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Indus Valley Civilization 2500 B.C.E. Roots of Indus Valley Civilization Earliest civilizations in Indus Valley was discovered in 1856 by a railroad crew. • Harappa • Mohenjo-Daro or “Hill of the Dead” • Both cities shared urban design and architectural features. • 3 miles in circumference with populations of 40,000 Page: 92 Roots of Indus Valley Civilization Roots of Indus Valley began as early as 7000 B.C.E. • Possibly began as herders who moved into the river valley during colder months. • Over time, they may have decided to farm – river-watered lands of the valley. • They began trading by boat along the Indus down into the Arabian Sea, into the Persian Gulf, and up the Tigris and Euphrates into Mesopotamia. Carefully Planned Cities • Originating around 2500 B.C.E. the thriving civilizations survived for around 500 years. • Both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, two of the largest among 500 sites, were three miles in circumference with around 40,000 people. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa • To the north is a citadel or raised area. • In Mohenjo-Daro, the citadel is built on an architectural platform about 45 feet above the plain. • On the summit was a huge communal bath. • Next to the large bath was a huge open space—a granary where food was stored from possible floods. • Fortified walls mark the southeast corner. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa •The lower city was laid out in a gridiron with the main streets about 45 feet wide. •Private houses, almost every one with its own well, bathing space, and toilet consisting of a brick seat over a drainage area. •Brick-lined drains flushed by water carried liquid and solid waste to sumps, where it was carted away, probably to fertilize nearby fields. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa •The town plan was regular. •Even fire-baked bricks were uniform in size and shape. •The regularity of plan and construction suggests a government with organization and bureaucratic capacity. •No monumental architecture clearly marks the presence of a palace or temple. •There is little sign of social stratification in the plan or buildings. India’s Vedic Age Early Civilization Disappears •Sometime before 1700 B.C.E. the Indus Valley people began to abandon their cities •No one is sure of the causes •Disease •Loss of resources •Climate change •Foreign invasion Enter: The Aryans • By 1500 B.C.E Aryans had migrated into the Indus Valley through the Hindu Kush • Nomadic warriors • Mixed with local people • Overtime people across India called themselves Aryans The Vedas •After settling in India the Aryans composed the Vedas •Collection of hundred of sacred hymns •Passed down by word of mouth in Sanskrit •Rig Veda •Best known Veda •More than 1000 hymns •Writing •Began around 500 B.C.E. Aryan Life •Much of what we know about Aryan life comes from the Vedas •Valued cattle •Provided both food and clothing •Measured wealth by the size of their herd •Skilled warriors •Two-wheeled chariots Growth of Vedic Civilization •Over time Aryan culture slowly spread into the Ganges Plain •Initially organized by clans •People who believe they share a common ancestor •Later republics •Made decisions in an assembly •Eventually Kings • The Caste System •Over time India developed a social structure based on caste •A fixed social class into which a person is born •Based on family occupation •Brahmins- priests •Kshatriyas- rulers and warriors •Viashyas- landowners, bankers, merchants •Sudras- Farmers, laborers, servants The Development of a Patriarch Society •Aryan Society had a strong patriarchal social order at the time of their migration into India. •All priests, warriors and tribal chiefs were men. •Women influenced affairs within their families but had no public authority. •Women rarely learned the Vedas and were denied formal education. •Sati, the practice of a wife sacrificing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, was considered noble. The Vedic Age 1500 B.C.E. – 500 B.C.E. The foundations for Hinduism were established! Religion in Vedic Age • Brahmins in the Vedic age memorized the Vedas and passed them down through word of mouth • During this time Brahmins were the only ones who were allowed to preform religious rituals (this gave Brahmins a lot of power) The Evolution of Hinduism • Around 500 B.C.E. Indians began to adapt to town and city life • People no longer believed it was as important to carry out precise rituals • People began to seek answers to difficult life questions and Hinduism evolved from the answers Upanishads • Answers to the new questions survive in the Upanishads • Upanishads become Hindu holy scriptures alongside the Vedas Upanishads • Explain two basic beliefs of Hinduism • 1. One supreme spiritual force, Brahman • 2. Everyone is born with a soul Epic Poems • Epic= long story of a hero told in verse • Ramayana and Mahabharata