1. Geography, Civilization, & Culture
India
Geography, Civilization, & Culture

2. Constructive Response Question #5
Describe the geography of the Indian Subcontinent. Are there any similarities you see between the Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia?
Trace the development and significance of the civilizations that developed in the Indus River Valley. Describe their culture and how it has progressed.
6-8 sentences

3. What will we learn? Geography of India
Indus River Valley Civilizations & Culture

4. I. Geography of India Setting the Stage
Historians know less about the origins and eventual decline of early Indian cultures because the language of the culture has not been translated yet.
What we do know is that the first Indian civilization built well-planned cities along the banks of the Indus River

5. Indian Sub-Continent

6. I. Geography of India The Geography of the Indian Subcontinent
The countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh make up the landmass considered to be the Indian subcontinent
This region is separated from Asia by several mountain ranges, some of which are the tallest in the world
Hindu Kush
Karakorum
Himalayas
The tallest peak in the world – Mount Everest – is located within the Himalayan Mountain Range
These mountain ranges to the north and a vast, large desert to the east help protect the Indus Valley from invasion
Thar Desert

7. Indian Sub-Continent Mountain Ranges

8. I. Geography of India 3. The River Systems a. Indus River
Farming is only possible in the areas directly watered by the Indus
Flows southwest from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea
1,976 miles long – 19th longest river system in the world

9. I. Geography of India b. Ganges River
The Ganges River flows from the Himalayas and flows across northern India
It joins the Brahmaputra River as it flows into the Bay of Bengal
1,569 miles long – 34th longest river system in the world

10. Indian Sub-Continent River Systems

11. I. Geography of India 4. More Geography
Together these rivers make up a large area called the Indo- Gangetic Plain - which was great for agriculture, transportation, and irrigation
Seasonal winds called monsoons dominate India’s climate
Environmental challenges
Yearly floods - unpredictable
The rivers sometimes change course
Monsoons brought unpredictable cycles of wet and dry seasons

12. There’s A Problem, However…
Dealing with these river systems comes a major issue that modern India is facing
70% of households in India do not have a toilet
This documentary (we’ll only be watching a part of it) opens our eyes to these issues and what problems India is facing because of it
Cry of a River

13. Early Civilization Along the Indus

14. II. Indus River Valley Civilizations
Civilization Emerges on the Indus
Still unclear when civilization began but evidence shows that people were using domesticated goats and sheep around the year 7000 BCE
The Indus Valley civilization is sometimes called the Harappan Civilization because of many archeological discoveries made at the site of Harappa
City planning was one of their most remarkable achievements
They used a grid system unlike Mesopotamia’s maze of winding streets
Engineers used an advanced plumbing system that rivaled 19th century plumbing
This uniformity suggests that the Indus people had a strong central government

15. Grid System
Mohenjo-Daro

16. Plumbing

17. II. Indus River Valley Civilizations
Harappan Culture
Unlike cuneiform and hieroglyphics, the Harappan language has been impossible to decipher. Why? Linguists have not found any bilingual inscriptions.
Up to 400 symbols/characters
Housing units suggest that social divisions in society were not great
Artifacts of toys and clay pots suggest a relatively prosperous society = afford to produce nonessential goods
Few items of warfare found suggesting that conflict was limited
Animals were very important – seen on pottery, toys, and seals used to mark trade items. The meaning of these images has remained a mystery.
Evidence found in the 1970s suggests that a shift in tectonic plates may have caused earthquakes, flooding, and caused the Indus to change course
Some cities survived the disasters but other cities’ food supplies were affected

19. II. Indus River Valley Civilizations
3. The Indo-Europeans
Indo-Europeans were a group of nomadic peoples who lived on the steppes north of the Caucasus Mountains
Tamed horses (domestication) and rode them into battle by use of the chariot
They began to migrate, or move from region to another, somewhere between 1700 and 1200 BCE
A group of nomads, known as the Aryans, migrated from an area between the Caspian and Aral Seas eastward to the Indus River Valley, leaving behind a vast culture and society

20. II. Indus River Valley Civilizations
4. The Aryans
Sacred literature – the Vedas – allow us to know characteristics of their life
The Vedas – four collections of spells, prayers, and instructions on performing rituals
Aryan society had four social classes (castes) – Brahmins (priests), warriors, landowners, and peasants/traders
As time went on, these castes became more complex with hundreds of subdivisions, leading us into a vast and diverse culture today

21. Constructive Response Question #5
Describe the geography of the Indian Subcontinent. Are there any similarities you see between the Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia?
Trace the development and significance of the civilizations that developed in the Indus River Valley. Describe their culture and how it has progressed.
6-8 sentences