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Indias First Civilizations and Empires

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Title: Indias First Civilizations and Empires


1
Indias First Civilizations and Empires
  • Describe the picture above-what do you think it
    was used for in Ancient times?

2
Where do most civilizations begin?
  • Ancient India is no different than Egyptian and
    Roman civilizations that began near a River
  • Indias first civilization began in 3000 B.C.E
    near the Indus River
  • More than a thousand villages and towns were part
    of this civilization
  • Indias first civilization grew quickly-because
    people had plenty of fertile soil and food they
    could spend time making tools and building
    houses.
  • People began trading food and goods with other
    people. Their wealth grew and so did their
    cities!

3
Two Major Cities
  • Harappa
  • Mohenjo-Daro

Making Observations How are these cities
similar?
4
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
  • Well-planned cities
  • Population of about 35,000 people
  • Fortresses were used to keep guard over the
    people
  • Main roads and side streets
  • Houses were made from baked mud bricks. Most
    houses had
  • wells
  • Indoor bathrooms
  • Drainage systems
  • Garbage chutes

5
Harappa Society
  • Because the Harappans left no written records, we
    dont know much about their society or
    government.
  • From their ancient architecture we can tell that
    they had palaces and temples in the city.
  • What does that tell us about their civilization?

6
Harappa Society Continued..
  • Most Harappans were farmers. They grew rice,
    wheat, barley, peas, and cotton.
  • People who lived in the city made copper and
    bronze tools, pottery, clothing, jewelry, and
    toys.
  • Archeologist rarely found weapons in city ruins.
    This shows that they were a peaceful society.
  • Harappan civilization traded with the
    Mesopotamians.

7
The Aryans Invade
  • Historians believe that several earthquakes and
    floods led to the downfall of the Harrapan
    cities.
  • The Indus River also changed its course, killing
    many people.
  • The Aryans invaded the Indus River Valley
    destroying the Harappan civilization.

8
Who were the Aryans?
9
Ancient India Social Classes
  • One result of the Aryan invasion was the
    development of the caste system.
  • A caste is a social group that someone is born
    into and cannot change.
  • It dictates what job you will have, whom you can
    marry, and with whom you can socialize.
  • Why do you think the caste system was created?

10
Indias First Empires
  • The Mauryan Empire-321 B.C.E
  • The Gupta Empire-320 B.C.E

Statue of Chandragupta Maurya-known for creating
Indias 1st Empire
11
Who built Indias First Empire?
  • Two Major Invasions in Ancient Indias history
  • Persian Invasion in the 500s
    B.C.E
  • Alexander the Great in 327 B.C.E
  • Indias first empire was founded by Chandragupta
    Maurya.
  • He was an Indian prince who conquered a large
    area of land right after Alexander the Great
  • Because many of the kingdoms throughout India
    were weak because of Alexander, he was able to
    easily take over when Alexander and his troops
    left.

12
Chandraguptas Dynasty
  • A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same
    family
  • Chandragupta controlled his dynasty by building a
    strong army and using spies.
  • He also established a postal system-how would
    this be useful to him?
  • Early stamps of India were watermarked with an
    elephant's head.

13
Emperor Asoka
  • Historians consider him to be Mauryans greatest
    king.
  • He began as a strong military leader, but later
    he turned away from violence.
  • He made a vow to live a peaceful life and follow
    Buddhism.
  • He built hospitals, roads, and sent teachers
    throughout India to teach Buddhism.
  • The empire grew weak after his death and the
    Mauryan Empire fell.

14
The Gupta Empire
  • After 500 years of fighting, another Chandragupta
    took power and founded the Gupta Empire.
  • Chandragupta died and his son, Samudragupta took
    over and expanded the Empire.
  • They ruled for about 200 years. They grew
    wealthy from trade with China, parts of Asia, and
    the Mediterranean.
  • Official Religion of the Empire was Hindu
  • Pilgrims used trade routes to travel to a
    religious shrine or site. Visiting pilgrims
    helped make cities of the Empire wealthy.
  • Can you think of a modern example of this?

15
What about Indian Culture?
The Golden Age of Art and Learning in India was
during the Gupta Empire. Contributions
16
Discussion Questions
  • Why do archeologist think the Harappans were
    peaceful?
  • Under the caste system, what aspects of life are
    affected by a persons caste?
  • What happened as a result of Alexander the
    Greats invasion of India?
  • What advancements in medicine and mathematics
    were made by the Gupta Empire?
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