Indus River

Ganges River

Arabian Sea

Bay of

Bengal

Himalaya Mts.

Hindu Kush M

ts.

Thar Desert

Yellow River

Yangtze River

South China Sea

Yellow Sea

Gobi

Desert

Kunlun Shan Mts.

Label your map with the places on this map

Bell Work

Indus river Indus river

Today’s ObjectivesToday’s Objectives

• Students will be able to – discuss the development of civilization

in the Indus River Valley.– experience the life of people living in the

Indus Valley during the 2nd Millennium B.C.

GeographyGeography

• Another ancient society began on the Indus River on the subcontinent of India. Today the Indian subcontinent is made up of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

GeographyGeography

• The world’s tallest mountains, Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and the Thar Desert help to protect it from invaders.

• The Khyber Pass was part of the Silk Route where traders traded goods across the continent.

GeographyGeography

• The seasonal winds called the monsoons dominate India’s climate.

• October to February, winter monsoons from the northeast blow dry air westwards and from the middle of June through October, the winds shift and blow eastwards carrying moisture from the Indian Ocean.

• When the summer monsoons fail it causes drought and crop failure

Civilizations AriseCivilizations Arise

• In 2500 B.C. about the same time as the pyramids were being built in Egypt, civilization in ancient India developed along the Indus River which flooded each year.

The Cities of the Indus The Cities of the Indus ValleyValley

• The cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa developed.

• Each had a population of about 30,000.

• These cities were 350 miles apart but were very much alike with streets in a carefully planned grid pattern.

HomesHomes

• All the homes were made of oven fired bricks of a standard size indicating a strong central government.

• The main streets were wide; the side streets were like small alleys.

• Homes did not have windows in the front. For fresh air the people had inner courtyards or went up to their roofs.

Cleanliness!!Cleanliness!!

• These cities were cleaner and more concerned about sanitation than other ancient cities.

• Dirty water from bathing rooms was drained into the street gutters by clay pots.

• Garbage was placed in containers that were neatly lined up at the edge of the street.

Mohenjo Daro HouseMohenjo Daro House

FarmingFarming

• Most people made their living by farming, raising wheat, barley, rice, and cotton. They domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, cats, dogs, and fowl (chicken, ducks, etc.)

DeclineDecline• About 1750 B. C. the Indus

River Civilization collapses. Historians do not know why.

• Later the region is taken over by the Aryans who were war-like nomads form Central Asia.

• They had no written language and there are no written records of the Ancient Indian Civilization between 1500 B. C. -300 B. C.

AfterwardsAfterwards

• The cultures of the Indus River people and the Aryans blended to form the Indian civilization