Chapter 4 Section 1
INDIA’s Geography
Subcontinent: A large landmass that is part of a continent.
 Most of the Indian subcontinent is occupied by the country of India.
 The Indus River, home of one of the ancient world’s great river valley
civilizations, flows across the northwest edge of the Indian
Subcontinent.


Three major geographic zones
1. Far North are the Himalaya and Hindu Kush(separate
India from the rest of Asia)
2. South is Deccan Plateau, receives less rain that other
parts of the subcontinent
3. Northern Plains- where society first developed in
India.
3 rivers
1. Indus
2. Ganges
3. Brahmaputra
 Enrich the soil of the plains,
making it very fertile.
Monsoons

Heavy rains added to the fertility of the northern plains

Much of the rain was brought by seasonal winds/storms
called Monsoons.
Summer months: monsoons winds from the southwest bring
WARM air and heavy rains from the Indian Ocean.
**most of India’s annual rainfall occurs at this time**
Winter months: northeast monsoons blow cool, dry air from
Central Asia, resulting in drier months.
Monsoons & First Civilizations
India’s first civilization depended upon the monsoons
 Rain flooded rivers, which deposited fertile silt
 Threat of devastation- how?


Historians date the beginnings of this civilization to
2500 BC
 Two large cities discovered
•
Harappa
•
Mohenjo Daro “Mound of the Dead.”
First Civilizations

Indus settlements were well planned and carefully laid
out
 Streets ran in a grid pattern: NorthSouth, EastWest

CITADEL--a walled, elevated, fortress enclosed
buildings such as granaries (A building for storing
threshed grain), warehouses and meeting halls.

This planning suggests that a central authority held
power over the civilization.
Economy & Society & Decline
Relied on agriculture and
trade
 Traded goods with nearby
communities and distant
civilizations


Civilization was a single
society rather than a
collection of independent
city-states. (remember,
what is a city-state?)

Indus Valley civilization
thrived from 2500 BC to
2000 BC.

No one knows what led
to the decline.

Evidence from Mohenjo
Daro suggests that the
city suffered repeated
flooding.
The Vedic Period
•
Sometime after 2000 BC, new people took control of
India.
• This group is referred to as the Aryans: “Nobles”
• Vedas: Sacred writings
• Include Aryan History and society
• This time became known as the Vedic Period
• RAJAs: Leader of a group of villages banded together.
• - Primarily a war leader who was responsible for protecting
the people.
• - Received payment for food and money.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Varnas- Social Classes
--Society was divided into 4 varnas—

Brahmins High Ranking, smallest,
priests/teachers
Kshatriyas warriors and rulers
Vaisyas common people, traders, farmers, herders.
Sudras servants
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
•
Over centuries, the four varnas were divided into hundreds of
smaller divisions called CASTES
•
Membership in a caste determined what jobs one could hold
and whom one could marry.
•
Social hierarchy developed in which some castes had more
privileges than others.
•
A group referred to as the UNTOUCHABLES: No
protections of caste law and could perform only jobs that
other castes did not, such as handling dead animals.
CHINA’S FIRST DYNASTIES

Two Rivers:
Huang He & Yangzi
Both flow east to the
Yellow Sea
South: Rainy, rice
 North: Cooler/dryer,
wheat

SHANG
Combination of rivers for
irrigation and fertile soils for
planting allowed china to
thrive
 Relative isolation helped early
civilization develop and grow


Based on archaeological
discoveries, historians believe
that civilization started around
9,000 years ago


1766 BCE
Centered on Huang He Valley


Ruled by strong monarchy
Kings were surrounded by a
Appointed governors to
distant parts of kingdom
 Large army, prevented
rebellions
 Largely agricultural

SHANG BELIEFS
 What
we know comes from royal tombs
 Most contained valuable items made of bronze
and jade
 Hundreds of sacrificed prisoners of war buried
with ruler
 Still needs riches and servants
SHANG BELIEFS
ZHOU DYNASTY
Took over around 1100 BCE
 1st period generally peaceful
 Later, conflict moved the
kingdom east

Zhou concerned the Shang
would not accept them,
introduced idea of

Shang overthrown because they
had “lost gods’ favor”

Mandate of Heaven explained



Adopted Iron
Cities grew
Canals, transportation
NEW PHILOSOPHIES
 CONFUCIANISM
 Treat others humanely
 Express love and respect
 Confucius sought to restore respect for tradition
 Rulers should treat subjects fairly
 Subjects should reward their ruler with
respect/loyalty
 Led to rulers appointing well-informed advisors
DAOISM
 DAOISM
 Encourages people to retreat from laws of society
 Yield to laws of nature
 DAO=THE WAY
○ Limitless force, part of all creation
○ All things in nature are connected
○ Find your place in nature, find harmony with universe
 Yin & Yang: balance, perfect harmony with nature