India
History
History
- Indus River system is one of the largest rivers in Asia
- Indus River dominated by Western Tibetan Plateau
- Harappan civilization developed along Indus River
- Harappan civilization thrived from 2300-1700 BCE
- 3000 BC earliest civilization settles in Indus Valley
- 3000 BC farming began in Northwest India
- 2500 BC toys made of baked clay
- 2400 BC Indus Valley reaches peaks
- 1800 BC decline noticed in Indus Valley
- 1500 BC Aryans occupy area
- 1000 BC Aryans move East in Ganges
- 480 BC Buddhism was formed
- 250 BC Asoka wages war in Kingdom of Kalinga
- 248 BC Asoka ruler of Mauryan Empire
- 248 BC Asoka announces Buddhism to Empire
- 220 BC Asoka conquers subcontinent
Geography
- terrain presented great challenges
- experiences drought and monsoons
- many rivers flowed through India
- main river is Indus River
- cities and towns built along Ganges River
Economy
- wheat and barley main crops
- domestication of animals provided food for people
- trade took place in the civilization
- carts and boats were the main method of trade
Social Structure
- people were born into their social classes
- once you were put into your social class it could not be changed
Government
- religion was the basis of the government
- government kept people under control through religion
Beliefs and Religion
- Hinduism 1700-1100 BCE
- polytheistic
- Buddhism 365 BCE
- monotheistic
Advancements and Achievements
- Harappans created India's first writing system
- Sanskrit was one of the first and only languages spoken in India
- Harappa had great engineers
- their was a towering fortress in each city to protect it
Architecture
- built sewers that were covered in limestone slabs
- built walls around most of the settlements
- the walls were built to control trade and protected settlements from flood