Ancient Civilizations:
Indus River Valley
Global Studies 9
Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Bernier
Geography of India
• India is a subcontinent that
extends
southward
from mainland
Asia into the
Indian Ocean.
Geography of India
• India is
surrounded on
the north by the
Hindu Kush and
Himalayan
Mountains,
which
geographically
isolated the
region.
• Monsoons, seasonal winds, bring rain every
summer, which farmers use to grow crops.
Indus River Valley Civilization
• The Indus River Valley
civilization flourished
about 2500 years ago in
the western part of
South Asia, in what
today is Pakistan and
western India. The twin
cities of the Indus River
Valley civilization were
known as Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro.
Indus River Valley Twin Cities:
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
• Roads were laid out in
a grid pattern.
• Each city was
dominated by a
fortress or a temple
on a hill.
• Graneries stored crops
grown outside the
city.
Indus River Valley Twin Cities:
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
• Houses
were made
of brick, had
plumbing
with baths,
and chutes
that led to
sewers.
Indus River Civilization Social Structure
1. Gods and
Goddesses
2. Priest and Scholars
3. The Rajas and their
noblemen
4. Merchants, farmers,
land owners, and
craftsmen
5. Servants, workers,
wage earners
Indus River Civilization: Religion
• Like other
civilizations, the
people were
polytheistic in their
religious beliefs.
• A mother goddess,
the source of
creation, was widely
honored.
Indus Valley Civilization: Religion
Indus people also worshipped sacred animals,
including the bull. These practices later
influenced other Indian beliefs including the
veneration of cattle.
Decline and Disappearance of the
Indus Valley Civilization
• Damage to the
environment;
too many trees
cut down to
fuel brick
ovens.
• Possible
volcanic
eruption.
• Devastating
earth-quake.
Civilization Decline: Aryan Invaders
• 1500 B.C.,
nomadic
warriors called
Aryans
conquered the
Indus Valley,
and the cities
were soon
abandoned and
forgotten.