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Early Civilizations of India and Pakistan. Central Questions. What were the main characteristics of the Indus Civilization? How did geography affect the development of civilization in India and China?
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Central Questions • What were the main characteristics of the Indus Civilization? • How did geography affect the development of civilization in India and China? • What are the essential beliefs and key teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism? • How did the caste system shape India? • What leaders established “golden ages” in India and China? Why are these times considered “golden ages”? • What were some of the notable leaders in India and China?
Geography of the Indian Subcontinent • Subcontinent: large landmass that juts out from a continent • Indian subcontinent includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka • Mountains: Hindu Kush and Himalayas mark the northern border and limit the transportation/contact with other lands, but aren’t a complete barrier
3 Regions of India • 1: Gangetic Plain • In the north • Fertile • 2: Deccan Plateau • In the middle • Dry and sparsely populated • 3: Eastern and Western Ghats (coastal plains) • To the East and West of the Deccan Plateau • Rivers and rain bring water for farmers
Monsoons Affect Climate • Monsoons: seasonal winds that regularly blow from a certain direction for part of the year • October: hot, dry air blows in and withers crops • Mid-June: summer monsoons bring heavy rain • People in India plan for and need the rain • if the rains are too heavy then deadly flooding can occur • If the rains are too light or too late, famine and starvation can occur
Meet Your Archeologist: Sir Mortimer Wheeler • 1890-1976 • Born in Glasgow, Scotland • Invented the grid-system for excavation • Led one of England’s first archaeology departments • Ran an archaeology museum • Had 3 television shows based on archeology • Directed the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, two capitals/large cities in the Indus civilization • Had one of the best mustaches in history
Indus Civilization • 2600 BC: earliest South Asian civilization emerged in the Indus River valley (present-day Pakistan) • Indus civilization flourished for 700 years • Covered a large area and had large cities • Very few written records remain, so details are sketchy (archeologists have had to guess a lot)
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro • Probably 5 large cities and several hundred smaller cities • Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were both capitals, but not at the same time • 3 miles in circumference • Massive hilltop structure in each; purpose unknown • Hugh warehouse for storage • Very carefully planned cities with organized streets and complex plumbing • Merchants had a uniform system of weights and measures • Conclusion: must have had a well-organized government
Farming and Trading • Most people were farmers • Crops included wheat, barley, melons, cotton, and dates • Some were also merchants and traders • Traded things like cotton cloth, grain, copper, pearls, and ivory combs • Used the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf to reach Sumer • This contact with Sumer may have inspiring the Indus civilization to develop writing, though their writing system is unique and not like cuneiform
Religious Beliefs • Since there are few surviving writings, these are guesses • Many think the Indus people were polytheistic • Statues and images on small clay seals • Seem to have honored certain animals, like the buffalo and bull • Seem to have had a mother goddess and a leading male god
Indus Civilization Declines • By 1900 BC, quality of life was declining • Cruder pottery was being made • People stopped writing • Mohenjo-Daro was abandoned • Other cities were abandoned or populations shrank • What happened? Several ideas, but no one is sure: • Did people invade? There’s no real evidence of this… • Environmental damage led to an unsustainable ecosystem? • Was there a major flood? • Was there a terrible earthquake? • Was it a combination of some of these or all of these?
