Warm Up

• Do you believe a peaceful or warrior civilization would be more successful?

Ancient Indus Valley and China

Key Terms

• Subcontinent• Harappan civilization• Mandate of Heaven• Dynastic cycle• Feudalism

Indian Subcontinent

• This area of Asia is separated from the rest of the continent by the highest mountains in the world

• Mountains to north and desert to the east protect from invasion

• Indus and Ganges Rivers provide fertile land

Environmental Challenges

• Yearly floods unpredictable

• Rivers could change course

• Monsoon winds were unpredictable, causing rains to be unpredictable

Harrapan Civilization

• Indus Valley civilization called this due to findings at city of Harrapa

• Cities used a grid like system of roads

• Homes made of standard size bricks

• Early plumbing and drainage system

Indus Valley Culture

• Had language, but isn’t understood today

• Little division of social classes

• Not much knowledge of religion

• Great at trade• Peaceful people who

did not worry about war

Reflection

• What do you believe was the greatest achievement of the Ancient Indus River Valley?

Ancient China

• Two major rivers, Huang He, or Yellow River, and the Chang Jiang, or Yangtze River

• Isolated to rest of world by Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Pacific Ocean, and large mountains and deserts to the west

Environmental Challenges

• Huang He floods could destroy entire cities

• Isolated and had to rely on own resources

• Natural barriers did not completely protect from invaders

• Only 10% of China’s land is good for farming

Ancient Chinese Dynasties

• First dynasty was the Xia Dynasty around 2000 B.C.

• Led by Yu, a mathematician and engineer, who helped control the flooding with irrigation system

• Shang Dynasty was first Chinese rulers to leave written records

Ancient Chinese Dynasties

• Shang Dynasty were constantly waging war

• Zhou Dynasty did not change culture of Shang

• Believed in Mandate of Heaven which meant ruler had divine approval, but if he was evil or foolish, he would lose the right to rule

Dynastic Cycle

Feudalism

• Dynasty gave power to family and noble to govern different regions

• Would grant use of land in return for protection of king and people

• Regions became more powerful and began fighting, leading to end of Zhou Dynasty

Reflection

• Describe the similarities between the ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley and China to the other ancient civilizations we have discussed.