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Planned Cities on the Indus
The Geography of the Indian Subcontinent
Map
Indian Subcontinent Subcontinentlandmass that
includes India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh Worlds tallest mountain ranges
separate it from rest of Asia
Continued . . .
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The Indus River
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The Ganges River

• The bank of the Ganges river in Varanasi is lined
  with temples, shrines and palaces below which are
  ghats - steps that lead down into the water. 
  These allow residents and pilgrims to meditate
  and pray by the river or wash away sins by
  bathing in the holy waters.  Other ghats are used
  for cremations.  Each day, many bodies are burned
  here and the ashes scattered on the Ganges.

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Rivers, Mountains, and Plains

• Mountains to north, desert to east, protect Indus
  Valley from invasion
• Indus and Ganges rivers from flat, fertile
  plaintheIndo-Gangetic
• Southern India, a dry plateau flanked by
  mountains
• Narrow strip of tropical land along coast

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continued The Geography of the Indian Subcontinent
Monsoons Seasonal winds monsoons dominate
Indias climate Winter winds are dry summer
winds bring rain can cause flooding
Map
Map
Map
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Summer Monsoons

• The summer monsoons roar onto the sub-continent
  from the southwest.
• The winds carry moisture from the Indian Ocean
  and bring heavy rains from June to September.

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Environmental Challenges

• Floods along the Indus unpredictable river can
  change course
• Rainfall unpre-dictable could have droughts or
  floods

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Summer Floods
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Civilization Emerges on the Indus
Earliest Arrivals About 7000 B.C., evidence of
agriculture and domesticated animals By about
3200 B.C., people farming in villages along
Indus River
Image
Planned Cities By 2500 B.C., people build
cities of brick laid out on grid
system Engineers create plumbing and sewage
systems Indus Valley called Harappan
civilization after Harappa, a city
Image
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Harappan Civilization
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continued Civilization Emerges on the Indus
Harappan Planning City built on mud-brick
platform to protect against flood
waters Brick walls protect city and citadel
central buildings of the city Streets in grid
system are 30 feet wide Lanes separate rows of
house (which featured bathrooms)
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Mohenjo-Daro
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Harappan Culture
Language Had writing systems of 400 symbols
but scientists cant decipher it.
Culture Harappan cities appear uniform in
culture no great social divisions Animals
important to the culture toys suggest
prosperity
Image
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continued Harappan Culture
Role of Religion Priests were closely linked to
rulers. Some religious artifacts reveals links
to modern Hindu culture.
Trade Had thriving trade with other peoples,
including Mesopotamia.
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Indus Valley Culture Ends
Harappan Decline Signs of decline begin around
1750 B.C. Earthquakes, floods, soil depletion
may have caused decline. Around 1500 B.C.,
Aryans enter area and become dominant.
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The Aryans

• The Harappan civilization collapsed in about 1500
  BC.
• At the same time, a group of people called the
  Aryans invaded the river valley and they
  destroyed what was left of the Harappan
  civilization.
• Unlike the Harappans, they were hunters instead
  of farmers, and they also raised and herded
  cattle.

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Importance of Cattle

• Cattle were a prized possession because they
  provided meat, milk, and butter.
• Cattle were so important that the Aryans even
  used them as money.
• Individual wealth was measured by the number of
  cattle a person owned.

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Nomadic Lifestyle

• Because they herded cattle, Aryans were nomads.
• After their cattle, sheep, and goats had grazed a
  field until it was brown, they moved on in search
  of fresh grass and water.
• Like many nomads, Aryans were good hunters,
  warriors, and expert horse riders.
• They had metal-tipped spears and wooden chariots,
  which they used to raid nearby villages.

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Aryan Migration

• After 2000 BC, the Aryans began leaving their
  home territory.
• They moved in waves, and some groups crossed
  through the mountain passes in the Himalayas.
• They entered the Indus River Valley around 1500
  BC.

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• By 1000 BC, the Aryans had conquered the
  Harappans and controlled northern India.
• Later, they would move into the Deccan Plateau
  and conquer everything except the southern tip of
  India.
• By the time they arrived in India, they no longer
  lived as nomads.
• They became farmers but continued to raise
  cattle.
• Eventually, they declared that cattle were sacred
  and forbid them to be used as food.

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Aryan Agricultural Improvements

• Because Aryans were skilled ironworkers, they
  improved farming in India.
• They created an iron plow to help clear Indias
  many jungles and built canals to irrigate the
  land.
• They slowly turned the Ganges River Valley into
  good farmland.

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Indias Crops

• Indias varied climate supported many types of
  crops.
• In the north, farmers grew grains such as wheat,
  barley, and millet.
• Rice was grown in the river valleys.
• In the south, there was a mix of crops, including
  spices such as pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.

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Sanskrit

• The Aryans also brought a new language to India.
• As nomads, they had no written language, but in
  India they developed a written language called
  Sanskrit.
• Now the songs, stories, poems, and prayers that
  the Aryans had known for many centuries could be
  written down

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Rajas

• The Aryans were organized into tribes.
• Each tribe was led by a raja, or prince.
• The rajas ran their own small kingdoms, which
  often fought among themselves.
• Rajas fought over cattle, treasure, and women
  kidnapped from other states.
• These small kingdoms existed from about 1500 BC
  to 400 BC.

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The Caste System

• One of the results of the Aryan invasion of India
  was the development of the caste system.
• A caste is a social group that someone is born
  into and cannot change.
• A caste dictates what job you will have, whom you
  can marry, and with whom you can socialize.

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• No one is sure why the caste system was created,
  but ideas of skin color were probably part of it.
• The Aryans were a light-skinned people and they
  thought they were better than the dark-skinned
  people they had conquered in India.
• The dark-skinned people outnumbered the Aryans
  and the caste system was used to keep the groups
  separated.
• Is set rules for everyones behavior and helped
  the Aryans stay in control.

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Untouchabes

• There was one group so low that it was not even
  part of the caste system.
• Its members were called Pariahs, or Untouchables.
• They performed work other Indians thougt was too
  dirty, such as collecting trash, skinning
  animals, or handling dead bodies.
• Life was very difficult for Untouchables and most
  Indians believed that being nearn one was harmful.

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Pariahs
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Family life

• In ancient India, the family was the center of
  life.
• Grandparents, parents, and children all lived
  together in an extended family.
• The eldest man in the family was in charge.
• Men had more rights than women.
• Only a man could inherit property unless there
  were no sons in a family.
• Only men could go to school or become priests.

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Education

• In high-caste families, a boy had a guru, or
  teacher, until he went to the city for more
  education.
• Young men from these families could marry only
  when they had finish 12 years of schooling.

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Marriage

• Parents arranged marriages for their children.
• Even today, parents arrange 90 of marriages in
  India.
• Girls often married as young as 13.
• Divorce was not allowed, but if a couple could
  not have children, the husband was allowed to
  have a second wife.

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Death Rituals

• In India, people were cremated or burned when
  they died.
• When a man from a high-caste family died, his
  wife was expected to leap into the flames.
• This practice was called suttee.
• If the wife resisted and did not kill herself, it
  was a great shame.
• Everyone would avoid the woman from then on.

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