5.1  –  Geography  and  Early  India          Essential  Question:  How  do  India’s  rich  history  and  culture                                                                                    affect  the  world  today?    

     Big  Idea:  Indian  civilization  developed  on  the  Indus  River.  

Key Term Definition Memory Clue

 subcontinent

A  large  landmass  that  is  smaller  than  a  continent,  and  usually  separated  from  the  rest  of  their  continents  by  physical  features  

• India  is  considered  a  subcontinent  

 monsoons

Seasonal  wind  patterns  that  cause  wet  and  dry  seasons,  heavily  influencing  a  region’s  climate  

• Indian  summers  !  winds  blow  from  the  Indian  Ocean,  bringing  heavy  rains  and  terrible  floods  

• Indian  winters  !  winds  blow  from  the  mountains,  forcing  moisture  out  of  the  air,  and  causing  warm,  dry  winters  

 Vedas

Religious  writings  that  are  collections  of  poems,  hymns,  myths,  and  rituals  written  by  Aryan  priests.  

• Much  of  what  we  know  about  Aryan  society  comes  from  the  Vedas!  

 raja

A  skilled  warrior  and  leader  who  ruled  an  Aryan  village  and  the  land  around  it    Although  many   rajas  were   related   and   sometimes  joined   forces   to   fight  a  common  enemy,   they  often  went  to  war  against  each  other.  

 Sanskrit

The  most  important  language  in  ancient  India  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  originally  only  a  spoken  language  used  to  memorize  poems  and  hymns  important  to  Aryan  culture    Because  Aryans  figured  out  how  to  write  it  down  to  keep  records,  it  now  serves  as  a  major  source  of  information  about  their  society.    Sanskrit  is  no  longer  spoken  today,  but  it’s  the  root  of  many  modern  South  Asian  languages.  

Ancient India

   

     5.1  -­‐  Geography  and  Early  India      Essential  Question:  How  do  India’s  rich    history  and  culture  affect  the  world  today?    

 Big  Idea:  Indian  civilization  first  developed    on  the  Indus  River.      A. Geography  of  India    

India  is  known  as  a  _______subcontinent______________  of  Asia.    The  _______Himalayan__________  

Mountains  and  the  _____Hindu  Kush_________  Mountains  separate  India  from  the  rest  of  the  continent.    

Most  of  India  is  covered  by  ___fertile______  plains  and  rugged  ____plateaus_________,  but  to  the  west  of  the  

Himalayas  is  an  enormous  _____desert_______.    The  valley  of  the  ______Indus________________  River,  which  

flows  out  of  the  Himalayas,  was  the  location  of  India’s  first  _____civilization_________.    Just  like  other  

rivers,  the  Indus  ____flooded______,  which  caused  a  layer  of  fertile  _____silt______________  to  be  left  behind  

for  ideal  farmland.    India’s  _____climate____________  is  hot  and  humid,  which  is  influenced  by  seasonal  

wind  patterns  called  ______monsoons__________.    In  the  summers,  monsoons  brought  ____heavy_______  

___rains__________  that  caused  terrible  _____floods_________.    In  the  winters,  winds  forced  moisture  out  of  

the  air,  creating  a  ____warm______  and  ____dry_____  season.  

 B. Harappan  Civilization  

 The  first  Indus  River  Valley  civilization  is  called  the  ___Harappan___  civilization.    Just  like  other  

ancient  societies,  they  grew  as  ____agriculture___  and  ____irrigation___________  improved.    The  food  

surpluses  from  the  farms  led  to  ____towns_____,  which  led  to  the  appearance  of  _____cities_________.    We  

have  information  about  Harappan  civilization  because  of  the  ruins  of  two  large  cities,  ____Harappa___  

and  ___Mohenjo_____  ___Daro______.    The  two  cities  were  similar,  well  planned,  and  each  near  a  towering  

___fortress______.      Most  houses  had  bathrooms  with  

___indoor__  ___plumbing______.    Artisans  created  advanced  

goods,  as  well  as  a  system  of  weights  and  measures.      

Harappans  also  developed  India’s  first  __writing_____  

___system___,  but  because  we  can’t  interpret  the  language,  we  

know  little  about  their  society.    The  society  ended  by  the  early  ___1700s__BC___,  but  no  one  is  sure  why.  

 

 C. Aryan  Migration  

 After  the  Harappan  civilization  crumbled,  the  ____Aryans_______  arrived  in  the  Indus  River  Valley  

and  became  the  dominant  group  in  India.    They  first  arrived  in  the  _____1200s____________  BC,  crossing  

into  India  through  _____mountain________  ___passes___________  in  the  northwest.    They  eventually  spread  

___south______  and  ____east______  into  central  India,  then  into  the  _____Ganges____________  River  Valley.    

Much  of  what  we  know  about  Aryan  society  comes  from  religious  writings  known  as  the  ____Vedas___.      

 Although  the  Aryans  were  originally  nomads,  or  wanderers,  they  eventually  settled  in  

____villages__________  and  began  to  _____farm________.    One  big  difference  between  the  Harappans  and  the  

Aryans  is  that  the  Aryans  did  not  build  big  __cities_________.    They  also  had  a  different  

____political_____________  system  than  the  Harappans.    Instead  of  having  a  king  and  central  government,  

The  Aryans  lived  in  small  _______communities___________  based  on  family  ties,  each  with  its  own  leader.    

