

Cities of Indus River Valley                                                                                                                     Example of plumbing/ toilet Grid system of Indus River Valley

The Decline and the End of the Indus River Valley Not sure how civilization actually ended Think that river changed course or that the land was over grazed Also think that new invaders known as Aryans also led to the end of the Indus civilization Possible natural disaster/earthquake