Name_______________________________________ Date ___________ Pd. _____
River Valley Civilizations Part 2- Ancient Asia- India and China
Indus Valley
- Present day ___________, __________________, and __________________
- Two major rivers are central to life
o __________________ and _________________
- Monsoons
o Seasonal winds that bring rain
o Depend on monsoons and _________________ for crops.
*ON THE MAP ABOVE HIGHLIGHT THE INDUS AND GANGES RIVERS
- Geographic barriers include:
- The ____________________________
- ____________________ River / _____________________ River
Indus Valley Civilizations
- Influences:
o Civilization comparable to ______________________ and
___________________
-
-
-
-
-
-
o Influenced a larger area
Cities:
o Consists of two major cities ___________________ apart.
 ______________________
 ______________________
 Over ____________ cities discovered
Government:
o Identically planned ___________________ and _________________
suggests a strong _______________________________.
o Ruled by ______________________________
Trade:
o Traded long distances
o Artifacts found show that ________________ and Indus Valley
Traded for ____________ years.
o TO WHICH ANCIENT RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION DID SUMER
BELONG? ________________________________________
Ahead of their time:
o ________________________________ with running water
o Plumbing system rivals19th century systems
o ____________________ connected to __________________
The Great Bath:
o First known ______________________________________
Harrappan Writing:
o ___________________________ to date
Decline:
o Domination of indigenous people? Who rebelled? Foreign
invasion? Gradual decline?
 What we do know:
 Climate shift: ___________________ patterns
 ____________________
 ____________________ of the forests
 ________________ of new peoples: The ______________
Aryan Migration/ “Invasion”
o No evidence of ________________________ military conquest.
 Gradual _______________________
 No _____________________________ not literate
o Early Aryans
 ___________________ economy: sheep, _____________,
horses, _______________
WHICH DIRECTION ARE THE ARYANS INVADING FROM? __________________
- The Vedas:
o Veda means _____________________________
o ____________________ and ___________________ works
 Written in __________________ “sacred tongue”
 Four total
o Passed down from __________________ and _________________
 _____________ tradition
 Written down in the ___________________
o The _________________ was so important it was called the
___________________________
 ___________ BCE – ___________ BCE
 Hindu core of beliefs:
 _______________ and poems
 Religious prayers
 _________________ spells
 Lists of _____________ and ______________________
- Ramayana:
o Story of _______________ and ________________
o Sita is _______________________ and Rama rescues her
o Rama seen as a ____________________________________________
o Sita _______________________ as the ideal woman – remained
_____________ and __________________ to her husband through
her hardships.
- Beginning of Caste System:
o ________________ vastly outnumbered
o Worried _________________________ with locals would cause
them to lose their ________________________________________
o Set up system that __________________ marriage outside of their
class.
- Caste System:
o New social group develops
o In time system __________________ and becomes based on
____________________
o Caste: ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
o Brahmins:
 ____________________
 Privileges:
 ___________________________________
 Monopoly on __________________, Did no actual
____________________________________
 Protected their _____________________ of the Vedas
o
o
o
o
 Sudras never allowed to ___________ or ____________
anything from them.
 If Sudra overheard, law said _______________________
be poured into his ears---- if he recited a verse,
__________________________________________________
Kshatriyas:
 __________________ and _________________
 Highest honor was considered to be to _________ in battle
 Were permitted to _____________ but not teach the Vedas
 Duties were to exhibit ________________, bravery,
cleverness, fearlessness, generosity, and knowledge of
_____________________________________________________
Vaisyas:
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
 ___________________
Shudras:
 Farm workers, servants, laborers
 Shudra or sudra means ___________________
 Was a way to keep ___________________________ people
conquered by the ___________________ “in their place”
Pariahs/ Untouchables:
 Means ______________________
 DID NOT BELONG TO ANY CASTE
 Upper Varnas believed they would become ____________
or __________________ if they touched them.
 ____________________ tasks no one else would do
 __________________ and tanning animal hides
 Sweeping streets
 Dealing with ___________________
 Discriminated against:
 Could not enter the temple frequented by Brahmins
 Could not draw __________________________________
used by the higher Varnas
 Could not send their _______________ to Hindu school
After reading the story of what happened in 1913 determine how would
you respond if someone would rather let their child die than let you assist
them? ________________________________________________________________
Why did the woman allow her child to drown? __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Ancient China
- Geography:
o Most isolated of all early river civilizations
o _____________________ by natural barriers
 North: _______________________
 East: Pacific Ocean
 South: _______________________
 West: Taklaman Desert
o Not much contact with _____________________________________
o Isolation led to the belief that ______________ was the center of
the ___________________
o Rivers:
 Fertile plain between two main rivers
 ______________________ - Yellow River
 Yangtze River – Long River
- Chinese Dynasties:
o Dynasty- ____________________ of rulers that belong to the
__________________________
o China ruled by powerful dynasties for 3000 years
o Emperor- _________________________________
o Power of the Emperor was absolute- _________________________
- Family was highly important, with men leading households:
o Early Shang religion was ___________________, worshipping
nature-based __________________
o Shang also worshipped _________________ (showing
importance of family)
o Priests communicated with Gods via Oracle Bones (1st writing)
 Oracle Bones:
 Animal bones or tortoise shells
 Priests scratched questions for gods then applied
heat until the bones cracked
 Priests would then _________________________________
- Writing:
o Chinese ____________________________________________________
o Thousands of characters
o Today students must _________________ up to 10,000 characters
to read a newspaper.
o Same written language used throughout China, but
________________ spoken language.
- Dynastic Cycle:
o New Dynasty:
 Brings __________________, (re) Builds infrastructure, Land
given to peasants, People _________________
o Aging Dynasty:
 Ignore Infrastructure, ______________ heavily, people
unprotected, ________________ corruption/ neglect.
o Problems:
 Floods, famines, earthquakes, invasions, revolts
 DYNASTY LOSES ________________________________________
o New Dynasty claims MANDATE OF HEAVEN