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Early South Asia &
Early China
Chapter 3 Notes
Early South Asia
3rd civilization on the
rise = Indus River
Valley in South Asia
Arose on the
subcontinent of
Asia = landmass
that is part of a
continent but is
distinct from it
The Subcontinent
3 modern nations there
today = India, Pakistan,
and Bangladesh
Mountains separate it
from the rest of Asia =
Himalayas & Hindu Kush
Indus River drains into
the Arabian Sea
Climate & Seasonal Winds
 Mountains block cold air & give
the area a warm climate
 Monsoons = seasonal winds that
affect the climate and way of life
 Summer monsoons bring heavy
rains, causing flooding that helps
the soil
 People depended on monsoons to
grow crops
 Monsoons sometimes
unpredictable
- Unusually heavy rains drowned
people, animals, whole villages
- Late or light monsoons caused
poor crops & starvation
The Indus Valley Civilization
 Often called Harappan
Civilization
 Major cities: Harappa &
Mohenjo-Daro
 Cities were carefully planned
– used a grid pattern
 A fortress built on a brick
platform overlooked each city
– probably the center of
government and religion
The Indus Valley Civilization
 Houses were made of
oven-baked bricks
1) Each house had at
least one bathroom
with plumbing to
sewers
2) Houses rose to
several stories and
had enclosed
courtyards
The Indus Valley Civilization
 Most people farmed
 Trade = bronze and copper tools;
jewelry out of gold, shells, ivory;
clay pots; woven cloth; silver
containers
 Used pictograms – still haven’t
been deciphered
 Not much is known due to a lack
of written records
 Collapsed around 1500 BCE
Early China
4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River
Valley in China (Huang He River)
Oldest continuous civilization in the
world
China’s Geography
 1/3 mountains
 Vast deserts – Gobi
Desert
 These factors isolated
China from other early
civilizations
 Prevented cultural
diffusion
 Promoted strong sense
of national identity
Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE)
 1st dynasty (line of rulers
who belong to the same
family) from which there
are written records in China
 Kings were also high
priests
Performed special
ceremonies for good weather,
crops, etc.
Had special powers to call
upon their ancestors
Used oracle bones
Shang Dynasty
Had a writing system
Characters
represented objects,
ideas, or sounds
Had to memorize each
character to
understand script
Few people could read
& write in ancient
China
Shang Dynasty
Produced some of the
finest bronze objects
ever made
Wove silk into beautiful
colored cloth for the
upper class
7 capital cities
Palace and temple stood
at the center of each city
Shang Dynasty
Collapsed under attack
Shang Dynasty lacked
strong leaders
1000 BCE = ruler from the
north named Wu marched
in his armies and killed the
Shang king
Set up his own dynasty
called the Zhou Dynasty
that ruled China for 800
years
Shang Dynasty
Paved the way for many
other dynasties to rule China
Dynasties ruled China until the
early 1900s under the
Mandate of Heaven
 If rulers were effective, they
received the authority to rule
from Heaven
 If not, they were overthrown &
lost this mandate to someone
else who started a new dynasty