Ch. 1.1 “Early Indian Civilizations” (p.16-21) KEY
HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION: India’s First Civilization
•
•
•
•
The Harappan civilization developed along the Indus River
The civilization thrived between 2300 and 1700 BC.
The two largest settlements were the cities Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.
The economy of the civilization was dependent on agriculture.
• Framers grew a variety of crops - wheat and barley, dates and vegetables – to feed themselves
and city dwellers.
• Agricultural Technology: used irrigation canals to bring water from the Indus and other rivers
to their fields.
Contact with Other Cultures
• The Harappan traded with people as far away as southern India and Mesopotamia.
• traded to get raw materials.
• they used these materials to make products such as pottery, stamps, seals, and statues.
HARAPPAN ACHIEVEMENTS:
Writing System
• Developed India’s first writing system
• Many examples of Harappan writing have been found but none of them is more than a few words
long. This has made translating the language difficult.
City Planning
• Harappa and Mohenjo Daro are remarkably similar even though they are over 300 miles apart.
• The ruins of both cities showed that the Harappans were careful planners and skilled engineers.
• Features of the cities: Towering fortresses were built near each city. Streets were lined with storehouses,
workshops, market stalls, and houses, there were extensive sewer systems. Plumbing was installed in
many buildings.
Artistic Achievements
• Artifacts that have been found showed the the Harappans were skilled artisans. They made sturdy
pottery vessels, jewelry, and ivory objects.
•
•
The Harappan civilization ended by the early 1700s BC.
Possible causes of end of civilization: invaders destroyed the cities or natural disasters like floods or
earthquakes.
ARYAN MIGRATION
Arrival and Spread
• The Aryans were originally from the area around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia. Over time they
became the dominant group in India.
• The Aryans first arrived in India in the 2000s BC. Over many centuries they gradually spread eastward
into Central Asia and then further east into the Ganges River Valley.
• Most of what we know about Aryan society comes from religious writings called the Vedas.
Government and Society
• Originally they were Nomads - eventually they settled in villages and began to farm.
• They lived in small communities based mostly family ties.
• Villages were governed by rajas. Rajas were leaders who ruled a village and the land around it.
• Though many were related, these rajas fought each other as often as they did outsiders.
Language
• First Aryan settlers did not read or write.
• They memorized poems and hymns.
• Sanskrit was the most important language in ancient India.
• At first it was only spoken, later it was written down and used for keeping records.
• Sanskrit is no longer spoken today, but is the basis for many modern South Asian languages.
Revised April 2010