Early India

By:

Mrs. Deborah Thompson

•Main idea:Climate and geography

influenced the rise of India’s first civilization

The Land of India• India’s landform is a subcontinent

because even though it is part of Asia, the Himalayas form a barrier between India and the rest of Asia.

• The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.

• Five nations occupy the Indian subcontinent today: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

India has two fertile river valleys fed by the mountains in the north:

Runs south of the Himalaya and flows into

the Indian Ocean.

Empties into the Arabian Sea and the land

around it is called the Indus River Valley.

The southern part of the Indian subcontinent is called the Deccan Plateau and it is dry and hilly

The eastern and western coasts of India are lush, fertile plains.

• Monsoons are part of the climate of India.

• A monsoon is a strong wind that blows cold, dry air in one direction in winter and warm, wet air in the opposite direction in summer.

• Farmers depend on the rainy monsoon season for successful crops.

• Indian civilization began in the Indus River Valley with it’s rich, fertile soil around 3000 B.C. and lasted until 1500 B.C.

• Farmers produced a plentiful supply of food which allowed people to do other things such as building houses and making tools.

• As people traded their goods, they became wealthier and built large cities.

• Two major early cities of ancient India were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

Both cities were large and well planned with about 35,000 people.

•A protective wall surrounded each neighborhood.

•Both cities had wide main streets and smaller side streets.

•Most houses had flat roofs and were built with baked mud bricks.

•Government was well organized.

•City dwellers had wells to supply water, indoor bathrooms, wastewater drains under the streets, and garbage chutes

connected to bins in the street.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/indusvalley/

• Harrapans left no written records but the ruins provide information.

• Ruins of a royal palace and a temple reveal that religion and politics were closely connected.

• Most Harrappans were farmers who grew rice, wheat, barley, peas, and cotton.

• City dwellers made copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, and cotton cloth, as well as jewelry from gold, shells, and ivory.

• Harrapans probably traded with the Mesopotamians.

• Weapons were rarely found in the ruins which suggests that they were peaceful.

• Harrappan civilization collapsed about 1500 B.C. probably due to earthquakes, floods, and the invasion of the Aryans.

• 1. Came from central and south central Asia and were hunters and herders.

• 2. Valued cattle for the meat, milk, and butter and used them as money.

• 3. Were good warriors and expert horse riders who used metal-tipped spears and wooden chariots.

• 4. Left their home territory and entered the Indus River Valley through mountain passes in the Himalaya around 1500 B.C.

• By 1000 B.C. the Aryans had conquered the Harrapans and controlled northern India.

• When the Aryans arrived in India they became farmers and raised cattle.

• Aryans were skilled ironworkers who made iron plows and improved farming in India.

• In the north they grew wheat, barley, and millet.

• In the south they grew spices such as pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.

• Rice was grown in the river valleys.

• When the Aryans settled in India, they developed a new language called Sanskrit, which allowed them to write down their songs, poems, prayers, and stories.

• The Aryans were organized into tribes, each led by a raja.

• Each raja ran their own small kingdom and often fought among themselves over cattle and treasure.

• One result of the Aryan invasion of India was the development of a caste system.

• A caste is a social group that someone is born into and cannot change. It dictates what job you will have, who you will marry, and with whom you can socialize.

• The caste may have been based on skin color because the Aryans were lighter skinned than the people they conquered.

• The caste system kept groups separate and set the rules for everyone’s behavior, which helped the Aryans stay in control.

• The Aryans believed that society was divided into four classes called varnas, which included:

1. Brahmans – The top class made up of priests who were the only people who could perform religious ceremonies.

2. Kshatriyas – Warriors who ran the government and army.

3. Vaisyas – Commoners who were usually farmers and merchants.

4. Sudras – Non-Aryans who were dark-skinned people who had been conquered. They were laborers and servants with few rights.

5. Pariahs – The “untouchables” who performed work other Indians thought was too dirty, such as collecting trash and handling dead bodies. Their life was very hard and they were forced to live apart.

• In ancient India, the family was the center of life.

• Grandparents, parents, and children all lived together in an extended family with the oldest man in charge.

• Men had more rights than women.• Only men could inherit property and go

to school.• Parents arranged marriages for children.