Map of India
South Asia is one of the four early places where human civilization
began—similar to ​
Egypt​
(Nile), and ​
Iraq​
(Tigris and Euphrates). Civilization in South
Asia began along the Indus River. The land of South Asia is dominated by three
main types of physical features. Mountains, rivers, and the massive
triangular-shaped peninsula of India.
50 or 60 million years ago India slowly smashed into Asia and formed the
Himalaya and Hindu Kush Mountains that nearly block off India from the
surrounding area. Except for the coast, there are only a few narrow passes
through the mountains such as the Khyber Pass that have allowed people to enter
this land. The other main physical features are the Indus River in modern day
Pakistan and the Ganges River in modern day India. The Indus River is in a very
dry area called the Thar Desert--this arid climate is the site for another of the
world's first human civilizations.
The water in the Indus River mainly comes from melting glaciers and natural
springs from the mountains that surround it. As the water runs down the mountain
it picks up fertile silt. This area would flood at least one time every year and
provide irrigation water for farmers. When the flood waters went away the left a
thin layer of fertile silt. Today, much of South Asia experiences an annual change
of wind direction called ​
monsoon​
that usually brings massive amounts of rain. Some
historians claim the Indus Valley received two annual floods.
https://sites.google.com/site/1ancientcivilizationsforkids/ancient-india
1. Compare and contrast the geography of the Indus River Valley
Civilizations with Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Answer:
Natural Boundaries:​
The most obvious type of boundary is a ​
physical boundary​
. A physical boundary is a
naturally occurring barrier between two areas. ​
River​
s, ​
mountain range​
s, ​
ocean​
s, and ​
desert​
s can all serve
as physical boundaries. Many times, political boundaries between countries or states form along physical
boundaries. For example, the boundary between France and Spain follows the p
​eak​
s of the Pyrenees
Mountains, while the Alps separate France from Italy.
1.
Using the map of India you have created, list some of Ancient
India’s natural boundaries.
Answer:
2.
How can natural boundaries help a civilization? How can they
hinder (be a problem for) a civilization?
Answer:
Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro
http://www.teachertube.com/video/mr-young039s-history-5-india-35101
9
1. The Indus River Valley Civilizations are part of modern day where?
Answer:
2. What have archaeologists been able to learn about the cities of
Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro? (Answer by filling in the chart)
Directions:​
Watch the above presentation. Fill in the chart as you
hear each topic discussed. Feel free to stop and replay the video as
often as needed.
What archaeologists have found….
What we have learned……
Planned Communities
Plumbing
Social status
Citadel/defensive buildings
Religion
Occupations
Trade
The Great Bath
pottery
Writing
3.
How were the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro more like cities
today than those of Mesopotamia and Egypt? ​
(Cite specific evidence
collected in the chart above.)
Answer:
Theories for the disappearance of the Indus River Valley Civilization
1.
2.
3.
Harappan Seals
The most interesting part of the discovery relates to the seals­more than 2000 in number, made of soapstone, terracotta and copper. The seals give us useful information about the civilization of Indus valley. Some seals have human or animal figures on them. Most of the seals have the figures of real animals while a few bear the figure of mythical animals. The seals are rectangular, circular or even cylindrical in shape. The seals even have an inscription of a sort of pictorial writing. Most of the seals have a knob at the back through which runs a hole. It is said that these seals were used by different associations or merchants for stamping purposes. They were also worn round the neck or the arm. 1. What could the seals have been used for?
Answer:
2.
Where have the seals been found? What does that imply (mean,
tell us)?​
http://www.harappa.com/seal/7.html
​
Answer:
3. What do we have today that could be the modern equivalent of
the ancient seals? (insert 3 possible ideas and pictures.)
Answer:
India’s Social Hierarchy
Instructions- Read the story. Then, complete the activities.
About 3,600 years ago, a group of cattle herders from Central Asia settled
into India. This group of people, called the Aryans, brought with them their
beliefs, customs, and writing system (Sanskrit). They introduced a rigid
caste structure that divided people into four classes.
