World History
Teacher: Miss Bunnell
Early Asian River Valleys – Ancient India
Geography of India
 Shaped like a ____________________ and hangs off the southern ridge of
______________.
 The area includes: ___________________, __________________________,
dry, flat interior, fertile coasts.
 The northern border is the ________________________________________
o The highest mountains in the world.
 Directly south of the Himalaya is the rich valley of the _________________
 To the west is the _________________________________
 The _____________________________ in the center is very dry and hilly.
 The east and west coasts are lush plains with good land.
o Most people live here.
 _______________________ (patterns of
cold and warm air that bring rain) are the
primary feature of India’s climate.
 Farmers depend greatly on the rains.
o Too little, too much, too early, too
late, could _____________________
______________________________
World History
Teacher: Miss Bunnell
Early Asian River Valleys – Ancient India
Indus River Valley
 Even though more than a thousand ancient settlements have been found in
the Indus region, there are ___________ very large areas of ruins that depict
the ancient cities that once flourished.
o _____________________ and _____________________________
 Harappa = 35,000 people, Mohenjo Daro = 35,000-40,000 people
 Each had larger streets that ran _______________________, and smaller
streets to cute through that ran _______________________.
 _____________________ & _______________________ techniques gave
them the first bathrooms and _______________________________ system
in the world!
Government
 Rulers based their power on a belief of ______________________________
(god approval).
Economy
 Based on __________________. The Indus River would ____________
once a year making the area fertile for growing crops that could then be
traded.
World History
Teacher: Miss Bunnell
Early Asian River Valleys – Ancient India
The Aryan Empire
 The _________________ were the first people to settle the areas of northern
India around the ___________________________ around 2000BC.
 Using __________ technology (gained from _______________) the Aryans
were able to clear the jungles and turn it in to farmland.
 Main crops: _________________, ________________, ________________,
_________, vegetables, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and _________________
 The Aryans wrote their language in a form of writing called _____________
 They wrote down all of their legends, religious beliefs, and rituals to be
passed down to future generations.
o Called the _________________
Government
 India was split up into small states (“_______________________”).
o Each kingdom had a ruling “_________________,” which was the
word for prince.
o The kingdoms were often ____________________ with each other.
Religion
 Ancient India is known for their religion of ________________________
 Depending on how it is practiced, Hindus can be called polytheistic
World History
Teacher: Miss Bunnell
Early Asian River Valleys – Ancient India
(______________________), monotheistic (_______________________),
or pantheistic (__________________________).
 Most important to understand is that each god/goddess is a ______________
__________________________ of a supreme being that rules everything.
 Beliefs: ______________________________ and ________________
o Reincarnation: After death, __________________________________
________________________________________________________
o Karma: The way a person lives in __________________ will
determine how they will ____________________________________
__________________________.
Social Structure
 Aryans created a social system in order to organize the people.
o Called the _____________________________
 Caste lines are based on ______________ (decided by karma) and there is
__________ way to change classes.
 “_____________________________” at the bottom were considered to be
worthless and undeserving.
World History
Teacher: Miss Bunnell
Early Asian River Valleys – Ancient India
Family Life
 It was ideal to have _________ generations living together: grandparents,
parents, and children.
o The __________________________ had authority.
 Generally only _______________________________________________
 Only males inherited property, unless there were no sons to pass on to.
 Marriages were ___________________ for the girls when they were young.
 The “____________________” was a voluntary form of ________________
that allowed women to throw themselves on their dead husband’s funeral fire.
o It was not mandatory, but sometimes the suttee was forced on women