Early River Civilizations
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Early River Civilizations Indus Valley
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Early River Civilizations. Indus Valley. Physical geography of India. India is a subcontinent of Asia (attached to the continent but surrounded on 3 sides by water) Ancient Indian myth River god/goddess. Brahmaputra River. Starts high up in the Himalayas - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Early River Civilizations
Early River Civilizations
Indus Valley
Physicalgeography of India
India is a subcontinent of Asia (attached to the continent but surrounded on 3 sides by water)Ancient Indian myth
River god/goddess
Brahmaputra RiverStarts high up in the HimalayasMonsoon: large wind that often brings a high volume of rainEventually joins the Ganges River
Deccan Plateauarea between the Eastern and Western GhatsPlateau: elevated area of land that is flatter than a mountainDifferent areas to the plateau
Eastern & Western Ghats
Western Ghats: higher, steep slopes, narrow valleys, thick forests, wet climateEastern Ghats: climate not as wet, several rivers that rarely flood
Ganges RiverFlows across most of northern IndiaCarries rich sediment to the northern plains of IndiaKnown to flood during the rainy season
Himalaya MountainsLocated along India’s northern borderMt. EverestNatural barrier
Hindu Kush MountainsKhyber Pass : 28-mile long gap between the mountains
Connects central Asia to the Indian subcontinent
Indus RiverBegins in the HimalayasFlows through Pakistan and empties into the Arabian SeaIndus River Valley contains some of the best farmland in the world
Thar DesertIn Northern India – mostly sand and stoneHeat is usually unbearable; dust storms commonVariety of wildlife: lizards, snakes, gazelles, quail, ducks, geese
Farming settlements sprang up in the Indus valley region as early as 6500 BCE
Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.E.
Harappan CultureIndus valley
not desertwell-watered and heavily forested
500 miles along the river valley
Foundations of Harappan Society
The Indus RiverSilt-enriched water from mountain ranges
Major society built by Dravidian peoples, 3000-2500 BCEMajor cities: Harrapa and Mohenjo-Daro
Agriculture: flood-controlsignificant industry and trade
cities very commonLack of Sources
literate culture
SealsCarved pictographsMany animals found Unclear what they were used for
“Unicorn” seal + writing
More seals
…and more seals...
rapid development: early 2,000s B.C.E.roughly contemporary with Egypt and Mesopotamia
cities dominated both economic and political activityorigins of the people are unclear
Major CitiesHarappa and Mohenjo-Daro
surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages
one situated in the northone situated in the south
Mohenjo-Daro RuinsLocated in the Indus River valleyPopulation c. 40,000Regional centerStandardized weights evident throughout region
Cities, con’tuniform culture over a wide areacities built on a common plan
a grid: always NS and EW axesCitadelBelow citadel – many houses and workshops
Grid map of Mohenjo-Daro
Mohenjo-Daro : aerial view
The Great BathLocated in the citadel39’ long x 8’ deepHad available dressing rooms and drains to empty dirty water
The “Great Bath”
view of a small, side street
A bathroom on a private residence
A large drain or sewer
Monumental architecture
very-large scale buildingwalled cites, with fortified citadelsalways on the same scalepalaces, temples
Architecture, con’t large grain storage facilities near templesa theocracy ??
Harappan granary
Sewer SystemCarried waste away from housesHad a complex system of drains, pipes, wells, and bathrooms
Citiesvery densely populatedhouses: two to three stories; flat roofsevery house is laid out the same
Culture and Societyadvanced agriculturesurplus productiontextilesdomesticated animals and fishmen and women also dressed in colourful robes
EntertainmentToys DiceGaming piecesFigurines
Bronze Age technologyno swordsspears and bowsstone arrow heads
Societydominated by priests from the fortified palaces and temples ?power base?deities: male and female, both nudebull worship and phallic symbols
Tradewith lower Mesopotamiabut gradually declined
Declinedomination of an indigenous people ?foreign invasion?comets?
Combination of Changesclimate shift: the monsoon patternsfloodingdestruction of the forestsmigrations of new peoples: the Aryans
The Aryan “Invasion”AryansDravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa
Possible route of the Aryan invasions
The Early AryansPastoral economyReligious and Literary works: The Vedas
SanskritPrakritFour Vedas, most important Rig Veda
Settlement, con’t gradual infiltrationnew society by 1,200 B.C.E. or sonot literateno record system
Oral Traditionpassed down from priests and singerswritten down in the 500’sThe Vedas
The Vedas
early Aryan traditionlater Hindu religion
four “vedas”the Rig Veda is the oldest
The Vedas
oral poetryprovide some historical information
The Aryansrestless, warlike peopletall, blue-eyed, fair-skinned
The Aryans, con’t villages and kingdoms constantly fightingWar chiefsaristocrats and freemen
The Aryans, con’tfond of fighting, etc.fond of taking soma
Aryans and HindusAryans give rise to Hindu societybut different characteristics
cows: they ate themclasses, but no castespriests subordinate to the nobility
the Mahabharata
The Iron Age: new sources
the Vedasthe Brahamanas: interpretations on the Vedasthe Upanishads: interpretations and symbolic studies
Strain of changeIron Age change causes strain on the class systemblurring of lines between Aryans and Dasa
Caste System, 1000 BCEskin colorritual purity“Us--Them” feelingsdivine order of four castes
Caste System (“Varnas”)Brahmins: the priestsKshatriyas: the warriorsVaisyas: merchants and peasantsSudras: non-Aryans
Caste system, con’tliterature emphasized the divine orderhierarchical relationship
Caste system in practicewarrior class did not always accept itthe most powerful organizer of Indian society
Castesdefine a person’s social universedefine a person’s standard of conductdefine a person’s expectationsdefine a person’s futuredefine how a person deals with others
