Early South Asia &Early China

Chapter 3 Notes

Early South Asia

3rd civilization on the rise = Indus River Valley in South Asia

Arose on the subcontinent of Asia = landmass that is part of a continent but is distinct from it

The Subcontinent

3 modern nations there today = India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

Mountains separate it from the rest of Asia = Himalayas & Hindu Kush

Indus River drains into the Arabian Sea

Climate & Seasonal Winds Mountains block cold air & give

the area a warm climate Monsoons = seasonal winds that

affect the climate and way of life Summer monsoons bring heavy

rains, causing flooding that helps the soil

People depended on monsoons to grow crops

Monsoons sometimes unpredictable- Unusually heavy rains drowned people, animals, whole villages- Late or light monsoons caused poor crops & starvation

The Indus Valley CivilizationOften called Harappan

CivilizationMajor cities: Harappa &

Mohenjo-DaroCities were carefully planned

– used a grid patternA fortress built on a brick

platform overlooked each city – probably the center of government and religion

The Indus Valley Civilization

Houses were made of oven-baked bricks

1) Each house had at least one bathroom with plumbing to sewers

2) Houses rose to several stories and had enclosed courtyards

The Indus Valley CivilizationMost people farmedTrade = bronze and copper tools;

jewelry out of gold, shells, ivory; clay pots; woven cloth; silver containers

Used pictograms – still haven’t been deciphered

Not much is known due to a lack of written records

Collapsed around 1500 BCE

Early China

4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River Valley in China (Huang He River)

Oldest continuous civilization in the world

China’s Geography1/3 mountainsVast deserts – Gobi

DesertThese factors isolated

China from other early civilizations

Prevented cultural diffusion

Promoted strong sense of national identity

Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE)1st dynasty (line of rulers

who belong to the same family) from which there are written records in China

Kings were also high priestsPerformed special

ceremonies for good weather, crops, etc.

Had special powers to call upon their ancestors

Used oracle bones

Shang Dynasty

Had a writing systemCharacters

represented objects, ideas, or sounds

Had to memorize each character to understand script

Few people could read & write in ancient China

Shang DynastyProduced some of the

finest bronze objects ever made

Wove silk into beautiful colored cloth for the upper class

7 capital citiesPalace and temple stood

at the center of each city

Shang DynastyCollapsed under attack

Shang Dynasty lacked strong leaders

1000 BCE = ruler from the north named Wu marched in his armies and killed the Shang king

Set up his own dynasty called the Zhou Dynasty that ruled China for 800 years

Shang DynastyPaved the way for many

other dynasties to rule ChinaDynasties ruled China until

the early 1900s under the Mandate of Heaven If rulers were effective, they

received the authority to rule from Heaven

If not, they were overthrown & lost this mandate to someone else who started a new dynasty