These  leaders,  often  skilled  warriors,  were  known  as  ___rajas__________.    Although  many  rajas  were  

____related________,  they  did  not  always  get  along.    At  times,  they  would  join  forces  to  fight  a  common  

___enemy_______,  but  other  times,  they  would  go  to  ____war______  against  ____each____  ___other_______.  

 The  first  Aryan  settlers  did  not  ___read______  or  ____write_______,  so  in  order  to  pass  down  

information  important  to  their  culture,  they  needed  to  ____memorize___________  it.    This  included  poems  

and  hymns  such  as  the  ____Vedas________.    The  language  in  which  these  poems  and  hymns  were  

composed  was  _____Sanskrit_____________.    At  first,  it  was  only  a  spoken  language,  but  eventually,  they  

figured  out  how  to  ____write________  it  down  to  keep  records.    These  _____written________  records  are  a  

major  source  of  information  about  ____Aryan_______  society.  

               

     

                   

 

 

Main  Idea  #1:  The  geography  of  India  includes  high  mountains,  great  rivers,  and  heavy  seasonal  rain.  

   

Q:    What  is  the  shape  of  the  Indian  subcontinent?      

A:  The  shape  of  the  Indian  subcontinent  is  roughly  triangular.      

Q:    How  is  the  geography  of  the  northeastern  part  of  the  subcontinent  different  from  the  northwestern?      

A:  The  northeastern  part  of  India  has  mountains;  the  northwestern  part  of  India  has  desert.      

Q:    Why  may  Indian  farmers  consider  the  monsoons  both  a  blessing  and  a  curse?      

A:  The  monsoons  bring  rain  for  watering  fields,  but  they  also  cause  destructive  floods.    

 

Main  Idea  #2:    Harappan  civilization  developed  along  the  Indus  River.      

Q:    What  were  the  two  main  cities  of  the  Harappan  civilization?      

A:  The  two  main  Harappan  cities  were  Harappa  and  Mohenjo  Daro.      

Q:      When  did  the  Harappan  civilization  thrive?      

A:  The  Harappan  civilization  thrived  between  2300  BC  and  1700  BC.      

Q:      What  are  some  explanations  for  why  Harappa  and  Mohenjo  Daro  were  very  similar?      

A:  Communication,  trade,  and  travel  were  similar  between  Harappa  and  Mohenjo  Daro.      

Q:    How  do  we  know  about  Harappan  civilization?      

A:  We  know  about  Harappan  civilization  from  the  ruins  of  Harappa  and  Mohenjo  Daro.      

Q:    What  are  some  characteristics  of  the  cities  of  Harappa  and  Mohenjo  Daro?      

A:  Both  of  these  cities  were  well-­‐planned,  protected  by  fortresses,  had  brick  streets,  storehouses,  workshops,  and  houses.  

     

                       

 

 

Reading  Checks      

Q  #1:    How  do  you  think  monsoons  affected  settlement  in  India?      

A:  People  probably  settled  where  monsoon  rains  helped  farming,  but  tried  to  avoid  places  where  flooding  was  common.    

Q  #2:    Why  don’t  we  know  much  about  Harappan  civilization?      

A:  We  don’t  know  much  about  Harappan  civilization  because  historians  cannot  read  their  language.        

Q  #3:    What  source  provides  much  of  the  information  we  have  about  the  Aryans?      

A:  The  Vedas  provide  much  of  the  information  we  have  about  the  Aryans.      

 

Main  Idea  #3:    The  Aryan  migration  into  India  changed  the  region’s  civilization.    

 

Q:      From  where  did  the  Aryans  come?      

A:  The  Aryans  came  from  Central  Asia.      

Q:        How  was  the  Aryan  civilization  different  from  the  Harappan?      

A:  The  Aryans  were  more  warlike,  didn’t  farm  at  first,  didn’t  build  cities,  and  didn’t  have  a  single  ruling  authority.    

Q:        Why  are  the  Vedas  so  important  to  historians?      

A:  The  Vedas  are  important  to  historians  because  they  are  a  major  source  of  information  about  the  Aryans.    

Q:      Why  did  the  Aryans  memorize  their  poems  and  hymns?      

A:  The  Aryans  memorized  their  poems  and  hymns  because  at  first,  Sanskrit  was  only  a  spoken  language.    

Map  of  India    

     

This  bay  is  called…  

 

These  mountains  are  called…  

 

This  country  is  called…  

China  

This  sea  is  called…  

 

This  country  is  called…  

 

This  river  is  called…  

 

This  river  is  called…  

 

This  ocean  is  called…  

   

Word  Bank  Indian  Ocean  Bay  of  Bengal  Arabian  Sea  Ganges  River  Indus  River  China  India  

Himalaya  Mountains    

 

1.  What  major  river  was  the  basis  of  the  first  Indian  civilizations?  ___________________________________    

2.  Geographers  call  India  a  subcontinent.    Give  explanations  as  to  why.        

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

         ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    

3.  The  Indus  River  flooded  frequently  leaving  behind  a  grained  soil  called  silt.    Why  is  this  important?    

   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    

4.  Name  the  two  other  civilizations  that  have  grown  up  around  the  river  systems  listed  below.    

                   Nile  River-­‐  _______________________     Tigris  and  Euphrates  Rivers-­‐  ________________________        

Indus  River  Himalayan  Mountains  

Ganges  River  

India  

Bay  of  Bengal  Arabian  Sea  

Indian  Ocean  

Indus  River  

India  is  a  large  landmass  that’s  not  as  big  as  the  continent  of  Asia.    It  is  also  separated  from  Asia  by  lan  mountains,  which  are  landforms.  

Silt  makes  soil  nutrient,  which  helps  crops  grow  better.  

Egypt   Mesopotamia