Early South Asia & Early China Chapter 3 Notes. Early South Asia 3 rd civilization on the rise =...
-
Upload
adele-gibbs -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of Early South Asia & Early China Chapter 3 Notes. Early South Asia 3 rd civilization on the rise =...
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 CivilizationOften called Harappan
CivilizationMajor cities: Harappa &
Mohenjo-DaroCities were carefully planned
– used a grid patternA 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 CivilizationMost people farmedTrade = 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 Geography1/3 mountainsVast deserts – Gobi
DesertThese 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 priestsPerformed special
ceremonies for good weather, crops, etc.
Had special powers to call upon their ancestors
Used oracle bones
Shang Dynasty
Had a writing systemCharacters
represented objects, ideas, or sounds
Had to memorize each character to understand script
Few people could read & write in ancient China
Shang DynastyProduced some of the
finest bronze objects ever made
Wove silk into beautiful colored cloth for the upper class
7 capital citiesPalace and temple stood
at the center of each city
Shang DynastyCollapsed 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 DynastyPaved the way for many
other dynasties to rule ChinaDynasties 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