Early Indus Valley Civilizations

Harappan Culture

Located in the Indus Valley along the Indus River

Lived in large, well laid out cities

Straight streets that were lined with bricks

Walls around the city

Cities Built warehouses to store food for the city

Elaborate bathing facilities with drains that linked to sewer systems

Great Bath

Did Harappa look like this?

Harappa Street

Life outside of the City People who lived outside of the city farmed.

Raised cattle, sheep, goats, and water buffalo.

First to grow cotton.

Traded goods such as cotton with people in the Middle East.

Writing Used pictographic writing on clay seals.

Unable to decipher the pictographs which means there are many questions about the Harappa culture.

Harappa Seal

Decline of Harappa Civilization Around 2000 B.C. the city became run down.

Streets were broken, large houses were divided into smaller homes and towns were abandoned.

Could this have been because of the climate?

Arayans Nomads

Warlike

Entered South Asia through the Hindu Kush Mountains

Aryans Learned how to make iron tools and weapons

from people in the Middle East.

It took the Aryans hundreds of years to come and gain control of Harappa.

Aryan Culture Vedas – Hymns, prayers, and rituals

Polytheistic

Gods were very different

Sacrifices to gods (food and drink)

Aryan Culture Made sacrifices in order to receive wealth,

good health, and success in war.

Placed great value on cattle.

Aryan Social Classes Varna – made of 4 classes

Brahmans – priests Kshatriyas – warriors Vaisyas – landowners, merchants,

herders Sudras – servants and peasants

Caste Systems

Caste – A ridged social class system where your social group is determined when you are born.