Essential Questions: How might geography and climate have affected early settlement in the Indian subcontinent?
I. Indus River Valley Civilization
A. The first Indian civilization developed in the Indus valley, in the northwestern part of
the Indian subcontinent, about 4,500 years ago.
B. The Importance of Geography and Climate
1. Physical Geography
a. The Indian subcontinent extends southward from central Asia into the
Indian Ocean
b. This area is separated in the north by the Himalayan Mountains
-These high peaks made it difficult for immigrants and
invaders to enter India
-The Kyber Pass was one of a few paths that permitted people to
cross the mountains
c. Two great rivers lie south of the northern mountains
-The Ganges River flows to the south of the mountains
-In the west, the Indus River flows southwest
2. The Climate
a. Two features dominate India�s climate (monsoons and high
temperatures)
-From mid-June through October, the southwest monsoon
(heavy winds and rain) occurs
-If the monsoon arrives late or brings little rain, crops fail
-If the monsoon brings too much rain, floods wash crops away
-Also, the range of temperatures (mild to extremely hot) made it
difficult for farming and settlement
C. Early Civilization in the Indus River Valley
1. A great civilization arose in the Indus River Valley Civilization in about 2500
a. The Harappan civilization (Harappa and Mohenjo Daro)
-Wide streets, sewer system, public baths
-Strong central fortress or citadel
-Evidence of the ability to store and distribute surplus foods
-Rich farmlands consisted of cotton, wheat, barley and rice
-City dwellers were also involved in trading goods
-The early Indus people also developed a written language
-The people of the Indus River valley worshiped a great god and
used images of certain animals
___________________________________________________________
India (Indo-Aryan Migrants)
Essential Questions: Why were the Brahmins important members of Indo-Aryan society?
What were the major contributions of the Indo-Aryans to ancient Indian society?
I. Indo-Aryan Migrants
A. The Nomadic Indo-Aryans
1. In 1750 B.C. tribes of Indo-European peoples began crossing into
northwestern India. These nomads were called Indo-Aryans and came from
north of the Black and Caspian Seas
a. The Vedic Age (1500 B.C. to 1000 B.C.)
-The Indo-Aryans were sheep and cattle herders as well as skilled warriors
-Their armies of archers and charioteers enabled them to conquer all of northern India
-Most of what we know about these people comes from the Vedas
(great works of Indo-Aryan literature )
-Scholars recorded the Vedas in Sanskrit, the Indo-Aryan language
b. Indo-Aryan Religion
-The earliest Gods were drawn from nature - earth, fire + rain
-They also worshiped one supreme god
-There were no temples so ceremonies were held in open spaces
-The religious ceremonies were performed by Brahmins or
special priests who understood proper forms and rules
B. Early Indo-Aryan Society
1. As Indo-Aryans settled in villages, they gave up the nomadic life
a. They continued to herd animals, but they also planted crops
b. In time, these villages joined together to form small independent states or
territories, each of which was governed by a raja or chief
2. Indo-Aryan Culture
a. Marriage was important and usually arranged by parents
-Marriage by purchase or capture and love were also recognized
b. Indo-Aryan society strongly emphasized the value of sacrificing
3. The Indo-Aryan Economy
a. The Indo-Aryans began growing wheat and barley
-Villages traded with one another
b. They made significant contributions to northern India,
-language (Sanskrit)
-new religious ideas (gods associated with forces of nature)
4. Southern India
a. The southern part of India was protected from invasion by the
Himalaya Mountains in the north
-The people of the south were able to avoid Indo-Aryan influence
and hold on to their distinct ways of life
b. In addition, the hilly landscape in southern India made unification of its
own peoples difficult, resulting in divisions that exist today
___________________________________________________________________
India (Dynasties & Empires)
Essential Questions: What did Asoka�s missionaries accomplish? What were the main cultural achievements of the Gupta period?
I. Ancient Indian Dynasties and Empires
A. Rise of the Mauryan Empire began in about 320 B.C.
1. Chandra Gupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire
a. Chandra Gupta had a strong army equipped with thousands of chariots and elephants
-His army united most of northern India
b. The Mauryans ruled for almost 150 years
2. Asoka comes to power in 270 B.C.
a. Asoka sent missionaries to other countries, which helped spread the Buddhist faith
B. The Gupta Rulers
1. The rise of a new dynasty contributed to the relative decline of Buddhism and
growth of Hinduism
a. Under the early Gupta rulers, Indian civilization flourished
-This period is also called the Golden Age.
b. During the reign of Chandra Gupta II, society prospered
- Great progress was made in the arts
c. Eventually the empire weakened and invaders from central Asia crossed into India in late A.D. 400.
-Skanda Gupta, the last great king, drained the treasury trying to defend the empire
-Gupta rule ended in A.D. 550
2. Major cultural achievements
a. Art and architecture
-Mural paintings, sculptures, and great temples
b. Education
-Children in higher castes received formal education
-They studied the Vedas and other literature, including the great epics
-They learned astronomy, mathematics, and government
c. Mathematics
-Indian scientist were highly skilled
-Understood abstract and negative numbers
d. New Textiles
-Cotton, Silk
e. Medicine
-Bone setting and plastic surgery
-The developed the technique of inoculation
-The practice of infecting a person with a disease so they
would develop an immunity
-Indians also built free hospitals in the A.D. 400�s
______________________________________________________________________