Chapter 4 Section 1 India's First Civilizations Flashcards
What are the names of the two Rivers they create fertile river valleys in India?
The Ganges river and the Indus River.
Why is India considered a subcontinent?
Even though it is part of Asia The Himalaya mountains separate it from the rest of Asia
What is the Deccan plateau?
The Deccan plateau is a dry hilly area south of the river valleys.
What is a monsoon?
A monsoon is a strong wind that blows one direction in winter and the opposite direction in summer.
What does the winter monsoon bring?
Cold dry air from the Himalaya mountains.
What does Summer monsoon Bring?
The summer monsoon brings warm, wet air from the Arabian Sea, that produces drenching rains.
What rivers are found in northern India?
The Indus River and Ganges river
Based on the areas geography what part of the Indian subcontinent do you think are best suited for settlement?
The Indus River Valley, the Ganges river valley, and the west and east coast.
Where did India’s first civilization begin?
Indus River Valley
What are Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
Two major cities from early India civilization
What material were most of the houses in Mohenjo-Daro made of?
Mud bricks that were baked in oven
How did India’s geography help early civilizations?
The fertile river valleys made it easy to farm and start a civilization
Who were the Aryans?
The Arians came from Central Asia where they herded animals.
What was the prize possession among the Arians?
Cattle
How was individual wealth measured by the Aryans?
Individual wealth was measured by the number of cattle a person owned.
After crossing the mountains what physical feature did the Aryans follow into India?
The Indus and Ganges river
Into what area of southern India did the Aryans travel?
The Deccan plateau
What technology did the Aryans bring to India?
The Aryans brought the iron plow that helped clear India’s many jungles and turn the Ganges River valley into good farmland.
A written language called Sanskrit
How are Aryans organized?
They were organized into tribes and each tribe was led by a Raja or prince.
What is a caste?
Social group that someone is born into and cannot leave.
What were the five levels of India’s caste system?
Brahmins priests Kshatriyas warriors, rulers Vaisyas common people Sudras unskilled labor's and servants Pariahs untouchables
What are the four social classes or Varnas called?
The Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Sudras
Who were the Brahmans?
The top social class or Varna. They were the priest the only people who can perform religious ceremonies
Who were the Kshatriyas?
The warriors who ran the government and the army
Who were the Vaisyas?
The commoners, usually farmers and merchants
Who wear the Sudras?
Manual labors and servants who had few rights
Who were the pariahs?
The untouchables, people that did not belong to any Varna. They perform dirty work such as skinning animals and handling dead bodies.had to live apart and tap two sticks together so people wouldn’t hear them coming and get out of their way
What is a guru?
A teacher for a boy in a top society family
What is Suttee?
When a man dies his wife is expected to leap into the fire of his cremation and kill herself. If she doesn’t it is a huge shame and everyone avoids her
Describe the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
They were large well-planned cities that had as many as 35,000 people. The fortress was built to keep guard over the residence.
Why are monsoons important to Indian farmers?
The farmers depend on monsoons for a good crops.if the rains are delayed a drought will occur. Few crops will be harvested and many people will starve.
Why did Harapan civilization collapse?
Earthquakes and floods damaged the cities. Then the Indus River changed its course killing many people and forcing others to flee the area.
How did the Aryans control people in India?
They created the caste system to divide them into groups, and keep them in control even though the Aryans were greatly outnumbered.
In what ways did the caste system affect the people who lived in India?
A caste dictates what job you will have, whom you can marry, and with whom you can socialize.
