1. Early South Asia & Early China Chapter 3 Notes

2. Early South Asia  3 rd civilization on the rise = Indus River Valley in South Asia  Arose on the subcontinent of Asia = landmass that is part of a continent but is distinct from it

3. The Subcontinent  3 modern nations there today = India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh  Mountains separate it from the rest of Asia = Himalayas & Hindu Kush  Indus River drains into the Arabian Sea

4. Climate & Seasonal Winds  Mountains block cold air & give the area a warm climate  Monsoons = seasonal winds that affect the climate and way of life  Summer monsoons bring heavy rains, causing flooding that helps the soil  People depended on monsoons to grow crops  Monsoons sometimes unpredictable - Unusually heavy rains drowned people, animals, whole villages - Late or light monsoons caused poor crops & starvation

5. The Indus Valley Civilization  Often called Harappan Civilization  Major cities: Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro  Cities were carefully planned – used a grid pattern  A fortress built on a brick platform overlooked each city – probably the center of government and religion

6. The Indus Valley Civilization  Houses were made of oven-baked bricks 1) Each house had at least one bathroom with plumbing to sewers 2) Houses rose to several stories and had enclosed courtyards

7. The Indus Valley Civilization  Most people farmed  Trade = bronze and copper tools; jewelry out of gold, shells, ivory; clay pots; woven cloth; silver containers  Used pictograms – still haven’t been deciphered  Not much is known due to a lack of written records  Collapsed around 1500 BCE

8. Early China  4 th civilization on the rise = Yellow River Valley in China (Huang He River)  Oldest continuous civilization in the world

9. China’s Geography  1/3 mountains  Vast deserts – Gobi Desert  These factors isolated China from other early civilizations  Prevented cultural diffusion  Promoted strong sense of national identity

10. Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE)  1 st dynasty (line of rulers who belong to the same family) from which there are written records in China  Kings were also high priests  Performed special ceremonies for good weather, crops, etc.  Had special powers to call upon their ancestors  Used oracle bones

11. Shang Dynasty  Had a writing system  Characters represented objects, ideas, or sounds  Had to memorize each character to understand script  Few people could read & write in ancient China

12. Shang Dynasty  Produced some of the finest bronze objects ever made  Wove silk into beautiful colored cloth for the upper class  7 capital cities  Palace and temple stood at the center of each city

13. Shang Dynasty  Collapsed under attack  Shang Dynasty lacked strong leaders  1000 BCE = ruler from the north named Wu marched in his armies and killed the Shang king  Set up his own dynasty called the Zhou Dynasty that ruled China for 800 years

14. Shang Dynasty  Paved the way for many other dynasties to rule China  Dynasties ruled China until the early 1900s under the Mandate of Heaven  If rulers were effective, they received the authority to rule from Heaven  If not, they were overthrown & lost this mandate to someone else who started a new dynasty