Name:_______________________________________
Block:________
Indus Valley Vs. Egypt/Mesopotamia
Directions: Compare the sets of two documents below and answer the questions in full sentences.
Document 1: When French troops discovered the Rosetta Stone, they cracked the code of Egyptian
Hieroglyphics. However, no such stone has ever been found to help us understand the written language
of the Indus River Valley. Because of this, we are unable to translate the records we have found there.
1. Describe one similarly and one difference between the written language found in the Indus River
Valley and Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
Document 2:
2. Of the River Valley Civilizations we have studied,
which had faced climate challenges similar to the Indus River
Valley? What did they have in common? How was the Egyptian
climate different from that of the Indus River Valley?
Above is a map showing the cycle of monsoons; seasonal
winds in the Indus River Valley. The winter monsoon
brought dry weather, and the summer brought torrential
rain, which caused unpredictable flooding.
Document 3:
3. Based on the map,
what did the Indus
River Valley have in
common with the other
River Valleys we have
studied?
4. How do you think the geography surrounding the Indus River Valley is going to affect their
development?
Document 4:
5. Why do we
know so little
about the Indus
River Valley, yet
so much about
Egypt and
Mesopotamia?
Document 5:
6. Based on the description of this artifact, found in the Indus River Valley, what was a similar
characteristic of the Indus River Valley and the others we have studied?
Document 6:
One such civilization was the Harappan civilization that
developed in the Indus River Valley thousands
of years ago. It was not until the 1920s that the
world learned of the existence of this civilization.
In 1922, a team of archaeologists uncovered
one of the cities from the civilization. A vast region including present-day Pakistan
and northern India made up the territory controlled
by the Harappan civilization. Rich farmlands
provided food for the people in over a
hundred cities and towns. Goods were transported
to and from the farms by means of a
series of canals. Life was good in this civilization. The people
had mastered reading, writing, and arithmetic.
People in the cities enjoyed such modern conveniences
as indoor plumbing, sewage systems, and heated public baths.
-World History, Glencoe
7. We have not deciphered the writings of the Indus River Valley Civilization, however, how do
archeologists know that they were extremely advanced?
Document 7:
Source: Creation of world and castes from the Rig Veda (taken from Bentley and Ziegler, p. 98)
“A thousand heads hath Purusha, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet.
He covered earth on every side and spread ten fingers breadth beyond.
This Purusha is all that hath been and all that is to be,
The Lord of Immortality which waxes greater still by food….
When the gods prepared the sacrifice with Purusha as their offspring….
From that great general sacrifice the dripping fat was gathered up…
When they divided Purusha, how many portions did they make?
What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet?
The Brahmin was his mouth, of both his arms was the kshatriya made.
His thighs became the vaishya, from his feet the shudra was produced….
8. Above is an excerpt from one of the Holy Books of Hinduism; the Rig Veda. The excerpt describes the
creation of the caste system; the Hindu social system. Based on the excerpt, describe the importance
placed on each caste. Then compare the social system of the Indus River Valley to that of Egypt and
Mesopotamia.
Document 8:
9. What evidence from Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa suggest that the people living in the Indus River Valley had
advanced knowledge of math and specialized jobs?