SS Ch.10 Lesson 1

The Indian Subcontinent
Ancient India -> Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
The tallest mountains in the world, The Himalayas, separate the Indian subcontinent and Asia

The northern plains
Flat, low land with fertile plains
The Deccan
High, hilly land
The Indus and Ganges River both lie in the northern plains
Carved wide river plains

Importance of Floods
Indian rivers often flooded during
summer monsoon. The floods were
harmful, but they also deposited fresh
silt on the farmlands,
creating the fertile soil.
Well-Planned Cities
The people of the Indus River Valley built farming village on large mounds of mud and stones to keep above the flood level

Three largest cities1. Harappa
2. Lothal
3. Mojenjo- Daro

Indus River Valley often called Harappan civilization

Well-Planned Cities
Each city-state had a grid divided into blocks of brick building
Each had a citadel
Inside the walls-
Government building, palaces, religious buildings, and granaries
City-states used same script, units for measuring length and weight, leading scholars to believe that they were linked in some way

Harappan Trade
Harappan civilization traded cloth, figurines, pots, jewelry, and tools for timber, grain, and metalsThey marked their goods with stone seals with writings and drawings of animals

Trade was important to Harappan cities.
Harappan goods were traded
as far away as central Asia,
Mesopotamia, and the Persian Gulf.
Mohenjo-Daro

The city was a model of thoughtful planning, which suggests that they had a strong government
35,000 people lived in Mohenjo-Daro
Wealthy people lived in multi floor brick houses
Most people lived in huts
Most homes had separate rooms for cooking, sleeping, and bathing

The best known Indus city is
Mohenjo-Daro. Mohenjo-Daro and
the Harappan civilization declined
after 1750 B.C. Possible reasons
are floods, invaders, and earthquakes.