Ancient India

Aim: What contributions did Ancient Indian civilization make?

Geography:

India is both a Sub-Continent and a Peninsula.

The people of ancient India lived in a land of extremes. The terrain was varied and often presented great challenges. Occasional extremes of weather such as droughts and monsoons were also part of life in this land. However, great civilizations developed and flourished amidst the rivers, mountains, plains and deserts of the subcontinent.

Many rivers also flowed through ancient India making the land fertile. One of the main rivers to be used in ancient times was the Indus river in the north-west (what is now north-western India and Pakistan). It was on the banks of the Indus river that the earliest civilization in India to use writing, build large buildings and organize cities flourished for nearly one thousand years.

Another important river in ancient India was the Ganges. Settlements, cities and towns developed on the banks of this powerful river from as early as prehistoric times.

Early Civilization:

region of indus civilization,harappa map,indus valley map,indus river valley mapNestled in Indus valley in western India, The Indus Civilization flourished from about 2500 BC to 1700 BC. It covered a larger area than modern Pakistan. The two important cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro each held perhaps 35,000 people at their height. Other cities excavated included Kalibangan; on the west coast bordering Pakistan was almost as large as Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro. These cities had features which made them unique included brick and had well-planned streets, pottery drainage ditches, large granaries, and a large bath for ritual cleansing. Constructed on raised platform most of the major buildings were made from brick. There were some small, two-room structures to large houses with two-storied with courtyards.

The people of Indus civilization traded with Sumer and sent merchant ships to the island of Tilmun in the Persian Gulf. The main items of exports included pottery, inlays, and wood. Sumerian merchants referred to the Indus Valley as Meluhha. They also traded with Mesopotamia and Egypt. Harrappan civilization was the first to turn cotton into yarn and weaving the yarn into cloth. Cotton was first developed around 2000 B.C.The people used to export surplus grain, pottery vases, ivory combs, pearls, precious woods, and semi-precious stones. Indus Valley farmers grew wheat, barley, field-peas, melons, sesame, and dates. They also domesticated humped cattle, short-horn cattle, and buffaloes, and perhaps even pigs, camels, horses, and donkeys. The land was full of water buffalo, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and enormous forests. Their unique script consisted of 400 symbolic pictures, has not yet been deciphered. The lack of public inscriptions or written historical documents has hindered other information about the civilization.

The Indus civilization declined in 1900 BC under pressure from a new people, the Aryans. The Indo-European speaking Aryans entered the area from eastern Iran by 1500 BC. The Rig Veda the main religious and socio-economic text was written between 1300 and 1100 BC. They settled in different regions of northwestern India. The tribes were called Gana (literally a "collection" - of people). The chief of each tribe held all the powers and it passed from father to son and so on. The people in the Vedic period lived in straw and wooden huts. Some homes were made of wood, but not until later, during the Epics Period. The social life centered on Yagna .The Aryans ate meat; vegetables etc .They also introduced horse and raced chariots. They were religious and prayed to many gods and goddesses. The caste system has its beginning based on occupations. Education was oral and writing was done on bark and leaves which has not left any records. People enjoyed lavish embroidery and embellishments. From then on new people and races entered India and settled here bringing with them diverse ideas, beliefs and traditions and in course of time amalgamated within the Indian civilization.

Classwork & Homework

Lesson PowerPoint: Ancient India Geography

Lesson Video: Indus River Valley Civilization

Activity Worksheet: Contributions of Ancient Indian Civilization

Homework: Homework Packet #4 - Due 11/8/10