1. Essential Questions
What was the layout of the Indus Valley civilization?
Why do we not have a lot of information about the Indus Valley civilization?
What is ancestor worship?
What is the mandate of heaven?
What is the dynastic cycle?

2. Agenda Essential Questions Indus Valley/Huang He Notes
Indus/Huang He Venn diagram

3. River Valley Civilizations
Indus Valley and Huang He

4. Location/Geography Indus Valley south of Himalayan Mountains
Indus and Ganges Rivers
Deccan plateau
monsoons (seasonal winds)
Huang He
isolated from other civilizations because of natural barriers
Plateau of Tibet
Himalayan Mountains
Yangtze and Huang He Rivers

6. Religion Huang He: family was strongly linked to religion Indus:
spirits of ancestors determine fortune
spirits demanded attention and respect
used oracle bones to communicate with the gods
carved questions bones, heated them up, and observed the cracks
Mandate of Heaven – divine approval for a just ruler
Indus:
artifacts indicate links to modern day Hinduism
worship the God Shiva
worshiped cattle

8. Writing Indus: has not yet been deciphered Huang He:
each character represented an idea, not a sound
there are no links between spoken and written Chinese
should know 10,000 words to be a scholar

10. Government/Law strong central government (because of planned cities)
limited conflicts (because few weapons have been found)
Xia dynasty was the first, cities grew
Shang dynasty: first to leave written records, built elaborate palaces/tombs
constantly raging war so they had walls around their cities for protection
dynastic cycle – the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties
Feudalism – a political system in which nobles use lands that belong to the king, provide loyalty to king, protection to workers

12. Science/Technology domestication of sheep and goats
sophisticated city planning
cities in grid system
citadel = fortified area with major buildings inside
plumbing /sewage systems
craftsmen made weapons, jewelry, religious items
produced silk cloth
built roads and canals
coined money
iron used for weapons

14. Social Classes
social divisions were not great (because of common residential areas)
prosperous society that produced nonessential goods
two groups: nobles and peasants
warrior-nobles were at the top with kings and owned the land
peasants workers had no tools because metal was too precious, used for weapons
grew millet, rice, wheat