early civilizations of ancient india
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World History Libertyville High School
Geographic Considerations• World’s tallest
mountains to North (Himalayas)
• Thar Desert to East
• Indus & Ganges Rivers– Bounded large,
1,700 mile wide fertile plain
– Rivers brought silt to river valleys and water for irrigation
• Problems facing settlers?– River flooding– Monsoons
Monsoons• Seasonal winds
blowing across India– June – Sept: from
sea to interior –Oct – May: from
mnts to sea• Helped with
growing seasons BUT were unpredictable, destructive
• Wetter climate 6000 years ago – how do we know?–Seals of tropical
animals–kiln fired bricks
The Harappan Civilization
3300 BCE - 2400 BCE
• Man first arrived around 7000 BC
• Cities suggest a highly centralized, organized government, society
• 1400 towns, cities discovered (compare to Sumerians & Egyptians!!!)
• Peaceful civilization
Harappan Cities• Had strong walls
built around cities (Why?)
• Cities laid out in grid pattern–Neighborhoods w/
walls around them–Wide streets–Excellent sewer
system• Cities built with
kiln fired bricks that were standardized by size, weight
• If city destroyed, build over ruins
Map of Mohenjo Daro
Aerial View of Mohenjo-Daro
Wide View, Mohenjo-Daro
The Great Bath, Mohenjo-Daro
A side Street, Mohenjo-Daro
Granary, Mohenjo-Daro
Drain, Harappa
Bull Figurine, Harappa
Art & Technology• Historians believe
that animals were important to civilization (so many depictions of them)
• Written language was pictographic– We can’t translate it
b/c we have no dual translation
• Spoken language thought to be Dravidian, similar to that spoken in S. India, Sri Lanka
• Metallurgy based on copper, bronze
• Used wheel, boats w/ 1 mast
Harappan Writing
Undecipherable to date.
Harappan Seals• Stone seals with
animals carved on them–Carved from small
block of light colored stone
–After carving, surface glazed and fired
• Uses : Student brainstorm!!!–Signatures?–Heraldry?–Show ownership
• Carried on string; found in Mesopotamia
Bison Seal, Mohenjo-DaroA Horned-God Seal
Harappan Seals
Unicorn Seal, Harappa Reverse of a harappan seal
Other Harappan seals
Harappan Religion• Unknown,
because we can’t translate their writing
• Assumed to be theocracy, polytheistic
• Dead buried with tools, jewelry
• Little overtly religious artwork
A Priest-King, (front) A Priest-King, (back)
Male Skeleton, Harappa
Female Skeleton with Child, Harappa
Burial Pottery, Harappa
Trade• Gold and silver
from Afghanistan
• Gems from Persia were made into jewelry by Harappans
• Indus river served as a highway
• Harappans grew cotton and exported the cloth
• Traded extensively with Mesopotamia, Egyptians
Necklace, Mohenjo-Daro
Female Figures, Harappa
Two theories to End of Harappan civilization
• Invasion by Aryans, c. 1750 bc– Indo European
people migrating into India from Caucasus mountains
–Nomadic warriors–Used chariots–Cultures fused
following conquest
–Brought own religion (primitive form of Hinduism)
• Aryans in later history
Indo European “language
tree”• Language originated in Caucasus Mnts
• Closely related to Iranian
2 theories to End of Harappan civilization
• Massive geological event–Earthquake caused change in Indus river’s course
–Change in river’s course would kill off cities and cause their abandonment
• Indian nationalists prefer this theory (why?)
Vedic culture & language• Vedic = fusion of Aryan
and Harappan cultures• Vedes believed to be
pastoral agriculturalists– Depended on cattle and
farming– Cows held in high
esteem (productivity in vegetarian society)
• Sanskrit emerged– Language of religion,
intellectuals– Example: the VedasSanskrit writing
The VedasWritten between
1200 & 600 BCE. Religious texts representing oldest of Hindu beliefs
Included: hymns and poems religious prayers magical spells lists of the gods and goddesses
Rig Veda oldest work still used in active religion today
Varna (Social Hierarchy)
Shudras
Vaishyas
Kshatriyas
Harijan (Untouchables)
BrahminsPriests
Rulers
Traders
LaborersOutcasts
During The Vedic Age
The foundations for Hinduism were
established!
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