GEOGRAPHY Great size and diverse landscapes = cultural diversity and hard to unite Indian...
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Transcript of GEOGRAPHY Great size and diverse landscapes = cultural diversity and hard to unite Indian...
GEOGRAPHY Great size and diverse landscapes = cultural diversity
and hard to unite
Indian subcontinent Subcontinent = a large landmass that is part of a
continent
Three major geographic zones Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountain systems Deccan Plateau Northern Plains
Monsoons = seasonal winds in India that bring rain in the summer
.
Indus River Valley Civilization Two large cities have been discovered by archaeologists –
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
Cities were well-planned and laid out Streets ran in a grid pattern Community wells and public drainage systems A large walled citadel (fortress) enclosed buildings such as
granaries and meeting halls
Economy based many on farming and trade
Was believed to be a single society rather than a collection of independent city-states
The civilization declined and cities were abandoned Floods? Disappearance of a river? Invasions?
Developed Sanskrit, their writing system around 1000 BC
The social structure was based on the caste system Caste system = a set rigid categories in ancient India
that determined a persons occupation and position in society
Caste = social class
• Society was divided into four social classes called varnas– Brahmans = priestly class in charge of religious
ceremonies, is the highest ranking– Kshatriyas = warriors and rulers– Vaisyas = commoners, mostly farmers and merchants– Sudras = people who were not Aryans, mostly
peasants with limited rights in society, servants
• The four varnas are also subdivided into hundreds of smaller castes
• Untouchables = people who are not part of the caste system, lowest part of society– Are given menial, degrading tasks that other Indians
would not accept (trash collecting, handling dead bodies)
Valued Cattle – Cows were sacred
Women had less rights and were not equal Job was to have children and obey and respect their
husbands at all times
Sati Virtuous woman who joined her husband on his
funeral pyre In ancient India the dead were burned in a funeral
pyre Suttee required a wife to throw herself on her dead
husbands flaming body to join him in death Women who refused were considered disrespectful
The Aryans were polytheistic One of their main gods was Indra, the god of war Brahman = single spiritual power beyond the gods
The Aryans practiced the religion of Hinduism