harappan civilization harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 b.c.e
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Harappan Civilization
Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.E.
Harappan Location
• Northwest India/Pakistan
• Indus River Valley
Harappan Culture • Writing on bricks and
seals– we cannot read the
writing– So… who knows?
Mohenjo-daro : aerial view
Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”
The “Great Bath”
another view of the “Great Bath”
view of a small, side street
looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well
A bathroom on a private residence
A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...
A large drain or sewer
Harappan granary
A priest? A bull
Disappearance• Not sure why
– Changes in Monsoons– Indo-European invasion– Changes in river flow
The Aryan Invasion
• Indo-Europeans• Light-skinned• Spoke Sanskrit• Brought:– Hinduism– Caste System
Sanskrit
• Descended from the Indo-European mother language
• Closely related to Greek and Latin
The Vedas
• Means “knowledge”• Aryan oral tradition• Later written down• The sacred text for Hinduism
India’s First Empires
The Mauryan Empire is Established
321 BC - Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the Nanda king and established the Mauryan Empire.
He defeated several of Alexander the Great’s generals to unite north India.
He divided the empire into 4 provinces, each headed by a royal prince. Each province was divided into districts, where officials taxed & enforced the law.
Buddhism is Promoted Chandragupta’s grandson Asoka assumed
the throne in 269 BC. He promoted Buddhism as the state
religion to atone for a bloody battle he waged on Kalinga that killed over 100,000 people.
Across the empire he erected stone pillars with his non-violent edicts and laws urging religious tolerance.
He also built roads so he could visit the far corners of his empire.
As noble as his intentions were, they failed to hold the empire together after his death in 232 BC.
A Period of Turmoil Asoka’s death left a power struggle –
the kingdom of central India regained its independence under the Andhra Dynasty.
Northern India had to face a flood of refugees from other areas of Asia that were in political turmoil.
These people disrupted Indian society but also brought new elements to the culture.
Southern India was home to three kingdoms that had not been conquered by the Mauryans
They were often at war with each other and with other states.
The Gupta Empire is Established Chandra Gupta arose after 500
years of turmoil. He did not come to power
through battle, but rather through marrying into an influential family.
His son, Samudra, expanded the empire through 40 years of conquest
Chandra Gupta II added coastal territories to the empire, allowing them to trade with people to the west.
Spread of Indian Trade India has always been known for natural
resources, especially spices, diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, and beautiful woods.
Trade was carried out along routes that carried as far west as Turkey.
One of these routes was the Silk Road from China to Rome.
Increased trade led to the rise of banking in Europe which would help bring an end to the Dark Ages in Europe
Later - Sea trade encouraged the spice trade to Europe (this will be why America is discovered)
Trade also causes Buddhism to spread to Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan.
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