Section #6.1 “India’s Early Civilizations” p

The Land of India

What mountains separate India from the rest of Asia? The Himalaya Mountains 1.

What are the names of the two river valley’s in India? Ganges River Valley and Indus River Valley 2.

What do you call the strong wind that blows one direction in the winter and the opposite direction in summer? monsoon 3.

Why do farmers celebrate when the summer monsoon comes? It brings heavy rains that ensure good crops 4.

What happens if the monsoons are delayed in India? There can be a drought 5.

What do you call a long period of time when there is a shortage of water? drought 6.

Why did the earliest civilizations in India start in the river valley? There was fertile soil 7.

Describe the chain of civilization in the early Indus River Valley. 1.Rich and fertile soil helped grow good crops 2.The surplus of food allowed people to do other things than farm 3.People began to trade (food and other items) 4.Cities grew 8.

Name the two major cities of the Indus River Valley civilization. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro 9.

Why did the people in the Indus River Valley build a fortress near the city? For protection – to keep guard for the residents 10.

What material was used to build most houses in the Indus River Valley? Bricks made from mud 11.

Why did the people in the Indus River Valley build a fortress near the city? For protection – to keep guard for the residents 12.

Name 2 “modern” conveniences that could be found in homes in the Indus River Valley - indoor bathrooms - well water - garbage chutes inside houses - a drainage system 13.

What was the main occupation of most Harappans? They were farmers 14.

Name 3 of the major crops of farmers. Rice, wheat, barley, peas and cotton 15.

What types of products were made by artisans in Harrapa? copper and bronze tools clay pottery cotton cloth jewelry made from gold, shells & ivory 16.

The Aryans

Historians believe that the Harappan civilization collapsed because of ___ and ___ Floods and earthquakes 17.

Before coming to India, where did the Aryan people live? Central Asia 18.

What was the most prized possession of Aryans? cattle 19.

Why were cattle considered a prized possession of Aryans? - they provided meat, milk and butter - they were used as money 20.

What skills made Aryans good warriors? They were expert horse riders and good hunters 21.

The Aryans were nomadic hunters. What is a nomadic hunter? Someone who moves from place to place following the animal they hunt 22.

How did life change for the Aryans after they moved into India? They stopped being nomads and became farmers 23.

after How did the Aryans regard cattle after moving to India? Cattle became sacred and it was forbidden to use them for food. 24.

Name some examples of Aryan technology. - Invention of an iron plow - Built canals as irrigation systems - Invention of a written language 25.

What was the name of the Aryan written language? Sanskrit 26.

The Aryan people were divided into ___ tribes 27.

What do you call the leaders of the Aryan tribes? raja 28.

What is another name for a raja? prince 29.

How did canals help the people in the Ganges River valley? It helped irrigate the land – making better farmland 30.

Society in Ancient India

A social system that you are born into and cannot change is called a ___ caste 31.

What term do people in India use instead of the word “caste system?” jati 32.

What are 3 things dictated for people by the caste system in India? - what job a person can have - who a person can marry - with whom a person can eat or drink 33.

It is believed that in ancient times ___ influenced who was placed in which caste a person was placed in skin color 34.

The caste (jati) system divides people into 4 groups/levels called ___ varnas 35.

Place the social levels (varnas) in the correct place: 36. unskilled workers & servants common people priests warriors & rulers

Place the social levels (varnas) in the correct place: 36. priests warriors & rulers common people unskilled workers & servants

What was the name of the group that didn’t belong to any varna? The Untouchables 37.

What kinds of work would an untouchable perform? picking up trash handling dead bodies skinning animals 38.

Why is life difficult for an Untouchable? - They had to live apart from everyone else - People didn’t want to be anywhere near an Untouchable 39.

Extended families all lived together 40. How do we know that family was important to the people in ancient India?

The oldest male 41. Who was the “head” of the family in ancient India?

Men could: - inherit property - go to school - become priests 42. What rights did a male have that a female did not in ancient India?

guru 43. What do you call a teacher in ancient India?

Parents arrange the marriage (decide who you will marry) 44. What is one major difference between marriage in India and marriage in the United States?

If an important man died he would be cremated and it was expected that his wife would throw herself into the funeral flames. 45. Explain the practice called suttee