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Early Indian History. Indus River Valley Civilization Vedic (Indo-Aryan) Civilization. Indus River Valley Civilization – 2000 BCE. Indus River Valley. The Indus River Silt-enriched water from mountains Cultivated cotton before 5000 BCE. Writing . Good News Literate culture Bad News
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Early Indian History Indus River Valley Civilization Vedic (Indo-Aryan) Civilization
Indus River Valley • The Indus River • Silt-enriched water from mountains • Cultivated cotton before 5000 BCE
Writing • Good News • Literate culture • Bad News • We can’t read it • Writing on bricks • Similar to cuneiform
Reasonable Generalizations • Developed rapidly • Existed with Egypt and Mesopotamia • Developed agriculture • Domesticated animals • Changed from village to city life
Mohenjo-Daro Ruins • Population roughly 40,000 • Regional center • Layout and architecture suggests well-developed government • Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage system • Specialized labor (Artisans) • Trade (Merchants)
Torso Mohenjo-Daro Third millennium BCE
The Aryan Invasion • Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north • Not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans” • These Aryans spoke a dialect, related to Greek and Latin
The Aryans Fond of: • Fighting • Drinking • Chariot racing • Gambling • Chasing women • Bragging about their spears • A psychedelic drug called soma • Caste system • Polytheistic • Basis for Hinduism
The Vedas • “Knowledge” • Sanskrit • Sacred, oral poetry • Rituals/Sacrifice • Many Gods
Sacred Texts • Rig Veda • 1028 hymns to Gods • Upanishads • Epic, mystical poems • Right & Wrong • Two Great Epics • Mahabharata • Ramayana
Vedic CivilizationSocial Status of Women • Equal access to learning • Right to speak in public • Right to inherit property
Vedic CivilizationSocial Status of Women • Marriage was the main institution • Patriarchal family structure • Could choose husband • Emphasis on reproduction
Vedic CivilizationSocial Status of Women • Eventually social status declined: • Organized state • Caste system • Women barred from religious ritual