1. Indus River Valley

2. What We Will Learn Today:
How did geography effect the Indus River Valley civilization?

4. India’s Geographic Features
The Indian subcontinent is a large, wedge-shaped peninsula that extends southward into the Indian Ocean.
Subcontinent: A large region that is part of a continent, but is separated from the rest of the content in some way.

9. Identification of Geographic Features in India
Indus River
Ganges River
Peninsula and/or Subcontinent

10. Himalayan Mountains
This peninsula is surrounded on the north and northwest by huge mountains, the Himalayan Mountains.
This has often limited India's contact with other cultures. This is known as cultural isolation.
You decide! How would isolation impact the people on Ancient Indus?

11. Seasonal winds known as monsoons bring rain every summer
Seasonal winds known as monsoons bring rain every summer. India is dependent upon monsoons to grow their crops. Not enough rain brings drought. When there is too much rain, rivers rise and cause deadly floods and destruction of crops.

14. Civilization in the Indus River Valley Begins
About 2600 BC, about the time when the pyramids were rising in Egypt, the first Indian civilizations were forming in the Indus River Valley.
Little is known about these civilizations, but Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were most likely twin capital cities.

15. Purpose of Early Cities
Each city was large in area and contained a large structure located on a hilltop.
Many believe these structures could have served as a fortress or even a temple.

16. Little is Known
Archaeologists have investigated this area for decades and found little. They have not yet turned up any names of royalty, tax records, literature or accounts of battles and war.

20. Well-Planned Cities Some discoveries reveal an organized government.
Archeologists have found toys, sculptures, a few weapons, and proof they mastered the water.
Mastering the water: Simply means… they made it work for ‘em!!!

21. Complexities of the Cities
The most historically striking feature of these two cities were the way in which they were both well planned.
Each city was laid out in a grid pattern, the blocks similar to those seen in modern cities.
The homes seem to have been built with bricks and in a pattern repeated throughout the city.

22. Plumbing In the Cities
In addition, these cities seem to contain houses with plumbing systems, including baths, drains and water pipes.

24. Trade with Sumer
Most of the people of the Indus valley were farmers. They were the first people to grow cotton and weave it into cloth.
There is early evidence of trade with other civilizations including Sumer.

25. Economy and Those Who Made it Happen
Merchants
Farmers: Variety of crops verses one or two. First to cultivate cotton.
Traders: shipped cotton cloth, grain, ivory and pearl combs.

26. Religion Polytheistic Buffalo and Bull were sacred animals.
Historians think this view of buffalo and bull led to later Indian beliefs the cattle are sacred.

27. Aryans Take over Indus Valley
Just like not much is known about the development of this region, not much is known about its decline.
For unknown reasons, around 1750 B.C. the Indus Valley began to decline. Then about 1500 B.C., nomadic warriors known as the Aryans conquered the Indus Valley.

28. Write it Down!!! History is counting on it.
With no writing system, there is no history for this society.

29. “The Ruins Keep Some Secrets”
There are theories for the decline of the Indus Civilization
Attacks
Environmental factors
Major floods
Natural resources depleted
Earthquakes

30. Another View

31. Aryan Civilization
Organized into small tribes or groups No unified government (OH NO WHAT WILL HAPPEN??) Ruled by men only Each tribe ruled by a chief known as a RAJAH

32. Social Classes: Yes there was division.
Brahmins (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors)
Vaisyas (herders, farmers, artisans, merchants)
Sudras (servants and other laborers)
Dalits (all others such as unemployed)

33. Education
Both boys and girls were allowed to attend school and receive an education.

34. YES!!! IT IS GREAT TO LEARN!!!!
The Aryans kept a strong oral history. They memorized and recited poems, hymns, etc.
A form of writing, SANSKRIT, was used to write sacred texts and this began a rise in literary usage. In other words, people began to write and learn more than at any other time.

35. Literature Yep, they had it!!
Two great epics
Mahabharata: Over 100,000 poems, verses.
Battles: Fought to restore peace to India
Bhagavad-Gita: Poem that reflects importance of religious beliefs about immortality of the soul and the importance of duty.
Country over Self (Ohhhhh….any similarity to modern times?)
Duty over personal desires and ambitions

36. Ramayana Tells the good deeds of Rama and his wife Sita.
Rama: Model of virtue
Sita: Loyal and Obedient to her husband no matter what.

37. Economy Like most others, the Aryans raised cattle, sheep, goats, etc.
Farming
Traded with other civilizations, tribes, etc.

38. What does a cow have to do with the Aryan Civilization?

39. I am RICH!!! An indicator of wealth: Yep, the cow!!!
The number of cattle one own was an indicator of how wealthy you were.
Eventually, it became illegal to kill or eat cattle.
“ NO RIBEYE FOR YOU!!!!”

40. RELIGION
POLYTHEISTIC: WORSHIPPED GODS AND GODDESSES WHO EMBODIED NATURAL FORCES SUCH AS SKY, SUN, STORM, AND FIRE.
OFFERED SACRIFICES OF FOOD AND DRINK TO THE GODS.

41. CHANGE BEGINS…… JUST A LITTLE…
As time passed and the civilization progressed, some began to change religious beliefs
Move towards BRAHMAN--- a single spiritual power.
Mystics: seeking direct communication with divine forces
Practiced meditation and yoga (still going on today)

42. Huang He River Valley

43. China’s Geographic Features
Huang He or Yellow River
~ Chinese civilization grew up in the river valley of the Huang He River (a.k.a.the Yellow River) and the Yangzi River.
Yangzi River

44. Huang Ye River or Yellow River

45. The mountains, deserts, jungles and other geographic features have isolated Chinese culture. Having little contact with others , the Chinese believed their culture was the center of the earth.

46. ~ Although China covers a huge area, until recent times, most people lived only along the east coast or in the river valley.

49. Early Views
The Chinese called themselves “The Middle Kingdom” because they believed they were at the center.
This is an example of ethnocentrism.

50. Shang Dynasty
About 1650 BC, the Shang gained control of northern China. Ruling families began to gain control, similar to small kingdoms.
The Shang set up the first dynasty.
Dynasty: A series of rulers from a family.

52. The ancient civilization was much like others with nobility owning the land, merchants and craftspeople trading and living in the cities and a large population of peasants living in surrounding villages.

53. Polytheistic Peoples
Early Chinese people were polytheistic, and prayed to many Gods and nature spirits.
They also looked to dead relatives to help them in daily life and to help them please the Gods.

56. Ying and Yang
Many Chinese also believed that the universe held a delicate balance between opposing forces.
The Ying and Yang must be in balance for prosperity and happiness to occur in one’s life.

57. Early Writing System
The Chinese civilizations made achievements in early writing systems that include both pictographs and ideographs and is now as one of the earliest writing systems.