Early Civilizations in Asia

1. Early Civilizations in Asia The Indus River Valley And China

2. The Indus River Valley Civilization Ancient India

3. Environmental Challenges • Flooding • Monsoons • Mountains as barriers from invasion • Indus River a link to the sea

4. Rivers of the Subcontinent • Indus River • Ganges River • Indus-Ganges Plain (stretches 1,500 miles across northern India.)

5. Monsoons • Seasonal Winds • Winter monsoons blow dry air from October to May. • Spring monsoons blow from the southwest starting in June bringing moisture from the ocean.

6. Cities • The largest cities were Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro, and Harappa. • Cities were laid out on a precise grid system. • The citadel (fortified area) contained the major buildings of the city.

7. Cities • Residential areas • Buildings made of uniform bricks • Sophisticated plumbing and sewage

8. Culture/Trade

9. Pictures

10. The End of Indus Valley Culture • No one is sure what happened to this early culture. • No floods to provide water, overfarming, natural disaster, attack from enemies…???

11. River Dynasties in China

12. Geography • China has many natural barriers • Pacific Ocean • Taklimakan Desert • Plateau of Tibet • Himalaya Mountains • Gobi Desert • Mongolian Plateau.

13. Major Rivers • Huang He in the North (Yellow River) • Yangtze in the central area of China

14. The Gobi Desert and the Yangtze River

15. Challenges • Flooding (Huang He/ “China’s Sorrow” • Geographic isolation • Invasions

16. Anyang capital Massive earth walls for protection Elaborate palaces Tombs Shang Dynasty

17. Shang Dynasty

18. Social Classes • King • Nobles • Peasants

19. Family and Society • Family was very important. • The most important virtue was respect for one’s parents. • Fathers made decisions; mothers were inferior. • Marriages were arranged between the ages of 13 and 16. Women hoped to have sons to improve their station in life.

20. Religious Beliefs • The spirits of family ancestors could bring good things or misfortunes. • Every family member paid respect/sacrificed to the ancestors. • Oracle Bones (animal bones or turtoise shells that priests scratched questions for the gods)

21. Writing • Began with Oracle Bones. • There were no links with China’s written and spoken language. • Written language helped unify a large and diverse land. • Enormous amount of characters—a different one for each idea—1,000 characters to be literate, 10,000 to be a scholar!

22. Artistry and Technology • Bronzeworking- used in religious rituals or as symbols of power • Silk Production- silk shoes were a symbol of civilization • Weapons, jewelry, and religious items…

24. Zhou Overthrows Shang • Declared that the Shang were such bad rulers that the gods had taken over away their rule • Justification came from the Mandate of Heaven

25. Mandate of Heaven • Divine approval for a ruler and dynasty

26. Dynastic Cycles • The rise, decline, and replacement of a dynasty • Example: The Zhou overthrew the Shang

27. Feudalism • Nobles are granted land in exchange for loyalty and military service Zhou Dynasty used this method to control different regions of the land

28. Zhou Improvements • Coined money • Roads • Canals • Iron (daggers, swords, knives, blades)

29. Rise and Fall of Chinese Empires • Qin Shihuangdi and the Qin Dynasty— • Terra Cotta Soldiers • The Great Wall of China • Centralized Government • Legalism

30. The Han Dynasty • Confucianism took the place of harsh Legalism • Civil Service • Han Wudi • Water mills and iron casting • Rudder, rigging to sail into the wind • Confucian Classics