ch. 6 ancient india lesson 1b b.the indus valley civilization c.aryan migrations and settlements...
TRANSCRIPT
Ch. 6 Ancient India
Lesson 1bB. The Indus Valley Civilization
C. Aryan Migrations and SettlementsD. Ancient Indian Society
pp. 142-148
B. The Indus Valley Civilization
• About 5,000 years ago, nomads settled in Indus River
• Modern day Pakistan
Indus Valley Civilization
• Indus River Valley– 2600 B.C. – 1900 B.C.– Most were farmers– Very fertile soil– Grew wheat, barley, and beans– With abundant crops, not all needed
to farm, so the division of labor led to specialization of jobs
• Craftsman - Many made tools• Builders - Constructed houses• Merchants – trading extra food and
goods
• Spread over western India and Pakistan
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro • We know the Indus culture flourished from studying the ruins of 2 major
cities:1 – Harappa2 – Mohenjo-Daro
• Large cities– Populations of 35,000– Like twin cities in design– Large streets paved with mud bricks; small streets unpaved– West side of the city stood a fortress built on brick platform surrounded by
strong, thick walls
*Ruins – the remains of something was destroyed or disintegrated
Studying the ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro cities
• Highly skilled engineers and builders built the Indus people’s homes – Used large ovens to bake the mud
into bricks build = mud brick homes– Some were several stories tall– Flat wooden roofs– Enclosed courtyards – Wells supplied water so every house
had Indoor plumbing– Waste flowed through pipes to pits
outside the city walls– Each house had garbage chutes
connected to bins in the streets
No written records found in these cities.
• Found ruins of royal palaces and temples that were enclosed in a fortress – this tells us that that their religion and government was important to them
• Found villages surrounding the cities -- this tells us that they were farmers outside the city
• Found Copper and Bronze tools – this tells us that they mixing metals -- making Alloys so they must be studying Metallurgy
• Found in the city walls = copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, cotton cloth, toys, and even jewelry made out of shells, ivory, and gold – this tells us that they were weavers, carpenters/ builders, merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans.
• Found items from civilizations as far away as Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Egypt, and China – this tells us that they were traders and merchants
So, what did archaeologists learn about the culture from studying the ruins of the city?
C. Aryan Migrations and Settlements
• c.1900 B.C Indus Valley people left and abandoned their cities and villages• Why might they have left? - drought ; starvation
- earthquakes and floods• Meanwhile c. 1500 BC, groups of people called Aryans migrated to India from Asia
– Raised cattle for meat, milk, and butter– Moved from place to place to find pastures and water fro their cattle– Expert horse riders and hunters– Fierce warriors – raided villages from food
• Eventually, they mixed with the Indus Valley people and began to settle down and farm
– BUT they saw their cattle as sacred and banned them as food– Made iron tools to clear the forests for farm land– Built irrigations systems– Turned the Ganges River valley into productive farmland
• Lived in Tribes• Each tribe is ruled by rajas (prince)• Created own small kingdoms, which often fought each other over cattle, treasure, and
land
Writing• Aryans developed a written language, Sanskrit
– Recorded sales, trade, and land ownership
• Vedas
- sacred texts
- songs, stories, and prayers
“Let us call upon today, to aid our labor, the Lord of Speech…may he hear kindly all our prayers who gives all bliss for aid, whose works are righteous.”
D. Ancient Indian Society
• The Aryans eventually set up towns along the Ganges River.
• Still farming• Some specialized in crafts such as carpentry or
weaving• Others are trading
• So this means…• The economy is growing and a system of
social classes will develop
Caste System
• Aryans developed social classes or groups called varnas
• Could never change groups
• Groups were hereditary – passed down from father to son
• Rules for life (marriage, work, and friendship)
• 4 classes called the varnas
Caste System – Who belonged in each varna?
Caste System
• The Brahmins were at the top
- priests
- most power
• Next were the Kshatriyas or the warriors– Ran the government and army
Caste System
• Vaisyas
- common people
- farmers, craftspeople, and merchants
• Sudras– manual workers and servants– few rights– largest group
Caste System
• Untouchables
- too low to even be part of the system
- live apart
- did the dirty work
12 Facts Family Life1. Family is the center of life2. Grandparents, parents, and children all live together3. Oldest male in the family was in charge of the entire household4. Men had more rights than women5. Males inherited property6. Men attended school or became priests 7. Women educated at home8. In leading families, a boy had a guru (teacher) until he attended
school in the city 9. Men could only marry after finishing 12 years of school10.Parents arrange the marriages even today11.Married in their teens12.No divorce = it was NOT allowed
Research Questions:Prepare for possible test questions
1. When the Aryans migrated / invaded, how did the way of life change?
2. Describe each class of the social structure of the caste system.
3. Explain what family life was like?
4. India’s ancient people relied on three major rivers for what 3 things?
5. Which was a nomadic people that entered the Indus River valley around 1500 B.C.?
6. Under which group of people did the caste system emerge in India?
7. As the Aryans settled in India, many of them began to build towns along what River?