Indus River Valley

1. Indus River Valley Joey DellaPiana, Garrett Layde, James Lawson, Nathan Hopper, Christobal Rodriguez, HilinaTesfaye

2. Social Structure • What is the Caste System? • The term “caste” comes from the Portuguese word casta meaning breed. • The varnas (color) of people did not matter in the caste system even though some people did like the darker or lighter people. • There are 4 different castes. • The Brahmins are the priests. • Kshatriyas are the warriors. • Vaisyas are the merchants, tradespeople, and landowners • Shudras are servants. • If you perform good Dharma, or guidelines for your caste, then you will have a good chance of moving up in the caste system in your next life. • Karma is the after effect of your actions. Your Dharma is decided upon your Karma.

3. Political/Rulers • How many kingdoms were in the Indus River Valley? • Ancient India was split into 16 kingdoms, each having unique writing, great technology, and a system for the king. • In this set of kingdoms, there were republics with a small hint of democracy • The king, or the raja, was filled with power, controlling all three branches of government. • No matter how much advice he gets, even from a council, the raja makes every final decision. • Besides having political power, the king is also well-informed of anything happening, as well as being responsible for certain people. • The raja had his spies inform him anytime there is a new development in the area. • The raja also gave his civil and military members salaries in panas (Indian money) • Every kingdom existed in India and what is now Pakistan. • Each kingdom is separated into provinces, each controlled by governors and ministers. • During the reign of the Ashoka, the rajukas, or the local officials, became more powerful and gained more rights and jobs.

4. Religion/Faith • How many Gods are in the Hindu faith? • There is no single founder. • There are more than 300 million gods in the Hindu faith. This makes Hinduism a polytheistic religion. • Brahman is the main god. He is the creator and enjoyer of creations. • Vishnu is another main god. His purpose is the protector of the world and restorer of Dharma. • Shiva is the destroyer and restorer of mankind. This god is often known to be the handler of reincarnation. • Reincarnation is the thought that if you practice good dharma and karma, then when you die you will be rewarded and move up in the caste system. If you practice bad dharma and karma, then when you will move down in the caste system in your next life.

5. Technology • What were some of the Indus River Valley creations? • Indus River builders were able to plan and lay out cities, running water, sewers, and road in a grid plan. • They could write and use stamp seals to put clay labels on cargo • Bronze, gold, silver, copper, tin were melted to make weapons and jewelry • Most cities were made from mud bricks

6. Economy & Trade • Where were the Indus River Valley trade systems located? • Beginning around 2300 BC • Developed in two major city areas along the river valley of the Indus • Indus civilization expanded its culture • Traded cotton ,lumber , grain, livestock, and other food supplies

7. Writing System What is Sanskrit? • Sanskrit is the language of the Indus River Valley civilization. • It is on of the longest preserved languages/ writing. • One of the texts written in Sanskrit is the Vedas, which is a sacred Hindu text. • Today Sanskrit is one of the official languages of India.

8. City Structure/Architecture • What is Mohenjo-Daro? • Harrapan • Had three classes: religious elite, trading class, and the poor workers. • Form of writing was with its seals. • Early houses were made of mud bricks, burnt bricks, and chiseled stone • Mohenjo-Daro • Part of the Harrapan civilization. • Buildings were built in a straight formation and were made of fired and mortared brick. • A very big city with a high social organization. • Divided into two main areas: the Citadel and the Lower city. • The Citadel was a protected residential area, with walls as high as 39 feet.

9. Law Codes/Legal System • How did Hinduism effect law in the Indus River Civilization? • During this time period the Braham Priest where in charge making the law stringently religious, they were polytheistic. The citizens practiced four major laws: • Universal Law: Your are part of nature and everything is part of you. • Social Law: The duties, occupations, and responsibilities that everyone fulfills. • Human Law: The evolution of the body, mind, and soul. • Personal Law: The Karma and how it effects a person in the afterlife • There are sets of commandments you have to follow they are love you neighbor, tolerance, compassion, respect, humility, do not harm other people, do not commit evil acts, not harbor evil thoughts. • Niyana, which is the “five rules of conduct” which are: poverty, serenity, austerity, learn about God, and obey his rules. • The citizens lived by these rule, thus setting and affecting their social system.

10. General Geography • How did the Indus Valley River survive and thrive? • The Indus Valley Civilization inhabited present-day Pakistan, and Western India. • Indus River- Contribute to a large part. They have many Monsoonal summer rains, and water-runoff from the Himalayas. During the months of July and September they have copious amounts of water due to the monsoon season, giving them a prefect soil. • Himalayas- These mountains help protect the Indus Valley Civilization, because now many people wanted to cross the treacherous mountain range. Also many of the other civilizations didn’t have the technology to cross them anyways. • Thar Desert- This vast barren land lies west of the Aravalli Mountain Range, and stretches out to India, Pakistan, and at the west margin of the desert lies the Indus River. This natural defensive can range from freezing in the winter to nearly 50oC during the summer. • Arabian Sea- This sea has unusual climatic due to the season fluctuations.

11. Role Of Women • What Is Pre-arranged marriage? • In India, and other parts of Asia, there is a common practice known as arranged marriage where two children are paired together to be man and wife forever. • “By the fourth century BCE the standard age for girls to marry was between six and ten.” • -Harper, Katherine Anne. "Women in South Asia." Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. • According to Hindu religious scriptures the purpose of marriage is “-the performance of dharma in addition to the continuation of the family and the lineage.” -Audinarayana, N., and J. Sheela. "Mate selection and female age at marriage: a micro level investigation in Tamil Nadu, India. • The “Dharma” is a duty demanded by the “cosmic order”. • Arranged marriage continues to exist to this day in India and it’s surrounding countries.

12. Military Who were the Ancient Aryans? • The Aryans was the group of people who invaded and conquered the land that became the Indus river valley. • The Aryans where actually identified as a language and not an ethnic group. • These people were vey warlike and had many weapons and a large military power.

13. Works Cited • N.p., n.d. Web. http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/AcademicJournalsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=WHIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Journals&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA110575516 • Indus Civilization Trade and Exchange." Indus Civilization Trade and Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. • "ECONOMICS OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION." ECONOMICS OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. • "A History of the Indus River Valley." N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. • "Sanskrit." N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. • "Aryans." N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. • "Geography of Ancient India." Project History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • "Thar Desert." The Encyclopedia of Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • Hindu Beliefs. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • "Shiva." - ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • "Vishnu." - ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • "Anc"Mahajanapadas." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • ient India Government." - Government In Ancient India. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. • "Kingdoms and Empires of Ancient India." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.