Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization Overview of the Civ Causes and Consequences Oct. 2019

1. Decline of the Indus Valley CivilizationOverview of the CivCauses and Consequences Oct. 2019 CHW3M

2. Map You can see that this ancient civ covered areas of modern day India and Pakistan. Two of its most well known cities were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

3. Though we will focus mostly on the decline of the civilization, here’s a quick overview of the civ itself. Pillars of civ in indus valley

4. Pillar of Civ 1 - State Religion • God-like figures adorned many seals and other objects Seal – possibly to sign letters and record trade

5. Pillar 2 – Specialization and Stratification • There is evidence of difference in level of wealth; some homes had two storeys and a bath – these were probably for the more well off. There were different roles in society such as merchants who brought in valuable raw materials such as lapus lazuli, artisans who used the raw materials to craft fine products, and farmers outside of the cities who produced the food and some materials such as cotton. • The top positions are not known with certainty. The leaders may have been priests (or priest-like), traders or landlords, or a combination. Their wealth was shown through their jewellery and their seals, objects used to sign letters and record trade. An example of a standard-sized weight that was used by Indus Valley traders and merchants.

6. Pillar 3 - Writing • Though their script has not been fully deciphered, it is sometimes referred to as Indus script. Some signs have been identified, but no systematic understanding exists, yet. Like many scripts, it changed over time. Seals containing Indus script

7. Pillar 4 - Monumental Architecture • No palaces have been unearthed by archaeologists. However, the cities of the Indus Valley are very well planned, including much infrastructure devoted to water and sanitation. There were wells for drinking, a waste removal system that collected sewage from houses, stored it and emptied it onto fields for fertilizer. Water-related ruins at Mohenjo Daro

8. Pillar 5 - Centralized Gov’t • The government structure did not appear to be based on military power. Instead, it is thought that leaders maintained control through religion and trade. • In terms of administrative ability, clearly life was organized for every-day Indus Valley people; the planned nature of the cities and their water and waste-related functions indicate that. One estimatesays that Harappa may have had a population of 80 000 people. That’s a lot of people whose needs have to be taken care of. Drains leading out from houses in Mohenjo Daro

9. Wednesday: Theories of Decline Activity • In groups, read the first page that identifies what the original (older) theory was and what evidence for it existed. • Then, rotate through each of the four theories. • Write questions that you have: in HTC journal. • Fill in the chart on page 2 of the Decline activity (page 35 in your booklet).

10. Inquiry Question Grid

11. Thursday • Continue rotating through the articles if not finished. • When you are done do the following: • Given all the evidence, what do you think caused the decline of the Indus Valley civ? (could be a combination of theories) • What level of certainty do you have (red light, yellow, green)? Use vocabulary accordingly. Note the examples of red light vocabulary on this PPT. • Write your answer in your HTC journal and give to Ms. G by the end of the class. Make sure it’s carefully written. See rubric.