Indus River Valleys

GeographyIndia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh make up…

…the Indian subcontinent

Mountains, deserts, and rivers isolate the sub

Indus and Ganges rivers Flooding, like the Nile, bring silt

Center of peninsula = Deccan PlateauMonsoons, seasonal winds, dominate

India’s climate Twice a year and bring in moisture – hard to control

Indus and Ganges River Today

Monsoons

Harappa and Mohenjo Daro

Indus River Valley

Planned Cities – What does this reveal about

society/government? Harappa (city) and Mohenjo-Daro (city) Laid out on a grid

NYC or Boston?

Fortified area = citadelContained major buildings of the city

Constructed of baked bricks Who does this sound like?

Plumbing and sewage system – yah!What did people do before hand?

Few weapons unearthed but lots of clay and wooden toys…

What does this reveal about society?

Language and ReligionLanguage

Impossible to decipher

400 symbols make up the language

Polytheistic ReligionTheocracy!No preserved

templesPriests prayed

for…?Good harvests and

safety from floodsHow do we know all of this if the language cannot be deciphered and there are no preserved temples?