Do Now – Read and answer the questions below

There were four early river valley civilizations, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China. The largest was located in India along the Indus River. For this reason it is called the Indus River Valley civilization. This civilization had a very large population. However, of all these civilizations the least is known about the Indus Valley. They remain one of the largest mysteries in our history.

1)The largest early river valley civilization was a) China b) Egypt c) Mesopotamia d) India

The people of the Indus River Valley were inventive and created technologies that were far ahead of any other civilization. The real reason we still know very little about them is because of their writing.

2)The Indus River Valley had little technology and was not very advanced

TRUE FALSE3)Underline evidence in the paragraph above to prove your

answer to number 2

Lesson Information

Title: The Aryan Civilization

Objective: I can cite textual evidence to answer questions relating the influence of the Aryan civilization.

Agenda:1) Class Text Analysis2) Paired Text Analysis3) Independent Work4) Exit Ticket

Name: Student #:

Date: Homeroom:

Document A: The Invasion of the Aryans

The advanced civilization of Harappa didn’t last. They were easily overtaken by outsiders who invaded and changed life forever in Ancient India. These people were the Indo-European invaders, also called the Aryans.

The Aryans were a group of nomads who moved to the area and took control over the entire Indus River. They had stronger weapons and were brutal. They destroyed the Harappan culture and rebuilt a new culture. They lost many of the advancements of the Harappan people including their indoor plumbing and sewage systems,

their language, and their social system (which took care of people who didn’t have enough food).

1) Which civilization invaded and overtook the Harappans?a. Sumerianb. Assyrianc. Indiand. Aryan

2) Why were the invading people able to easily take over the Harappan people?Claim

Evidence

Document B: Who were the Aryans?

The Aryans lived in central Asia where they raised and herded animals. The Aryans were not a race or ethnic group. Some historians believe that the Aryans were part of a larger group they refer to as Indo-Europeans. The Indo-Europeans all spoke similar languages. Some

migrated south to India and Iran. Others went to Europe.Cattle were a prized

possession because they provided meat, milk, and butter. Cattle were so important that the Aryans even used them as money. Individual wealth was measured by the number of cattle a person owned.

The Aryans were good warriors. They were expert horse riders and hunters. They had metal-tipped spears and wooden chariots, which they sometimes used to invade nearby villages for food.

After 2,000 BCE, the Aryans began leaving their home territory. They moved in waves, and some crossed through the mountain passes in the Himalayas. They entered the Indus River valley around 1500 BCE.

3) Where did the Aryans come from?

a. Eastern Africa b. Central Europe c. Central Asia d. Eastern Asia

4) Why did the Aryans value cows?

Claim

Evidence

Document C: The Aryans Bring Change

When they Aryans arrived in India, they no longer lived as nomads. They became farmers but continued to raise cattle. Eventually, the Aryans would declare that cattle were sacred and forbid them to be used as food.

Aryan technology improved farming in India. They invented an iron plow to help clear India’s many jungles and built canals to irrigate. They slowly turned the Ganges River valley into good farmland.

The Aryans also brought a new language to India. As nomads, they had no written language, but in India they developed a written language later called Sanskrit. Over time, the sacred songs, poems, and prayers that Aryans had known for many centuries were written down.

The Aryans were organized into tribes. Each tribe was led by a raja, or prince. The rajas ran their own small kingdoms, which often fought among themselves. Rajas fought over cattle, treasure, and over women kidnapped from other states. These small rival kingdoms existed in India for about a thousand years, from 1500 BCE to 400 BCE.

5) The Aryans became farmers and declared _____________________________ a sacred animal that shouldn’t be eaten.

6) True/False: Aryans improved farming technology in India.

7) Which language was brought to India by the Aryans?a. cuneiformb. sanskritc. hieroglyphicsd. none of the above

8) Aryan princes were called ______________________________________________.

Document D: Aryan Achievements

The Aryans wrote songs and stories about their gods. The stories were called the Vedas. The Vedas were passed along by word of mouth for many years, until about 5000 BC when the Aryans learned to write in a language called sanskrit. This Rig Veda is a collection of more than 1000 songs that survives to this day.

The Aryans also had iron weapons that they used to control the people of the Indus Valley. The Aryans destroyed the old culture and built a very strict social structure called the Caste System. Caste members lived, ate, married and worked with their own group. A person born into one caste rarely changed castes or mixed with members of other castes.

1) The stories and songs the Aryans wrote about their gods were called ____________________________________.

2) How were Vedas passed down for hundreds of years?a) they were carved on cave wallsb) they were passed along by word of mouthc) they were always written downd) they were performed in dance

3) The __________________________ is a collection of more than 1000 songs that survives to this day.

4) The Aryans used iron tools in order toa) make advanced farming toolsb) make jewelryc) make weapons to control the peopled) make weapons to free all the people

The Aryans brought with them a new system of writing called Sanskrit

Exit Ticket:

1) Where did the Aryans come from?a. Indiab. Central Asiac. Mesopotamiad. Eastern Europe

2) Which language did the Aryans bring to the Indus Valley?a. Sanskritb. Cuneiformc. Hieroglyphicsd. Cursive

3) Which of the following is true regarding the Aryans?a. They had superior weapons and armies compared to the first people

living in the Indus Valleyb. They were nomadic but became farmers in Indiac. They brought new writing, religion, and social structures to Indiad. All of the above

4) Whom did the Aryans conquer in the Indus Valley?a. Sumeriansb. Harrapans c. Assyriansd. Indians

Name: Student #:

Date: Homeroom: