Chap 4.1 Slides Flashcards
India’s geography is a ____________, that includes 3 major geographic zones
Subcontinent: Large landmass that is part of a continent. Indian subcontinent includes three major geographic zones
What are the 3 major geographic zones in the India subcontinent?
–Far north: Himalaya, Hindu Kush mountain systems, separating India from rest of Asia
–South: Deccan Plateau, high plateau receiving less rain than other parts of subcontinent
–Between mountains, plateau are Northern Plains, where society first developed in India
What is the fertile region of India like?
What weather is common?
- Heavy rains also add to fertility of plains
- Much of rain brought to India by seasonal winds, monsoons
What is a monsoon?
•Summer, monsoon winds from southwest bring warm air, heavy rains from Indian Ocean; most of annual rainfall at this time
Why was water a critical factor in India’s development?
The people of India’s first civilizations depended upon the monsoons to bring the water that their crops needed
What was impact of monsoon rains on India?
- Monsoon rains flooded rivers; rivers deposited fertile silt in which farmers could grow crops
- With abundance of rainfall came threat of devastation and major floods
Where did people live the longest in India?
People have lived in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years
Where did India’s first civilization arise?
- Farm communities gave rise to India’s first civilization
- Developed in valley of Indus River
When did India’s first civilization begin?
What did this first civilization have?
Began 2500 BC, when people first developed writing system
In the 1920s, remains of these 2 large cities were found: __________ and ________.
The civilization was called __________
1920s,remains of two large cities found
–Harappa
–Mohenjo Daro
Civilization called Harappan
What was Indus society like?
Indus Society
Settlements well planned, carefully laid out
What was life in towns and cities like?
What structure was built?
- Water came from community wells.
- Public drainage systems carried away wastewater
- Walled, elevated citadel—fortress
- Homes, workshops, shrines built outside citadel
What was the economy based on?
Give 3 examples of the economic activity happening
- Economy likely based on agriculture, trade, livestock
- In cities, many specialized in crafts like pottery, metalwork, jewelry
- Indus traded goods
How much details are there about Indus society?
- Archaeologists, historians not able to learn many details about Indus society
- Had writing system, but historians not able to read it
What happened to the Indus civilization?
How do we know?
- Civilization thrived from about 2500 BC to 2000 BC, then began to decline
- No one knows what led to decline
Around 2000 BC, a new civilization arose called _______, which meant _________
Sometime after 2000 BC, a new people took control of India.
Historians often refer to this group as the Aryans, meaning “noble.”
Eventually the Aryans ruled over most of India.
Do we know where the Aryans came from?
•Historians not sure when Aryans arrived, where they came from
What archaeological evidence is there of this civilization?
This evidence was called _________
- Little archaeological evidence remains to document early Aryan period in India
- Most comes from sacred writings called the Vedas
This period in India was called the __________ period
This period in Indian history is often called the Vedic period.
Vedic society had leaders called __________
What were these leaders responsible for? Give 3 examples
- Regional leaders known as rajas
- Raja primarily war leader responsible for protecting people; received payments of food, money in return
What was the social structure in Vedic Society?
What were classes called?
- Divided into classes, varnas
- Each played particular role in society
What were the 4 major classes of Varnas?
- Brahmins were priests
- Kshatriyas were warriors & rulers
- Vaisyas: common people, farmers
- Sudras: servants
The 4 varnas were eventually divided into _______
What did these determine?
- Over centuries, four varnas of Vedic period divided into hundreds of smaller castes
- Membership in caste determined what jobs one could hold, whom one could marry
What was the social hierarchy like?
What could people in castes do or not do?
- Social hierarchy developed, some castes had more privileges than others
- Not everyone belonged to a caste
- Untouchables had no protection of caste law, could perform only jobs that other castes did not
What was the Vedic Religion like?
How did they practice this religion?
Fire Sacrifices
- People worshipped gods through fire sacrifices
- Priests offered food, drink by placing on roaring fire
What was the prayer about?
Prayer
- single eternal spirit
- One aspect was Indra, who ruled over heaven
What was religious rituals like?
What did priests do?
- Rituals grew more complex
- Priests said order in universe maintained only through rituals
What group gained more influence in society?
Brahmin varna gained more influence in society
