Section 1 / Indias First CivilizationsChapter 6Early India

I. The Land of India (pgs. 195 197)India looks like a diamond hanging off of Asia

India is a subcontinent because it is separated from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world.

The Indian subcontinent contains five nations: India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

India has two fertile river valleys created by the Ganges River (gan*jeez) and the Indus River (ihn*duhs).

If the water is controlled, the land near the rivers can be used for farming.

A monsoon (mohn*soon) is a strong wind that blows one direction in winter and the opposite direction in summer.

Monsoons produce drenching rains in the summer.

If rains are delayed, a drought can occur and few crops will be harvested.

Indias First CivilizationThe first civilization in India arose near the Indus River about 3000 B.C.

More than a thousand towns and villages were a part of this civilization.

Harappa (huh*ra*puh) and Mohenjo-Daro (moh*hehn*jo dahr*o) were large, well-planned cities in ancient India.

The civilization of this time is called the Harappan, or Indus Civilization.

Harappa and Mohenjo-DaroThe cities had wells, drains for wastewater, garbage chutes, and organized governments.

Most houses were made from baked clay mud bricks and had flat roofs used to dry crops in the sun.

They were large cities for their time with as many as 35,000 people.

Harappan SocietyBecause the Harappans left no written records, we do not know much about their society or government.

Most Harappans were farmers who grew rice, wheat, barley, peas, and cotton.

City-dwellers were artisans, who made jewelry, pottery, tools, and cotton cloth.

Harappans traded their goods with people from other lands.

One item rarely found in the ruins of Harappan cities was weapons, which suggests a peaceful civilization.

Harappan civilization collapsed about 1500 B.C.

II. The Aryans Invade (pgs. 198-199)A group called the Aryans (ar*ee*uhnz) began settling the area and a new civilization emerged.

The Aryans were not a race or ethnic group, but rather a part of a larger group historians refer to as Indo-Europeans.

The Indo-Europeans all spoke the same language.

Who Were the Aryans?The Aryans lived in central Asia and were nomadic hunters who also raised and herded cattle.

Cattle were a prized possession and often used as money.

The Aryans invaded Harappan civilization and later conquered all of the Indian subcontinent except the southern tip of India

The Aryans Bring ChangeAfter conquering India, the Aryans no longer lived as nomads and became farmers, but continued to raise cattle.

Eventually, the Aryans decided that cattle were sacred and forbid them to be used as food.

The Aryans invented an iron plow and built canals to improve farming.

The Aryans also brought a new language to India called Sanskrit (san*skriht).

The Aryans were organized by tribes.

Each tribe was led by a raja (rah*juh), or prince.

These rival kingdoms often fought among themselves and existed for about 1,000 years, from 1500 B.C. to 400 B.C.

III. Society in Ancient India (pgs. 199-201)The Aryans also developed a caste (kast) system in India.

A caste is a social group that someone is born into and cannot change.

A caste dictates what job you will have, whom you will marry, and with whom you can socialize.

The Indian word for caste is jati.

Thousands of jati exist in India,

Social Classes of Indian SocietyThe thousands of different jati in Indian society were grouped together into four classes called varnas.

PriestsWarriors, rulersCommon people (farmers, merchants)Unskilled laborers, servantsMost Indians belonged to this classPARIAHS UntouchablesPerformed work others thought too dirty and forced to live apart from others

The Role of Men and WomenIn Ancient India, the family was the center of life and the oldest man in the family was in charge.

In most cases, only men could inherit property, go to school, or become priests.

Boys from families at the top of Indian society had a guru (gur*oo), or teacher, until he went to the city for more education.

Parents arranged marriages, and divorce was almost never allowed.

Mens lives were considered more important than womens lives.

One example of this is found in a custom called suttee (suh*tee).

When a man from a prominent family died and was cremated (burned) the wife was expected to leap into the flames.

If the wife resisted and did not kill herself, she was shamed and everyone would avoid her from then on.

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