The Indus Civilization• Present-day Pakistan and India• Isolated by Hindu Kush, Himalaya Mountains,

and Indian Ocean• Migrant people used Khyber Pass (route in

Hindu Kush) to travel through• Called a subcontinent because its geographical

features sharply separate it from the rest of Asia.

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Geography of India

• 3 physical zones– Fertile northern

plain – contains Indus and Ganges Rivers

– Deccan Plateau – dry, unfertile, no one lived here

– Coastal Plains – lush, tropical and most populated

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Hindu Kush Mountains

Himalayas

Indian Ocean

Bring on the Monsoons!• Monsoon – heavy, seasonal rain/wind in

Asia• Summer monsoons very wet, needed to

water the crops.• Indus Valley also depended on snow from

Himalayas melting each year and flooding the valley.

Early Indian Civilizations

• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro 2 major cities of Indus Valley.

• Very advanced and organized• Polytheistic, believed in afterlife• Also created writing system - pictographs

What Happened?• Cities disappeared for

unknown reason• 3 Theories

– People overfarmed the land– Volcanic eruption killed

everyone– Violent attack by outsiders

killing everyone• After collapse, Indo -Aryan

people migrated in.

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The Indo-Aryans

• Migrated through Khyber Pass

• Very structured society

• Measured wealth by cows

• Used caste system

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I NEED MORE

COWBELL!!!

The Caste System• Hereditary social groups • The system:

– Brahmins – priests– Kshatriyas –

nobles/warriors– Vaisyas – middle class– Sudras – slaves,

peasants

– Untouchables - final group below the caste system. http://www.beyondbooks.com/wcu91/

images/00042985.jpg

Hinduism

• Upanishads and Vedas main books for Hinduism.

• Believed in Karma – reincarnation is based on behavior.

• Also Dharma – set of religious and moral duties for each caste.

• Hinduism is most common religion in India today.

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The Great Asoka• King of Mauryan dynasty in 270BC.• Sends Buddhist missionaries across Asia.• Converted thousands to Buddhism.

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A.Asoka spread Buddhism to China & SE Asia

Buddhism spread here

“A soka you, A soka you!”

Asoka’s super soka!

Buddhism• Developed in India by Siddharta Gautama

(Buddha) around 500 BC.• Created 4 main ideas for new religion – Four Noble

Truths• Also had guidelines for living – Eightfold Path.• Stressed religious duties and moral principles.

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!

The Gupta Empire – India’s Golden Age

• Rules around 320 AD.• Pushed for Hinduism, basically kicked out

most of Buddhism in India.• Gupta contributions:

– Mathematics - Arabic numerals, concept of zero, decimal system, & symbol for infinity.

– Literature– New Textiles

• Invaded by Huns 600AD

Questions for UnderstandingWrite the question and answer in your notes

• How does geography affect India?• What happened to the first Indian settlers?• How was wealth measured by the Indo-Aryans?• Who created the caste system in India?• What is karma?• How does Asoka spread Buddhism?• What factors led to Buddhism’s disappearance

in India?