CIVILIZATIONS IN INDIA

1. CIVILIZATIONS IN INDIA

2. INDUS VALLEY • 2500-1500 B.C.E. GEOGRAPHY • The mountains guard an enormous flat and fertile plain formed by two rivers – • The Indus and Ganges Rivers • Modern day India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh • Seasonal winds called monsoons dominate India’s climate.

3. GOVERNMENT • Rulers based their power on a belief of divine assistance.

4. CITY PLANNING • No one is really sure how human settlement began in India – perhaps they arrived by sea from Africa and settled the south. • Archaeologists have found the ruins of more than 100 settlements along the Indus. • The largest cities were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. • The people of the Indus laid out their cities on a precise grid system. • Buildings were constructed of oven-baked mud bricks.

5. Public wells provided a regular supply of water for all inhabitants. • Bathrooms featured an advanced drainage system. • Wastewater flowed out to drains located under the streets and then was carried to sewage pits beyond the city wall. • Only a well-organized government could have maintained such carefully structured cities.

6. CONTRIBUTIONS • 1ST plumbing system • Vedas (collection of hymns) • Math and writing system • concept of zero, decimal system

7. What happened to the Indus Valley people? • Floods, and earthquake, changes in climate, and even a change in the course of the Indus River weakened the civilization.-- Invaders – the Aryans – brought its final end.

8. ARYANS Who were the Aryans? • Around 1500 b.c.e., they crossed over the northwest mountain passes and conquered the Harappans. • The Aryans excelled in the art of war. GOVERNMENT • Various Aryan leaders were known as rajas (most skilled leader)

9. SOCIETY & RELIGION • Out of the clash between conqueror and conquered came a set of social institutions and class divisions that has lasted in India, with only minor changes, to the present day. • The caste system was a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person’s occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society. • It was based in part on skin color.

10. The Caste System • Brahmans -- priestly class • Kshatriyas -- warriors • Vaisyas -- commoners • Sudras -- dark-skinned peasants; did the work that the above three would not do; made up a large percentage of the Indian population • Untouchables -- Those who were considered impure because of their work (butchers, gravediggers, collectors of trash); were not considered human; made up 5% of the population

11. Family • Life in ancient India centered on the family, the most basic unit in society. • The ideal was an extended family, with three generations – grandparents, parents, and children – living under the same roof. • The family was patriarchal.

12. HINDUISM • Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion. • Hindus worship many gods, which represent different forms of Brahman (most divine spirit in the Hindu religion)

13. Basic Belief • Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three main gods of Hinduism: • Brahma – creator of the universe • Vishnu -- preserver of the universe • Shiva -- destroyer of the universe • The Vedas contains prayers and hymns (the oldest Hindu scriptures)

14. They believe in reincarnation. • The soul’s karma – good or bad deeds – follows from one reincarnation to another.

15. BUDDHISM • Buddhism appeared in 6 b.c.e. and became a rival to Hinduism. • Founder – Siddhartha Gautama, known as Buddha “Enlightened One” • According to Buddhism, achieving wisdom is a key step to achieving nirvana, or ultimate reality -- the key to happiness was detachment from all worldly goods and desires.

16. Rituals • They have a special regard or veneration to cattle. • Each year, thousands of Hindus make a pilgrimage to India’s Ganges River. • The Ganges is considered a sacred site in the Hindu religion.

17. CONTRIBUTIONS • Hinduism • Buddhism • Epic Mahabharata • Mix of history, mythology, religion