Download Indus River Valley Civilization

Indus
River Valley
Civilization
2500 b.c.e – 1500 b.c.e.
Ancient India
“Isolation through Assimilation”
The river valley
civilization known as
“Indus”, which is
modern India, was
diverse and influential
on today’s society.
Throughout
time, India
has
changed
the way
people
think
throughout
the world…
…and
because of
its isolation,
it created
many
unique
cultural
characteristi
cs.
The physical environment forced Indus people to
adapt to a challenging natural world…
•Mountains, rivers, desert, plateaus, plains, the
sea, monsoons and changing climate
•Results =
•physical isolation led to diversity
•Diversity led to unique cultural
characteristics
•This Indus culture would create cities and a
civilization that would rival those in
Mesopotamia or Egypt
Mountains –
Hindu Kush
Himalaya
Ghats
Rivers –
Indus
Ganges
Plateau –
Deccan
Coastal areas
Physical features forced Indus people to
adapt to their environments…
H
H
I
N
D
U
K
U
S
H
I
M
A
L
A
Y
A
The mountains made natural obstacles to prevent
assimilation, but people were able to find usable
“passes” to gain contact with the Indus people.
Kyber and Bulan Passes

These were the passes through the
mountains that the foreign people from the
west came into Indus lands and forced their
ways upon the Indus people.
The Indian
Ocean, Arabian
Sea and the Bay
of Bengal
allowed the
Indus people…
…to trade
with outside
cultures.
• Provides needed
water for the
people of ancient
and modern India
• Most populated
areas of
Indus/India
• Transportation,
trade, people,
goods and beliefs
Indus River and Valley
The Indus Valley was an
area rich in soil and
provided farming lands
Ganges River – central to Hindu beliefs,
sacred usage for purification (Ganga),
sewage and death influence
More geographic influence…
Monsoons – “rain, rain go away…”
Sept to Mar (NE), May to Jun (SW)
Rain
For
The
Year
Dependence
The good
and bad of
the
monsoon
season
Summer
temps are
blazing hot,
Winter
temps are
cooler
Average 120
degrees…
…and
muggy...
…with humidity, comes bugs…

Mosquitos bred easily, carried and spread
diseases such as malaria. This led to the
creation of “preventive medicine”, as a means
combating sickness.
This isolation factor by the environment allowed
the Indus people to be protected by the
mountains and sea; but also allowed them to
connect with outside societies through the
“passes” and by the sea.
Adaptability (with the environment and
flexibility with outside influences) was key to
surviving in the Indus and Ganges river valleys.
Height of the Indus Civilization
2500 b.c. – 1500 b.c.
The society that
developed in the Indus
valley did not happen
much later those in the
regions of Mesopotamia
or Egypt.
•The earliest Indian civilization
flourished for about a 1000 years and
then disappeared without a trace.
• Archaeologists have only recently
begun to uncover evidence of these
early people and their cultural
characteristics, such as…
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro:
two of the first cities in world history
What were these cities like?
Characteristics they shared –
Indus river valley, twin-capitals of Indus valley,
large (3 miles across), hilltop structure,
fortress, temples, huge warehouses, carefully
planned cities (grid pattern), built with kiln
dried bricks, modern plumbing (baths,drains,
water chutes), sewers, weights/measures,
organized, 10’s of thousands of inhabitants
Farming and trade were the
“backbone” of the Indus River Valley
Civilization
•Most Indus people
were farmers
•First people to
grow cotton
Assimilation and the Indus River Valley Civilization
• Covered a large
area of the world
• Influential
because of
multiple contacts
with other ancient
peoples over a
long period of time
• routes of
assimilation
Aryan influence on Indus
people…
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The Aryans were a
warlike, nomadic people
that transformed Indus
society
Used the Kyber and
Bulan passes
Migrated into Indus
lands
Created many lasting
ideas that changed
Indus society
Aryans – Where did they come from?
Facts about the Aryans…
•Forced conquered
people and areas to adapt
to Aryan ways, but were
hesitant to change their
own way!
•Destroyed and pillaged
the Indus Valley
•Fought to maintain
control of areas trade and
territory
Aryan contributions…

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Vedas stories and writings
War and entertainment: chariots, bow/arrow,
eating, drinking, music, races, dice games
Value of “cattle” – food and clothing
Cultural characteristics…
“Caste”
Cow
“Animism”
Polygamy
Epics
Education/language
Religious beliefs
Caste system
(legalized discrimination)
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Imposed on Indus peoples by the
Aryans
Strict social system with rules and
limited mobility
Based on one’s occupation
Castes –
 Rajahs (elected war leader)
 Brahmans (priests)
 Kshatriyas (warriors)
 Vaisyas (middle class)
 Untouchables (foreigners)
C
A
S
T
E
S
Revered Bull –
Respected for
its power and
strength
Sacred Hindu
Cow –
1. Food
2. Fuel
3. Labor
Veneration – special regard for cattle
The Sacred Cow

The main reason the cow is sacred in
India rests on the idea that it is…




Beautiful
Powerful
Fertile
Sacred (“respected”) for its impact on
society…hint: Indus people farmed!
Developed a belief system
based on “animism” or the
idea that everything has a
spirit or life force. This
spirit or life force could be
transformed into many
shapes, sizes or forms over
time. This led to the belief
of “reincarnation”
Social marriages

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
Polygamy –1
husband many
wives
Arranged marriages
Commitment to the
death for women –
“suttee” (ritualistic
suicide)
Two great epic poems from the Aryans were the…
“Mahabharata and Ramayana”
…which tell us about the values of the Aryan
people…
The Mahabarata
celebrates battle and
reflects important
Indian beliefs about
the immortality of the
soul.

