1. Chapter 5: Ancient India
Section1: Geography and Early India
Section2: Origins of Hinduism
Section 3: Origins of Buddhism
Section 4: Indian Empires
Section 5: Indian Achievements

2. Hint: There are 10 civilizations
Bell Work 10/16
List previously discussed ancient civilizations and one fact about each
Hint: There are 10 civilizations
Civilization
Fact

3. Building Background Knowledge
Like Mesopotamia and Egypt, India was home to one of the world’s first civilizations. Like other early civilizations, the one in India grew up in a river valley. But the society that eventually developed in India was very different from the ones that developed elsewhere.

4. Geography and Early India
The Big Idea
Indian civilization first developed on the Indus River.
Main Ideas
The geography of India includes high mountains, great rivers, and heavy seasonal rain.
Harappan civilization developed along the Indus River.
The Aryan invasion of India changed the region’s civilization.

5. Indian Geography Mountains
North: The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.
West: The Hindu Kush provide protection from enemies.
Plains and Plateaus
Rivers and melting snow kept the plains fertile (silt due to flooding).
Both sides of the river thrived.
Water
Monsoons
Heavy rainfall
Civilizations arose around seasonal rainfall.
Summer ( inches of rain): monsoon winds blow into India
Winter (warm and dry): down from the mountains)

7. Quick Questions India is called a _____________. What is a monsoon?
How could you describe the geography of India?
How could you describe the climate of India?

8. Harappan Civilization
People
Population grew in the Indus River Valley.
Growth came as irrigation and farming techniques improved.
Cities were built as surplus food was produced.
Cities
Harappa (present-day Pakistan)
Mohenjo Daro
Fortresses for defense against enemies
Well-planned public areas
Achievements
Weights and Measures
Wells and indoor plumbing in houses
Pottery, cotton clothing, jewelry
India’s first writing system (but don’t know how to read it)

9. End of Harappan Civilization
Because scholars can not read the writing system, we know very little about Harappan society
Historians think
Worshipped many gods
Had central governments and kings
Ended due to invaders destroying the cities
Or ended due to natural disasters (floods or earthquakes)

13. Quick Questions What two cities developed in the Indus Valley?
What suggests the cities were well planned?
What achievements did these cities create?
How did the Harappan civilization end?

14. Map Activity Use pages 125 & 127 as guides
Create a replica map of the subcontinent
Use a sheet of notebook paper
Include and Identify:
Deccan Plateau
Indus River
Thar Desert
Arabian Sea
Monsoon Winds
Himalayas
Indian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
Harappa
Mohenjo Daro
Hindu Kush
Create a key for your replica identifying the landforms, rivers, and climate

15. Enrichment: Cool Indian Facts
Quick Fact: India is thirteen times bigger than the United Kingdom
Quick Fact: There are more movies made in India (Bollywood) than in the United States.
Quick Fact: The customary greeting is done by putting your palms together and with a slight nod of the head, saying "namaste."

16. Aryan Invasion
When the Harappan civilization dissipated in 1700 BC, Central Asians called Aryans began taking over territory in the Indus Valley.
Invaders from the West
The Aryans left behind vast collections of poems, hymns, myths, and rituals. They also had religious writings known as Vedas.
First Aryans could not read and write/oral tradition
Religion
No central government: small communities ruled by rajas; some rajas were related, but often fought with each other until they fought outsiders
Government
Sanskrit is the root of many modern South Asian languages.
-only a spoken language at first
Language

18. Summary Harappan Civilization Aryan Invasion
Two major cities: Harappa, Mohenjo Daro
Advanced civilization that thrived between 2300 and 1700 BC
Culture, artistry, city planning
Aryan Invasion
South Asian warriors pushed through the Hindu Kush mountains and settled in the Indus Valley
Oral tradition in religion and mythology resulted in the most important language of ancient India: Sanskrit.

19. Quick Questions
What group of people settled in the Indus Valley after the Harappan Civilization crumbled?
What was the name of their religious writings with poems, hymns, and myths?
The most important language of ancient India is called ____________.

20. Origins of Hinduism The Big Idea
Hinduism, the largest religion in India today,
developed out of ancient Indian beliefs and practices.
Main Ideas
Indian society divided into distinct groups under the Aryans.
The Aryans practiced a religion known as Brahmanism.
Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures.
The Jains reacted to Hinduism by breaking away to form their own religion.

21. Indian Society Divides
Varnas
Social divisions in Aryan society
Brahmins
Priests
Kshatriyas
Rulers and warriors
Vaisyas
Farmers, craftspeople, and traders
Sudras
Laborers and non-Aryans

22. Caste System Individuals
Place in society based on birth, wealth, or occupation
3,000 castes once existed in India.
Individuals could rarely change castes.
Caste Rules
Sutras (guides) listed all the rules for the caste system.
Breaking rules resulted in a transfer to a lower class.

23. Brahmanism develops into Hinduism
Aryan priests were called Brahmins.
Wrote Vedic texts, which were their thoughts about the Vedas
Evolving Beliefs
The Vedas, Upanishads, and other Vedic texts began blending with beliefs from different cultures, creating Hinduism.
Hinduism
Many gods
Reincarnation: could be reborn into new forms and castes
Men and women could both gain salvation, but women were inferior.

24. Jains React to Hinduism
Origins of Jainism
599 BC, established as an alternative to Hindu ritualism
Based on the teachings of Mahavira, who abandoned his life of luxury to become a monk
Four Principles of Jainism
Injure no life.
Tell the truth.
Do not steal.
Own no property.

25. Origins of Buddhism The Big Idea Buddhism began in India
and became a major religion.
Main Ideas
Siddhartha Gautama searched for wisdom in many ways.
The teachings of Buddhism deal with finding peace.
Buddhism spread far from where it began in India.

26. Siddhartha Quest for Answers
Siddhartha was born a prince, but he questioned the meaning of life.
Determined to find answers using:
Meditation
Fasting
Learning from different teachers
Enlightenment
Found it under the Tree of Wisdom while meditating
Called the Buddha (Enlightened One)
Spent the rest of his life traveling and teaching his ideas

27. Teachings of Buddhism Four Noble Truths
Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life. No one can escape sorrow. 1.
Suffering comes from our desires for pleasure and material goods. 2.
People can overcome desire and ignorance and reach nirvana, a state of perfect peace. 3.
People can overcome ignorance and desire by following an eightfold path that leads to wisdom, enlightenment, and salvation. 4.

28. Challenging Hindu Ideas
Ancient Ways
The Buddha taught that following the Vedic texts was unnecessary.
Challenged the authority of Hindu priests
Changing Society
A more individualistic approach to enlightenment
Rebirth as a means to evolve
Caste System
Opposed caste system
The Eightfold Path could lead any individual to nirvana.
The Buddha’s teachings reached all classes.

29. Buddhism began in India and then became a major religion.
Buddhism branches out
Asoka, one of the most powerful kings in India, became a Buddhist and spread Buddhism in India and foreign lands.
Buddhist missionaries traveled the world to teach enlightenment.
Buddhism splits
Buddhism split into two main sects: Theravada and Mahayana.
Members of the Theravada followed the Buddha’s teachings exactly.
Members of the Mahayana believed that individual interpretation was important.

31. Taj Mahal Facts Who built the Taj Mahal? When was the Taj Mahal built?
Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India.
When was the Taj Mahal built?
The building of the Taj Mahal began around 1632 and it was completed about 21 years later in About 22,000 workmen built the Taj Mahal.
What is the Taj Mahal made from?
The Taj Mahal is made from whte marble stone with precious gems and stones pressed into its walls.