Indus River Valley

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Indus River Valley
Time Period and Geographic Location

• Around 2500 B.C.
• Considered a Sub-Continent of Asia
• High mountain ranges separate it from the rest of
  Asia
• Present-day Pakistan and part of India
• Mountains to the North and desert to the East
  helped protect the Indus Valley from invasion

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Indus River Valley
Time Period and Geographic Location

• Around 2500 B.C.
• Considered a Sub-Continent of Asia
• High mountain ranges separate it from the rest of
  Asia
• Present-day Pakistan and part of India
• Mountains to the North and desert to the East
  helped protect the Indus Valley from invasion

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Indus River Valley
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Indus River Valley
Geographic Locations continued

• Located near the Ganges and Indus Rivers
• Seasonal winds - monsoons - dominate Indias
  climate, at times, bringing so much moisture,
  that flooding occurs - the monsoon winds were
  unpredictable
• Experience droughts during summer monsoons fail
  to develop, much like Arizona

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Indus River Valley
Economic Orientation

• Agriculture and Trade based
• Imported gold and silver from Afghanistan
• Imported semi-precious stones from Persia
• Exported brightly-colored cotton
• Close to the sea, so it was easy to ship goods in
  and out of the civilization

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Indus River Valley
Government/Law System

• The history still remains somewhat of a mystery
• There is some evidence (planned cities and
  protection for a royal family) of a central
  government

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Indus River Valley
Social Organization/Classes

• Social divisions were minor
• Fairly wealthy society - could afford
  non-essential items (i.e., toys)
• Discipline was the essence of schooling

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Indus River Valley
Artistic Technological Innovations

• Built strong walls along rivers to keep water out
  of cities
• Sophisticated city planning - on a precise grid
  system
• A citadel contained a citys major buildings
• Highly sophisticated sewage and plumbing systems

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Indus River Valley
Artistic Technological Innovations

• Walls divided residential districts
• Houses varied in size
• Developed a written language, but it still has
  not been decoded
• Excellent transportation, via the sea, for trade
  with other civilizations

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Indus River Valley
Religious Organization

• Believed to be a theocracy, but there is no
  evidence of any temples
• Priests probably prayed for successful harvests
  and protection from floods
• Possible links to modern Hindu culture

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Chinese River Valleys
Time Period Geographic Locations

• Around 2,000 B.C.
• Isolated by natural barriers (i.e. oceans, seas,
  and mountains)
• Faced danger of flooding - The Yellow River
  (Huang He River) is also known as Chinas
  Sorrow because some floods have devoured entire
  villages
• Only 10 of Chinas land is suitable for farming

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Chinese River Valleys
Economic Orientation

• Agriculture
• Trade with foreign civilizations

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Chinese River Valleys
Government/Law System

• Xia - 1st Dynasty
• Xia leader was a mathematician and engineer
• Shang Dynasty rose to power (1,700 to 1,027 B.C.)
• 1st family of Chinese rulers to leave written
  records
• Built elaborate palaces and tombs
• Leaders able to raise and control large forces of
  workers

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Chinese River Valleys
Government/Law System

• Zhou (joh) took over in 1,027 B.C. but kept many
  of the Shang practices/ideals
• Mandate of Heaven gave a just ruler divine
  approval
• Created a feudalism system - nobles and lords
  were granted the use of lands that belonged to
  the king in return for military service for and
  protection of the king

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Chinese River Valleys
Social Organization/Class

• Higher classes lived in wood-framed houses
  located within the city walls
• Peasants and craftspeople lived in huts outside
  the city
• Family in central to Chinese culture
• respect for parents is 1 virtue
• men controlled property and made important
  decisions
• Women were treated as inferiors

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Chinese River Valleys
Social Organization/Class

• Girls marriages were arranged for them when they
  were between 13-16 years old
• Producing a son for her husbands family was the
  only way a female could hope to improve her
  status
• Nobles children learned to write, but peasants
  children were largely uneducated

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Chinese River Valleys
Artistic and Technological Innovations

• Flood control and irrigation systems
• Cities surrounded by walls for protection
• Chariots used by professional warriors
• Writing - each character represents one syllable
  or idea
• No connection between spoken and written language
• People in all parts of China could learn the
  written language, but had to know thousands of
  characters

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Chinese River Valleys
Artistic and Technological Innovations

• Zhou Dynasty
• Roads and canals
• Coined money
• Blast furnaces produced cast iron for tools and
  weapons

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Chinese River Valleys
Religious Orientation

• There was a belief that spirits of family
  ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or
  disaster
• The spirits werent revered as gods treated more
  like neighbors
• Every family member paid their respects to the
  fathers ancestors
• The people consulted gods through the spirits

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Chinese River Valleys
Religious Orientation

• Supreme god - Shang Di and many lesser gods
• Shang kings consulted gods through the use or
  oracle bones (animal bones and tortoise shells)