The Ramayana
celebrates a daring and
adventurous hero and
portrays the ideal
woman as loyal and
obedient to her
husband.

These led to the creation of stories with moral
lessons, such as…can you think of any stories we
have that teach us about being a good person???
Folk tales,
nursery rhymes,
fairy tales and legends…
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Stories that
contained moral
teachings and
assimilated ideas
from other cultures
Learning tools
Lasting lessons to
lead people to live a
good life
Education
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Formal schooling – age 9
Primary and secondary – core subjects
Play was important
Learning advances –
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Math/astronomy – “0”,
negative #s, square
roots, trig,”7 planets”,
earth axis and rotation,
earth perimeter, gravity
concept
Medicine – spinal cord,
surgery, bones,
inoculations, free
hospitals, sterilization
Written language of the Indus Civilization
Whose writing
does the
Indus peoples
look the most
like?
How could
that be?
Religions –
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Hinduism and Buddhism
2 of the 5 main religions of the world
Similar origins and ideas, but in practice…very
different
•The Aryans left the
“Vedas” as a collection of
religious writings
•These writings
influenced the
“Upanishads”, which
were the sacred writing
for Hinduism, India’s
primary religion
HINDUISM
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Different from other religions, as it has no single
founder or no single religious text; but is a collection
of assimilated spiritual ideas.
Very complex but with central basic beliefs.
Polytheistic or Monotheistic?
“God is wise, but wise people know it by many
names”
The universe is part of an unchanging, all-powerful
spiritual force called “brahman”
Hindu Gods
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Represent all aspects of
Brahman
“trinity” can take many
forms, either human or
animal
Characteristics were
representative of
universal influence
Brahma = creator
Vishnu = preserver
Shiva = destroyer
•All gods are an
expression of Brahman
•Each god represents a
characteristic of Brahma.
•Brahma the Creator – the
god of knowledge and
intellect
•Vishnu the
Preserver – the god
of compassion and
preservation of life
•Shiva the Destroyer
– the god of
destruction, ignorance
and evil
Goal of Hinduism…
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“Brahman”, also known as “atman” (soul), is the
essential self that one must come to understand to
achieve “moksha” (a union with brahman)
…to achieve “moksha”, the true believer must free
themselves from selfish desires…
“moksha” cannot be accomplished in one lifetime, so
the soul must be reborn again and again
(“reincarnation”) to become one with brahman…
Hindu necessities during the reincarnation
process to achieve “moksha”…
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Obeying the laws of “karma” (the idea
that all good and bad actions in one’s
life affects their fate in the next life)
All existence in any lifetime is based on
one’s ranking in the previous
life…higher levels of existence or
suffering…”the wheel of fate”
•To escape the “wheel of fate”,
one must stress “dharma”
•“dharma” is one’s religious
and moral duties of an
individual
•Influenced by class,
occupation, gender and age
•Supports the caste system
•Gives a person an advantage
in the next life
…also “ahimsa” or nonviolence
Revered Bull –
Respected for
its power and
strength
Sacred Hindu Cow –
1. Food
2. Fuel
3. Labor
“Don’t eat the sacred cow! Reverence over survival!”
BUDDHISM
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Developed out of Hindu world, co-existence with
Hinduism
Founded by Siddhartha Guatama, known as “Buddha”
Lived sheltered life
Saw real existence – old age, sickness and death –
and made a life changing decision to live “life where
there is no suffering nor death”
Became a wandering seeker of truth, sat under a tree
for 48 days and became “enlightened” with the truth
of how to end suffering and sorrow
With this awakening, he became Buddha, the
“Enlightened One”
Basis of Buddhism…

The heart of Buddhism is the “Four Noble Truths”:
 “…all life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow”,
 “…the cause of suffering are illusions in life”,
 “…the only cure is to overcome desire”,
 “…the way to overcome desire is to follow the
Eightfold Path” –
 “…right views, aspirations, speech, conduct,
livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and
contemplation”
Goal of Buddhism…
• The faithful need to live a life of morality
• Usage of meditation, along with moral living and
following the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, a
true believer could achieve “nirvana”
• “nirvana” allows for a union with the universe and a
release from the cycle of rebirth
• Life is a struggle between pleasure and self-denial
• Stress moral principles such as honesty, charity and
kindness to all living things
Comparison of world beliefs…
can you think of others???
Hinduism:
Christianity:
•Universal
wisdom
•all-knowing
•Trinity
•Trinity and
union
Buddhism:
•Right living
•Live free of
selfish desires
•Right living
•Moral living
•Moral principles
•“golden rule”
•“golden rule”
•Religious text
•Religious text
•Self-actualization
Indus River Valley Civilization
2500 b.c.e –
1800 b.c.e.