1​
Under this setup, Brahmins or priests made up the highest caste. They held
a tremendous amount of power over everybody else. They were the only ones
who could both study and teach the holy texts, known as the Vedas. They
were also the only ones who could perform sacrifices and other religious
rites. Because of their authority, people of other castes often gave them
generous donations. By giving Brahmins (also spelled as Brahmans) valuable
goods, people of other castes believed that they would be rewarded in their
next life.
2​
Next to the Brahmin class was the Kshatriya (pronounced "shuh-TREE-uh")
class. It consisted of warriors and rulers. Kshatriyas' main duties were to
govern and defend the country. Though they could learn the Vedas as
Brahmins did, they could not teach the holy texts. As Kshatriyas were
responsible for the national defense, they underwent extensive military
training. They were the experts in archery, swordsmanship, and
hand-to-hand combat.
3​
The Aryans categorized farmers and merchants as their society's third
caste, called the Vaishya (pronounced "VYSH-yuh"). Vaishyas were expected
4​
to tend cattle, to farm, or to trade. Like Kshatriyas, they could only learn,
but not teach, the Vedas.
Beneath the Brahmin, the Kshatriya, and the Vaishya castes was the
Shudra (also spelled as Sudra) caste. It represented the majority of the
populace. People in this caste did menial, labor-intensive work. They took on
the duties of servants, craftsmen, or laborers. Shudras received little
informal education. They were not allowed to learn the Vedas, so they could
not participate in the initiation ceremony that boys of the three upper
castes were entitled to when they began learning the holy texts. The ancient
Indians believed that a person who had the initiation ceremony was
"twice-born." The first was, of course, the person's physical birth. The
second was his spiritual birth. As Shudras could not learn the Vedas, they
would never experience a spiritual birth. Thus, they had only one birth.
5​
Though Shudras were the lowest of the four classes, they were still better
off than the so-called outcastes. The outcastes, as the name suggests, were
people who did not belong to any of the four castes. They did work that
nobody else wanted to do. They swept the streets. They collected garbage.
They cleaned up toilets. And they disposed of dead animals or humans. The
outcastes could not live in cities or villages. They led a lonely, humiliated life.
When they ate, they could only take meals from broken dishes. When they
traveled, they needed to move off the path if someone from a higher caste
was approaching. When they entered a marketplace, they had to strike a
piece of wood to announce their presence, so that other people could avoid
them. The outcastes were not allowed to drink from a public well. They were
not allowed to enter a temple. And they were not allowed to study. Given
that they stirred fear and were despised everywhere they went, nobody in
the ancient Indian society wanted to see, hear, or touch them. This group of
people in India suffered the worst fate. They simply became known as the
untouchables!
6​
The Aryans' caste system came from local legends. When Brahma, the god
of creation, made humans, his mouth became the Brahmins, his arms the
Kshatriyas, his legs the Vaishyas, and his feet the Shudras. Tales aside, the
caste system was a very important element in ancient India. It followed a
specific set of guidelines (called the Laws of Manu) that dictated every
person's behavior. The guidelines set rules from the type of jobs a person
could hold to the type of foods a person could eat. According to the Laws of
Manu, each caste was represented by a color. White was for the Brahmins,
red for the Kshatriyas, yellow for the Vaishyas, and blue for the Shudras.
Marrying someone within a person's own caste was norm. Marrying someone
outside of a person's caste was rare, but possible. Children born from an
inter-caste marriage needed to follow a different set of rules to determine
what caste they belonged to.
7​
The ancient Indians believed that each person had an eternal soul that
could be reborn in a new body after death. While that person could never
move from one caste to another in this life, he or she could be reborn to a
8​
different caste in the next life. If the person did a lot of good deeds (such
as giving Brahmins generous donations) in this life, he or she would have the
chance of being reborn to a higher caste in the next life. If the person did a
lot of horrible things (such as committing a crime) in this life, he or she
would risk being reborn to a lower caste in the next life.
The caste system had been prevalent in India's society for thousands of
years. It was deeply embedded in the country's dominant religion, Hinduism.
Though discriminations on the basis of a person's caste had already been
outlawed in the 1900s, they still exist today. Because of this, the caste
system has continued to be a sensitive issue in modern India. It is a topic
better approached with extreme caution!
1. Explain how India’s social hierarchy is both similar and different from
Mesopotamia and Egypt.