RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS INDUS RIVER VALLEY

The Indus River Valley (India)

India began along the Indus River, which flooded and left behind fertile soil (yet another perfect place to start a civilization) Seasonal monsoons caused summer rains and floods, which helped create more fertile soil

The people of the Indian “subcontinent” were well protected by several natural barriers: the oceans, Himalaya Mountains, and the deserts that surrounded the Indus River Valley kept out invaders Deserts Mountains Oceans

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Advanced cities: Indus cities were laid out in a grid system with high walls and citadel of major buildings

This grid system would be used in many modern cities (such as New York City)

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Specialized Workers: Indian society was divided by the “caste system”. This system divided people into classes based on their “purity” in Hinduism

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Government: Little is known about Indus government other than they were ruled by kings

People in the Indus River Valley believed in a polytheistic religion called Hinduism Hindus believe in reincarnation: one’s soul is repeatedly reborn until moksha occurs LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Religion:

Moksha (also known as nirvana or enlightenment) is the release of the spirit from the human form A soul’s karma (good or bad deeds during life) effects your reincarnation (what you come back in life as) Today, Hinduism is the world’s oldest organized religion and its 3 rd largest with nearly a billion followers

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Writing: Indus writing has not been fully translated so much of Indus life is still a mystery

Writing contained about 400 symbols that were both pictograms and phonetic characters

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Technology: Advanced plumbing: most houses in the Indus Valley had toilets and private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems

LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS Technology: They also made standard- sized, oven-baked bricks

Empires in India: the Mauryan and the Gupta

The Mauryan Empire of India Indus River Valley

The Mauryan Empire of India Indus River Valley After the river valley era, India transitioned into the Mauryan Empire

The Mauryan Empire of India Chandragupta Maurya became king of India in 321 BCE (Before Common Era), created a vast army, and conquered surrounding lands Chandragupta’s empire controlled most of the Indian subcontinent

MAURYAN EMPIRE’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL King Chandragupta Maurya used tactics similar to the Persians’ to control his empire The king divided his empire into provinces, each ruled by a local prince that reported to him

The Mauryan Empire of India Indus River Valley In 269 BCE, King Asoka took over; he expanded the Empire to its greatest extent

The Mauryan Empire of India Indus River Valley During his wars of expansion, Asoka converted to Buddhism After witnessing an extremely bloody battle, Asoka developed new policies of tolerance and non-violence for his empire Buddhism spread as a result of Asoka’s influence

The Gupta Empire of India After Asoka’s death, the Mauryan Empire declined and was replaced by the Gupta Empire Chandra Gupta formed the Gupta Empire in 320 A.D. and expanded the empire

Gupta Empire: Classical India India experienced a “golden age” of art, learning, and science during the Gupta Empire, which was known as a “classical empire” Indian astronomers were the first to discover that the Earth is round Mathematicians invented modern numerals, the number zero, pi, and the decimal system

Gupta Empire: Classical India Merchants sold exotic spices and silks to people throughout Asia and the Mediterranean world, increasing India’s prosperity