Chapter 4 – Early India
Section 1 – India’s First
Civilizations, pages 238-245
The Land of India
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India’s First Civilization
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Climate and geography influenced the rise of India’s first
civilization.
A subcontinent, part of Asia but separated from it by the
Himalaya, the highest mountains in the world
o Mountains acted as protection from invasion
Two fertile river valleys fed by the mountains in the North.
The Ganges River flows south to the Bay of Bengal (Indian Ocean)
The Indus flows west and south and empties into the Arabian Sea
The Deccan Plateau in the center of India, south of the river
valleys, is dry and hilly
The coasts are lush, fertile plains
Monsoons are an important part of the climate
o Winter Monsoons bring cold, dry air from the mountains
southwest across India
o Summer monsoons bring warm, wet air eastward from the
Arabian sea, producing drenching rains
o Timing of the monsoons is important. If the summer
monsoons are delayed, a drought will occur. If they come
on time and the season lasts long enough, crops will be
good.
Began in the Indus River Valley, 3000 B.C. until 1500 B.C.
(currently part of Pakistan)
Fertile soil from the summer monsoons ensured plentiful crops
Allowed people to do other things, such as making tools and
building houses
As people traded extra food and goods they had made with others,
their wealth grew and they built larger and larger cities.
More than 1,000 villages and towns were part of this civilization
Stretched from the Himalaya to the Arabian Sea
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
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Two major cities of the Indus River Valley
Large for their time
Well-planned with wide main streets and narrow side streets
Each neighborhood surrounded by a wall
Surprising conveniences for their times:
o Wells supplied water
o Indoor bathrooms
o Wastewater flowed to drains under the streets, through
pipes, to pits outside the city walls
o Garbage chutes
o Large granaries stored food for entire city
Harappan Society
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Used a special script to write on seals and stamps
Historians unsure how to decipher markings
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Collapse of Harappan
civilization
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Who Were the Aryans?
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Aryans Bring Change
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Did not leave other historical records
Not much known about their society or government
The royal palace and temple were both enclosed in the fortress in
the city; this reveals that religion and politics were closely
connected
Most Harappans were farmers—grew rice, wheat, barley, peas, and
cotton
City dwellers were artisans—made copper and bronze tools, clay
pottery, cotton cloth, jewelry from gold, shells, and itory
Toys found among ruins
Believed to have begun trading with Mesopotamians about 2300
B.C.
About 1500 B.C.
Earthquakes and floods damaged the cities
Indus River changed course, killing many and forcing others to flee
area
New settlers in the region
Referred to as Indo-Europeans
Came from central Asia
Raised and herded animals; prized cattle, which were a symbol of
wealth among them
Good warriors, riders, hunters
Metal-tipped spears and wooden chariots
About 2000 B.C. they began to cross through passes in the
Himalaya.
Entered Indus River valley around 1500 B.C.
By 1000 B.C. had spread into all but southern tip of India
Continued to raise cattle but eventually declared them sacred and
forbade them to be used as food
Skilled ironworkers who improved farming
Invented iron plow
Turned Ganges River valley into good farmland
Used varied climate of India to produce different crops in
different regions
o Grains grown in the north, rice in river valleys
o Mix of crops in the south, including spices such as pepper,
ginger, and cinnamon
Brought new language to India
No written language as nomads
Developed written language called Sanskrit in India
Organized into tribes led by rajas (princes)
o Fought among themselves
o Existed in India from 1500 to about 400 B.C.
Society in Ancient India
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Thousands of castes, or jati,
grouped into four basic classes
called varna
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Roles of Men and Women
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Aryans created caste system (no one knows why)
Ideas about skin color may have been part of it, as Aryans were
lighter skinned and considered themselves superior
May have been used to control the people in India, who greatly
outnumbered them
Caste system set the rules for everyone’s behavior and helped
maintain control
Determined all facets of life
o Whom one could marry
o One’s job
o One’s social circles
Brahmans (priests) were at the top of the system
Kshatriyas were warriors and government
Vaisyas were the common people, generally farmers and merchants
Sudras were unskilled laborers and servants; not Aryan; most
Indians made up the Sudra varna
Paraiahs (did not belong to any varna) were Untouchables (hard
life; shunned by most Indians; considered unclean; forced to live
apart from others and do gross jobs)
Family was the center of life
Extended families lived together with oldest male being in charge
Men had more rights than women (only men could own property or
go to school or become priests)
Young men from wealthy families had a guru until he went to the
city for more education
12 years of school required before marriage
Parents arranged marriages; continues today
Teens may marry
Divorce not allowed, though a second wife may be taken if first
wife cannot have children
Women expected to throw themselves on the funeral pyre when
husbands died (practice of suttee); those who did not were
disgraced and would be avoided by everyone