India was one of the world first major civilizations. Today, it is

the second most populated country on earth. Early Indian civilizations show how India is

an advanced and complex society. The history and events in and having to do with India

have also had a significant impact on global history all

together.

Even thought the Taj Mahal wasn’t built in ancient India, it was a great engineering achievement for it’s time. It was built in 1651. Technology then was not nearly as far as it is now. They didn’t have cranes, let alone trucks to move

any of the material. They still did a lot of work with manual labor. As an empire, India was fairly advanced in terms find new and more efficiant ways of

accomplishing everyday tasks. For example, the had plumbing and sewage systems to rival 19th century London by 2500 BC!

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Technology7000BC, Basic farming tools, domesticated

animals By 3200BC people were farming in villages.2500BC, first cities -> Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro,

Harappa largest cities, sophisticated city planning, advanced plumbing and sewage systems

Iron came into use in India, apx 1000BC when the Aryans invaded

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TechnologyBy the 1st century AD, Indians already had the wheel, and ships built for long distance travel. They had writing tools, ink and paper. They also had tools for mining, weaving (looms) and medical tools with which to perform surgey, even plastic surgery to some extent

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Besides inventing many useful tools, Indians also started movements, wrote great books and plays, and made sculptures

and paintings that had a huge impact on the world.

This man started the origins of what we know today as Buddhism. He created the idea of the four noble truths, the basic beliefs of Buddhism. He also formulated the idea of the Eightfold Path which led to complete enlightenment. Millions of people today are Buddhist or warship Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama made a major influence on the people of Asia. AR

These dialogues play an important role in Hinduism. They are as discussions between a teacher and a student. The two talk of how to achieve Moksha, or a state of perfect understanding.

“Thou art woman, Thou art man, Thou art the lad and the maiden too. Thou art the old man tottering on his staff: Once born thou comest to be, thy face turned every way! A dark-blue moth art Thou, green parrot with red eyes. Pregnant with lightning—sea-sons, seas: Thyself beginningless, all things dost Thou pervade. From thee all worlds were born”

-Svetasvatura Upanishad. IV. 3-4

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The Indians were a very knowledgeable people. They were very advanced in Mathematics and Science in particular. They had a form of writing, and could do fairly advanced computations.

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Education• They became very learned in the subejct of Astronomy. Their sailors used the stars to navigate when out on the open ocean. They also concluded the earth was round by watching a lunar eclipse and seeing Earth’s curved shadow.•Modern numbers, the concept of zero, and the decimal system were all invented in India.•500 AD- Aryabhata, an Indian mathematician calculates the value of Pi to be 3.1415•Two very accurate medical guide books were compiled and held over 1000 known deaseases and over 500 medicinal plants.•Doctors could perform surgery and amputations.

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India’s start of great civilizations- 1st civilizations in India was born around the time of 2500BC. Very little was known about

how civilization in India was originated. But, future modern resources can trace us back, cluing us in on its past.

Human settlement in India is a mysterious case. Historians’ hypothesize that people crossed the sea from Africa(where people originated) and into the Northern regions. Northern migrants may have made their way through the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Around 2500BC, while Egyptians were building pyramids and creating empires, people in Indus Valley started making their 1st cities. By 3200BC, farming in villages had already formed along the Indus River. Ruins were found, of more than 100 settlements along the Indus. The largest cities were Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro, and Harappa. (Sometimes called the Harappan civilization, because of the many discoveries found there.)

Indus Valley had marvelous city planning. They had accurate laid out systems for their cities. Specially featured fortified areas called Citadel that held in the major buildings. Citadels also separated classes/residential districts. For example:

Around 1750 B.C the quality of building in Indus Valley declined. India’s civilization later grew under the influence of nomads. OH

Indo-Europeans 2000BC- Indo-Euros of the Hittites invaded Anatolia . This later came to

form an empire in 1650BC.

Hittites used iron and had good military might and powerful structure. But, despite they’re achievements with iron, their empire fell around 1190BC. From a sacred literature, it says that the Aryans crossed to the northwest mountains and into the Indus River Valley. And, from then on, they were divided into social classes. They were priests, warriors and peasants/traders. They later adapted a caste that governed the society.

Aryans (Krishna) Aggression and perplexity of time to hypothesize the place of gods and humans on earth. Because of the thoughts, quotes and modification, India gradually changed. many new religions originated and led to spread.

1st Empires of India 600BC, Aryan migrates were scatted throughout India . By 326BC, Alexander the Great brought Indus Valley under the control of Greek. When Chandragupta claimed the throne in 321BC, this is when the Mauryan Empire began.

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1700-1200B.CA group of semi nomadic people. Nomads who came across dry grasslands stretched along the north of Caucasus . They spoke a minimum of 5 different languages. Many migrations happened throughout this time; moving from one site to another so they all found some way to communicate with each other. OH

Cultural diffusion is when cultures mix and learn/adapt from each other. This happens mostly from trade. Each region has an ability to make or fertilize something, as well as missing

certain things that other regions can provide them with.

Religions: Top cultural diffusion topic.

Hinduism & Buddhism are two of the top religions that have transferred over to China during they’re trading experience along the Silk Road.

500yrs between the Mauryan and Gupta empires was a time period of an upheaval. When invaders invaded, they came in with ideas and customs. In reaction, Indians began their own culture.

The Silk Roads were routes that traders used to bring silk and other resources from China, across Western Asia. Once Indians understood the system, they joined in to make profits as the middlemen. They bought from the east and sold to the west.

Example:Rice didn’t originate in Eastern Asia. It was originally formed in India . But since the soil in India wasn’t as good the soil in Asia for growing rice, they flourished with grains.

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The ancient civilization of India was one that had a huge impact

on the rest of the world’s modern cultures, and methods. India was and still is a major contributor to this world’s religions, food, types of government, technology, and

even methods of trade. India was looked at as a very lucky and

prominent country, with its great source of protection, fertile land,

advanced systems and its prosperous cities. India went through years of phases to

become what it is today, from its first civilizations/empires to the

trades that cultural diffused China and India to have

similarities. It’s first phase, from making civilizations to empires to

being able to trade with other countries far and wide. India has been a very influential country in our world and has helped shape

human society as it is today. Without it, our world would be

very different.Audrey Rosenblith, Tori Saldiva, Odemaris Herrera

Biblography• 1st picture of the Indus River

“Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro.” Copyright. 1999. Retrieved 25th of November  2008. http://worldheritage.heindorffhus.dk/frame-PakistanMoenjodaro.htm

• 2nd picture example of Indus Valley’s City Planning“Indus Valley Civilization 82.” Hubpages Inc. 2008. Retrieved 25th of November 2008.http://hubpages.com/hub/INDUS-VALLEY-CIVILIZATION

• World History, McDougal Littell, Corpywright 1999 (Textbook)• http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/druid-surgical-tools.jpg• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history• http://hinduismexplored.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/buddha.jpg• http://www.loc.gov/rr/international