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!