1. Civilizations of India and Pakistan
Chapter 3, Section 1 and 3

2. Notes
Take notes on this section in your own notebook – you should write down the headings (so on the next slide, “Ancient India – Geography” and you should write down anything that in underlined. Feel free to add any additional information that you find important/interesting!

3. Ancient India - Geography
Subcontinent
Himalayas
Hindu Kush
Indus River
Narmada River
Ganges River
Brahmaputra River
Monsoons were a defining feature of life in the Indus
Monsoons are seasonal winds that blow from a certain direction. Bring rain!
India is a subcontinent. A large land mass that sticks our from a continent.
To the north are two mountain ranges that serve as defensive barriers, the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush.
Later civilizations would find passes through the Hindu Kush.
There are 4 major rivers, the Indus, Narmada, Ganges and Brahmaputra.
The Narmada river did not really support civilization because it flows within a mountain range.
The subcontinent itself is divided into three major regions.
The Fertile Gangetic Plain is located in the north, the green area on the map below the mountain ranges.
Melting snow from the mountains provide water for the region and makes the land arable.
The Deccan plateau is a raised platform of land located in the center, it would be the brown area.
The coastal plains, the East and West Ghats are the green areas along the coast.
Three major bodies of water are the Arabian Sea to the west, Indian Ocean to the south, and Bay of Bengal to the east.
One other aspect to note is the monsoons, or seasonal winds.
The winter monsoons come from the northeast, they are dry and hot.
The summer monsoons come from the southwest, they are full of moisture from the sea.
While water is needed for survival, too much can bring death and destruction.

4. Indus River Valley 2600 B.C. – lasted about 700 years
Very little written documents
Was VERY large
AMAZING Cities
Harappa & Mohenjo – Daro
While watching the video write down what made these cities so amazing!
3:00 – 5:55

5. Early Indus Religious Beliefs
Archaeologist have speculated about the religious beliefs of Indus Valley people
Believed that the Indus were polytheistic
Viewed certain animals as sacred including buffalo and the bull
Some think this led to the veneration or special regard for cattle.

6. So . . . What happened to in the Indus Valley Civilization?
4 Theories
Invaders
Decline of resources
Major flooding
Devastating Earthquake
Resources ran out – trees
Major flooding – based on fact they found lots of river mud in streets

7. Aryan Civilization 2000 B.C. – 1500 B.C.
Through acculturation or the blending of two more cultures the Aryans combined with the early Indian people
Learned much about the early Aryans from the Vedas
The Vedas are a collection of hymns, chants, ritual instructions, and other religious teachings
Used in Hinduism
2000 B.C – 1500 B.C. – nomads migrate with cattles/horses form Central Asia through mountain passes into northwestern India – these nomads were from one of the many groups of speakers of Indo-European languages who migrated across Europe and Asia. These nomads intermarried with local people to form a group who called themselves Aryan. Through acculturation (blending of two or more cultures) Aryans combined the cultural traditions of the nomads with those of earlier Indian peoples.
Don’t know much because they had no cities/little artifacts
Most of what we know comes from the Vedas – a collection of hymns and chants, ritual instructions, and religious teachings. Passed down orally for thousands of years until it was written down. This period 1500 B.C. – 500 B.C. – Vedic Age

8. Aryan Civilization Cows and bulls = wealth in the Aryan society
Aryan tribes were led by chiefs who were called rajahs.
Rajah = most skilled war leader
Initially this ancient civilization consisted of nomadic herders.
Over time they settled down to farming communities but animals still remained important to them.
A person’s wealth was determined by how many cattle and bulls they owned.
The leader of the community was a Rajah or chief.
He was usually the most skilled warrior and possessed the most wealth.
He was selected by the other warriors to lead them and relied on the advice of a council of elders.

9. Aryan Civilization Aryans divided their society into ranked groups
Brahmins – priests
Kshatriyas - warriors
Vaisya – Herders, farmers, artisans, and merchants
Sudras (no heritage) farm workers, servants, and labors
Dalits – Did work others didn’t want to do

10. Caste System Kshatriyas Vaishyas Sudra Dalit Brahmin
Hierarchical system of social stratification based on ancient Vedic scripture.
Man was created from the cosmic body of Purusha
From his mouth came Brahmins (priests/scholars)
From his arms came Kshatriyas (rulers/warriors/soldiers)
From his thighs came Vaishyas (farmers/merchants)
From his feet came Sudras (servants)
A fifth group Pariahs stood apart from the rest (slaves, less than desirable jobs such as animal skinners or working with corpses) became known as untouchables.
Strict rules about caste – could not eat with members of other castes, marry out of your caste, work out of your caste, etc.
Plus and minus – limits assets, guarantees you have somebody for all tasks.
Essential for society to survive – given a choice everyone would take best job.
No farmers we starve – no warriors we get conquered.
Similar to western society – clergy, nobility, peasantry.
Sudra
Dalit

11. Aryan Religious Beliefs
Polytheistic
Worshipped gods/goddesses who embodied natural forces such as sky, sun, storm, fire
Chief diety – Indra – god of war
Brahmins gave offerings of food/drink
Eventual changes – notion of “brahman” - single spiritual force that existed beyond many gods – resided in all things
Connect through mysticism – yoga/meditation

12. Aryan Literature By 500 B.C. Indian civilization was flourishing
Rise of writing – Sanskrit
Read passage of The Mahabharata.

13. Exit Slip – on post it note w/ NAME
How did geography affect civilizations in Ancient India?
List at least 2 ways, and how it impacted how/where people lived.
Example – In Mesopotamia they had the Euphrates & Tigris Rivers – people lived between them because it was a river valley – good soil due to flooding
No Notes!