The Indus River Valley
How did climate and geography influence the rise
of India’s first civilization?
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India is considered a sub-continent of Asia. It is separated by the Himalaya mountains in the
north east and the Hindu-Kush mountains in the north west.
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Today, five nations make up the Indian sub-continent: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and
Bangladesh.
Geography
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Two fertile river valleys (Ganges River and Indus River)
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Ganges runs south out of the Himalaya and flows into Indian Ocean
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Indus River empties into Arabian Sea – area around the Indus is called Indus River valley
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Dry and hilly Deccan Plateau south of river valleys
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Lush, fertile plains on eastern and western coasts
Climate
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Monsoons are important part of climate
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Winter monsoon – brings cold, dry air of mountains
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Summer monsoon – warm, wet air from Arabian Sea – drenching rains
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Rains come on time and rainy season is long enough, crops will be good; rains delayed,
drought will occur
India’s Early CivilizationWhere did the first urban Indian civilization begin?
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The Indus river valley was a good place to settle for many reasons: Summer monsoon – river rose higher and
flooded nearby land leaving behind rich and fertile soil; Farmers used rich soil to grow crops to feed families
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Plentiful food allowed people to make tools, build houses, trade extra food and grow wealthy and then build larger
cities, so a surplus of food leads to specialization!
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Indus civilization (also called the Harappan) consisted of more than 1,000 villages and towns and stretched from
the Himalaya to the Arabian Sea
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Historians learn about Indus from ruins of major cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
What can we learn from the ruins of
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
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Well-planned cities with fortress built on a brick platform (probably for protection) and wide main
streets and smaller side streets
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Wall surrounded each neighborhood and narrow lanes separated houses
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Most houses had flat roofs and built with mud bricks baked in ovens
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Houses varied in size but all had same layout with a courtyard in the middle and smaller rooms
around it
How did people live in Harappan
society?

Although Harappa’s didn’t leave many historical records, we can guess (from the ruins) that religion and politics were
closely connected. For example the Royal palace and temple may both have been enclosed in a fortress. A statue of a priestking was found among the ruins too.
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The seals they left behind show they had a writing and communication system. Most Harappa’s were farmers- they grew
rice, wheat, barley, peas, cotton
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These Harappa city dwellers made copper and bronze tools, clay pottery, cotton cloth, jewelry from gold, shells and ivory
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Toys for children; Shows that the children were cared for and allowed to play
How did the Aryans come to dominate the region?
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Harappan civilization collapsed because of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, allowing the Indus
River region to be taken over by the Aryans Herders part of a larger group referred to as Indo- Europeans

Cattle – prized possession, used as money; wealth was measured by number of cattle- leads to “sacred cow”
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Good warriors who invaded nearby villages as expert horse riders and hunters with metal-tipped spears and
wooden chariots
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Left home territories and entered Indus River valley in about 1500 BCE and mixed in with those local cultures
What changes did the Aryans bring to the Indian
subcontinent?
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Aryans no longer lived as nomads and became farmers; Declared cattle as sacred and forbidden
to be eaten
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Technology improved farming- they invented the iron plow. India’s varied climate supported crops
(wheat, barley and millet, spices – pepper, ginger and cinnamon)
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New written language – Sanskrit
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Organized into tribes led by rajas who ran own small kingdoms who fought within
over cattle and treasure and women kidnapped from other states
Society in Ancient India- How did the Aryan
created caste system separate people into groups?
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Indians call these groups jati. The word caste is Portuguese.
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The system may be based on skin color as the Aryans were lighter skinned than the native
Indian peoples.
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The caste system kept groups separate and set rules for behavior
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The Aryans were at the top of the system despite being greatly outnumbered, which helped
to keep them in control
What were the social levels of the caste system?

The thousands of different jati in society were grouped into four classes called Varnas
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The top two were Brahmins and Kshatriyas. Brahmins included priests. Kshatriyas included warriors.
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Vaisyas were the farmers and merchants
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Sudras were manual labors and servants- most populated group
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Untouchables did not belong to any Varna- they performed dirty work such as collecting trash, skinning animals
or handling dead bodies.
What were the roles of men and women in Aryan
society?
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Oldest man in family was in charge- men had more rights than women- only sons could inherit property, go to school, or become priests.
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In high society, boys were taught by a guru until he was old enough to go to the city – these boys had to finish 12 years of school before
they could marry
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Marriages are often arranged, even nowadays, divorces are not allowed, but a husband could take a second wife if his first wife couldn’t
have kids
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The practice of suttee; where wives throw themselves on the
funeral pyre of their husbands was once common
Terms to Know
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Subcontinent- A large landmass that is part of a continent but distinct from it.
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Himalaya- The mountain range that forms a barrier between India and the rest of the Asian continent.
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Ganges River- River in India that flows from the Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal
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Indus River- A River in Asia, that begins in the Himalaya in Tibet and flows through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.
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Monsoons- An annual strong wind pattern in South Asia that blows in one direction in winter, off of the Himalaya bringing cool
winds, and the opposite direction off of the Arabian Sea in summer bringing warm rain.
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Aryans- a group of shepherds and herders, once nomads who lived in central Asia
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Sanskrit- the written language developed by the Aryans
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Raja- a prince of an Aryan tribe
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Caste- a social group that someone is born into and cannot change
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Brahmins-The top Indian social group
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Guru- a religious teacher and spiritual guide
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Questions and Answers
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Why are monsoons important to Indian farmers?
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Monsoons flooded the rivers and when they receded rich soil for farming was left behind.
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Why do you think nomad like the Aryan’s were great warriors?
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They had horses and were skilled with metal.
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After crossing the mountains, what physical features did the Aryan follow into India?
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The Ganges River Valley
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Into what area of southern India did the Aryans travel?
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The Deccan Plateau
More Questions and
Answers
 What were the five major groups in Indian society?
 Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Sudras, and the Untouchables.
 How is India separated from the rest of Asia?
 It is separated by the Himalaya mountain range.
 From what material were most of the houses in
Mohenjo- Daro made?
 They were made from clay bricks and had flat roofs.
Even More Q and A
 What two rivers are found in northern India?
 The Indus and Ganges Rivers
 Based on the area’s geography, what parts of the
Indian subcontinent do you think are best for
settlement?
 The Ganges and Indus River valleys and the coastal
areas.