Transcript of 4 th great early civilization was lost for 3500 years NW India, Pakistan & Afghanistan Called...
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- 4 th great early civilization was lost for 3500 years NW India,
Pakistan & Afghanistan Called Indus Valley Civilization No
text, just physical remains Debate over life then exists today
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- 1827 British soldier Charles Masson deserts army, pretends to
be an American and travels to NW India frontier Returned to England
and wrote a book about what he saw British used brick ruins to
build 93 miles of track
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- 1921 1 st archaeological dig at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro along
with many other sites 3000BC until 1500BC Declined and disappeared
for unknown reasons Do not know what they even called
themselves
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- Geography is similar to Mesopotamia rivers with silt and mud
India 1.5 million square miles North Great Mountains Alluvial
Plains on rivers Deccan Plateau in south is dry Malabar Coast is
tropical rain forest in west Ganges River was sacred Should bathe
in Ganges once in your life Hinduism arises here
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- 1500 settlements found with several large cities 40 foot thick
walls with 20,000 to 40,000 people Very crowded and large for the
time Indus Valley cities seemed well planned and organized with
gridded streets All structures made from baked mud bricks
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- Wells and neighborhoods are uniform and standard Bricks were
uniform in 2 sizes ratioed 1 to 2 to 4 Standardized weights and
measures for trade ratioed 1,2,4,8,16, 32 and 64
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- Canals and irrigation Streets were graded with drainage Some
pipes and indoor water People had public water and were able to
bathe 21 x 36 x 7 deep pool to bathe in Ritual bathing took place
as water was of religious significance
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- System of writing with over 400 symbols Cannot translate the
script to date No text longer than 20 symbols so no written records
Found toys, pots, dishes, whistles, marbles, dice Had copper Traded
distantly Port city on the coast with evidence of trade Most art
was glazed seals with animals
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- 1900 BC it goes into decline and cities are abandoned by 1500
BC Some scholars thought they were invaded but more common is it
was internal decline Irrigation may have increased salt in soil
hurting yields Droughts occurred
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- Planning lessens and trade declines Quality of products and
bricks declines Many unanswered questions Know little of their
politics or religion Few images of warfare or kings No palaces No
findings of government buildings
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- By 1500 BC ancient Indian cities were gone 1500 BC to 500 BC
large body of text with little archaeological evidence Migrants
from south central Asia move south and west into India Aryans not
related to Germany migrate to India
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- Nava ship sanskrit Matru mother Pitru father Not sure if cities
were conquered or people intermingled over time (centuries) They
intermixed culturally
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- New language was sanskrit New set of gods Patriarchal and
patrilineal focus Rigid social structure with people divided into
classes Didnt use bricks or build large structures Were illiterate
but had poetry that was passed down orally
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- Poems were about gods and heroes Vedas (vettas) oldest known
poems that were written down Rig Veda The Verses of Knowledge 1017
poems Most poems addressed to gods Millions of words that cover
various time periods
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- Offer clues to early culture Organized into tribal kin centered
groups List of specialized jobs: bow maker, rope maker, bowstring
maker, arrow maker, hide dresser, cane splitter, thorn worker,
ointment maker, sheath maker, stone breaker, horse keeper, wood
carrier, fire kindler, cowherd, hunter, fisherman, goldsmith,
smith, merchant, physician, and astrologer
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- Most women were involved in textile work spinning, weaving,
embroidering and dying
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- Warriors who used horses and chariots with spoked wheels Had
bronze axes and swords Chariot had a driver and archer or spear
thrower Aryans were very militaristic The gods encouraged good
warriors Male dominated society
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- Gambling was widespread Valley becomes very populated Very
little political history Obsessed with gods and mysteries of the
universe Found disorder of gods not worth recording Arabic number
system began here Advances in medical thinking
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- Caste system people are born into a specific social class from
which they cannot change 4 categories called varnas 1. Brahams
educated religious leaders, scholars & philosophers 2. Warriors
politicians, soldiers and civil authorities 3. Third class
merchants, peasants and farmers 4. Fourth class shudras common
workers or servants Lowest class outside of caste system
untouchables and pariahs (outcast or rejected)
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- Many rules separating the classes Had marks for identification
Top 3 classes were twice born ceremony at puberty for boys Wore a
sash showing caste Caste system provided stability and roles May be
discriminatory but each had to help each other
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- Hinduism was born from the caste system Many customs in the
caste system No single founder or text Is not tied to a place or
group Vedas are the core of proper ritual and behavior Gita ethical
text with duties and obligations
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- Bodily death does not kill the eternal soul Soul is born over
and over again Must act selflessly without desire or ambition Moral
behavior dependent on following duty or role Dharma selfless
execution of earthly duties
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- God Krishna gave orders Gods had roles and duties as well Karma
consequences of your own actions Meditation and tolerance came out
of this era Truth can be reached through varied paths
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- Transmigration of souls reborn into a new body with status
based on how you lived your life You could move up in the caste
system by living a good life Aryan religion made sacrifices to the
gods Food and animals burned at altar Brahams eventually became too
ritualized and excessive which splintered hinduism and led to
buddhism
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