Indus River Valley
A City Block
A City
Main Things We Know
• Main things we know
–Planned cities and plumbing
Main Things We Know
• Main things we know
– Great uniformity (of cities and bricks),
citadel indicates strong rulers
Main Things We Know
• Main things we know
–Identical houses indicates equality
Main Things We Know
• Main things we know
–More territory than Egypt or
Sumer
–Wiped out with almost nothing left
Why Don’t We Know
More?
• No translation of their writing!
Physical Geography
• Indian subcontinent extends southward from central Asia into
the Indian Ocean.
• Northseparated by the rest of Asia by mountain ranges
(Himalayas)
– Made it difficult for immigrants and invaders to enter India
– Khyber Passone of the few paths that permitted people to cross the
mountains into India
•
•
•
•
Two Rivers Ganges River and Indus River
Southhigh plateau called the Deccan
WestWestern Ghats mountain range
East coastal plain faces the Bay of Bengal
Trade
• We know the Indus people traded
with Mesopotamia
–How?
Major Cities
• Harappa (a.k.a. Harappan civilization)
• Mohenjo-Daro
• Last from around 2500 to 1700 BCE –
then disappear
Early Civilizations in
the Indus River Valley
(cont.)
• Why did this civilization disappear?
– Evidence Several unburied skeletons are found along
with homes and possessions being abandoned.
– Do not know for sure however there are some theories:
• Floods could have destroyed this settlement or made it
difficult to grow food.
• Some evidence suggests possible violence from
invading forces
• Some evidence suggests a major earthquake in 1700
BCE
Summarize!
• EXACTLY 20 words
–Not 19, not 21 – 20
Summary
• Indus civilization is a mystery due to
untranslated writing. It had planned
cities, plumbing, and trade, and
probably strong kings.
Objective #20
Chinese Dynasties
Vocabulary
• Prosperity
• Mandate of Heaven – belief that the
gods choose the rulers
• Dynastic Cycle – process by which
dynasties gain and lose power in
China
Dynastic Cycle
New
dynasty
established
New family
claims
Mandate of
Heaven
New
The
Revolution
As
The
adynasty
dynasty
result
new dynasty
becomes
of
ages
comes
these
and
to
power
events,
experiences
justified,
becomes
with
theand
corrupt,
support
dynasty
a aperiod
newof
is
family
seen
the
of
raises
prosperity
people
toclaims
have
taxes
and
lost
toand
and
have
the
the
received
Mandate
oppression.
peace.
the
of Mandate
Heaven.
Possibly
and
natural
fights
disasters
the old
dynasty.
occur.
Dynasty
loses
mandate of
heaven
Period of
prosperity
Decline,
corruption,
disasters
Cartoons!
• Make a cartoon to illustrate the
Dynastic Cycle, with one partner
–Draw pictures and write captions in
each box
–Cut out boxes and arrange the
panels on construction paper
–You can draw arrows and add text