Chapter%204%20Early%20Civilizations%20in%20South%20Asia

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Chapter 4Early Civilizations in South Asia
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Geography of South AsiaGeographic Diversity --gt
Cultural Diversity

• Himalayan Mountains
• Hindu-Kush Mts
• Indus River
• Ganges River
• Indian Ocean
• Deccan Plateau
• Monsoons
• Dry
• Wet

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Harappan Society

• Challenges of Study
• Much of remains are inaccessible
• Unable to decipher written records
• Impact of Geography
• Indus River
• Unpredictable but critical
• Agriculture Wheat, Barley
• Domestication Sheep, Goats, Chicken

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Complex CitiesHarappa and Mohenho Daro

• Economic, Political and Cultural Centers
• What do the cities tell us about society?

- City Walls - Citadel - Granary - Marketplaces -
Temples - Urban Planning - Precise Grid
- Indoor Plumbing - Sewage - Public Baths -
Residential Districts - Standardized Weights and
Measures
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Harappa
Overview of the north-south oriented brick wall
(Feature 50) and doorway of the large Harappan
building in Trench 39N. Note the earlier drain
that runs east-west underneath the wall.
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Harappa
An additional six copies of these tablets, again
all with the same inscriptions, were found
elsewhere in the debris outside of perimeter wall
250 including two near the group of 16 and two
in debris between the perimeter and curtain
walls. Here all 22 tablets are displayed together
with a unicorn intaglio seal from the Period 3B
street inside the perimeter wall, which has two
of the same signs as those found on the tablets
Early Drainage System
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Mohenjo-Daro
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Mohenjo-Daro
Granary and Great Bath
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Mohenjo-Daro
Jewelry from the Indus Valley Civilization
The central ornament worn on the forehead of the
famous "priest-king" sculpture from Mohenjo-daro
appears to represent an eye bead, possibly made
of gold with steatite inlay in the center
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Trade

• Cotton Textile Industry
• Imports Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Gems and
  Semiprecious stones
• Exports Cotton, Copper, Ivory, Pearls and
  Semiprecious stones, Timber
• Trading Partners Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia,
  Anatolia

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Early Harappan Religion

• Polytheistic
• Strong Connection to Government
• Importance of Fertility
• Many gods survive in Hindu Pantheon

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Harappan Decline

• Gradual decline
• Ecological Degradation
• Deforestation --gt Desertification
• Possible Geographic Catastrophe

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Indo European Migrations

• The Aryans
• - More Pastoral Than Agricultural
• role of iron
• - Cattle Wealth
• - No Writing
• Political Structure
• - Chiefdoms ? Regional Kingdoms
• Social Structure
• - Very Rigid
• - Lawbook of Manu
• - PATRIARCHAL (Ritual of Sati)

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Religion in the Vedic Age (1500-500 BCE)

• HINDUISM
• Fusion of Aryan and Dravidian Beliefs
• Reincarnation/Karma/Dharma
• Brahman - Moksha
• ETHICS
• Ritual Sacrifices

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Evolution of Religious Beliefs/Practices

• Brahman Moksha
• Upanishads
• Increased Spirituality
• Asceticism Meditation
• Caste System
• Rigid Social Class Structure
• Changed Over Time
• Evolves with Society
• Led to Great Social Stability

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Shiva as Nataraja
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Brahma
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Vishnu
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AUM
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(No Transcript)
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All is Well