Slide 1

Slide 2

Slide 3

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

Slide 4

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

Slide 5

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

Slide 6

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

Slide 7

Slide 8

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

Slide 9

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

Slide 10

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

Slide 11

Slide 12

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

Slide 13

Slide 14

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

Slide 15

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

Slide 16

Slide 17

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

Slide 18

Nava ship sanskrit Matru mother Pitru father Not sure if cities were conquered or people intermingled over time (centuries) They intermixed culturally

Slide 19

Slide 20

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

Slide 21

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

Slide 22

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

Slide 23

Most women were involved in textile work spinning, weaving, embroidering and dying

Slide 24

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

Slide 25

Slide 26

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

Slide 27

Slide 28

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)

Slide 29

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

Slide 30

Slide 31

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

Slide 32

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

Slide 33

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

Slide 34

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

Slide 35