Ancient World History

1. Ancient World History Chapter 3 Early Civilizations in India and China

2. Section 1 • Cities of Indus Valley

4. Geography of the Indian Subcontinent • Located in the region of South Asia or also known as the subcontinent of India • Large landmass that jets out from a continent • Today the second most populous region • Mountains to the North • Including the Himalayas

5. Geography of the Indian Subcontinent (Con’t) • Regions • Three major zones • Northern Plains • just south of the mountains • Ganges and Indus Rivers • Named India after the Indus River • Deccan Plateaus • Very arid and sparsely populated • Coastal Plains • Heavy monsoon rains • Major fishing and trading region

6. Geography of the Indian Subcontinent (Con’t) • Monsoons • October, dry hot winds hit India • May-June • West summer monsoons • Delicate balance of rain desired • Cultural diversity • A Big number of languages, customs and traditions

7. Indus Valley Civilization • Original civilization appeared in about 2500 B.C. near Pakistan on the Indus River • Mysteriously vanished • Well Planned Cities • Two main cities • Harappa and Mohenjor Daro • 3 mile circumference city with huge warehouses • Laid out in a grid pattern • Semi-modern plumbing • Merchants had a uniform system of measure and weights • Assumed well organized government and leaders

8. Indus Valley Civilization (Con’t) • People also known as Dravidians • Farming and Trade • Most people were farmers • First to cultivate cotton and weave it into cloth • Some people were merchants and traders • Sailed all the way to Sumer • Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic • Mother Goddess source of creation

9. Decline and Disappearance • Cities began losing quality of life • Possibly over ran by the Aryans with their horse drawn chariots • Aryans are from Ganges River region

10. Section 2 • Kingdom of the Ganges

11. Aryan Civilization • Warriors from the Ganges River region • Most history comes from Vedes • Collection of prayers • Mostly nomadic herders who greatly valued cattle • Aryan Society • Three Groups work • Brahmins: Priest • Kshatriyas: Warriors • Vaisyas: Herders, merchants, farmers, artisans • Sudras: Farm workers, Laborers • Gave rise to a caste system • Social groups people are born into and cannot change

12. Aryan Civilization (Con’t) • Aryan Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic • Fierce Indra • Main Deity, God of War • Weapon was a Thunderbolt • Also honored monkey and snake Gods • However began moving to a single spiritual power, Braham • Spiritual power that resided in all things • Led to Mystics • People who devote lives to seeking spiritual truth

13. Expansion and Change • Aryans were led by Rajahs • Skilled war leaders, elected by assembly of warriors • From nomads to farmers • Learned farming from those they conquered • By 800 B.C. learned to make tools out of iron • By 500 B.C. Indian Civilization emerged • Blended by Aryans and Dravidians • New written language of sanskrit

14. Nomadic warriors Felt superior to the people they conquered Built no cities and left no statues Polytheistic People born into castes, or social groups, which they could not change Religious teachings from the Vedas 2 Aryan Civilization The Aryans destroyed and looted the civilization of the Indus Valley and built a new Indian civilization, which reflected the following characteristics:

15. Epic Civilization • Mahabharata • India’s greatest epic • Contains Bhagavad-Gita • Shows Indian religious belief and becomes foundation of Hindu religion • Ramayana • Epic hero Rama saves his beautiful bride Sita • Rama and Sita become the model for men and women in Indian Culture

16. Looking Ahead • Aryan’s help bring about the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism

17. Section 3 • Early Civilization in China

18. The Geography of China • Most isolated of all early civilizations • Geographic barriers • West and southwest of China lies Mountains • Tien Shan and Himalayan Mountains • North of China lies Desert • Gobi Desert • Southeast of China lies thick jungles • East of China • Pacific Ocean • China Traded, even to the Middle East

19. The Geography of China (Con’t) • Main Regions • Rivers • Huang He (Yellow) River and Yangzi River • Regions • Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria and Tibet (Xizang) • Most nomadic people in these regions • The River of Sorrows • Civilization started near Huang He • Needed to control river • Yellow from loess • Wind blown yellow soil • Flooding Devastated the region

20. China Under the Shang • 1650 B.C. to 1027 B.C. Northern corner of China ruled by the Shang Dynasty • Government • Kings ruled small areas with Nobles governing most lands as clans • Groups of families • Social Classes • Mirrored other early civilizations • Peasant Life • Most people were peasants living in farming villages • Everyone farmed, built dikes, and fought alongside their Lords

21. Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic • Chief Goddess Shang Di • Brought Plants and Animals to earth • Did not pray to the God, but instead to great ancestors • Delicate balance between Yin and Yang • Yin • Earth, darkness and female forces • Yang • Heaven, light, and male forces

22. System of Writing • Used both pictographs and ideographs • Consulting the Ancestors for Wisdom • Oracle Bones • Wrote questions on a bone • Heated it up till the bone cracked • Interpreted the cracks

23. System of Writing (Con’t) • A difficult study • Chinese people must memorize up to 10,000- characters • Each means a letter, word or idea • Used calligraphy • Fine handwriting • A force for unity • Spoken language was different throughout the regions of China, but the written language stayed the same

24. The Zhou Dynasty • Zhou from Western China overthrew Shang Dynasty • Promoted Mandate of Heaven • Divine right to rule • Became a Dynastic Cycle • Dynasty in power till weak or corrupt • Then taken over by another Dynasty • Floods and Catastrophes signaled end of Dynasty

25. Gained control of corner of northern China along Huang He. Drove off nomads from northern steppes and deserts. Held complex religious beliefs. Developed written language used by all Chinese people. Overthrew the Shang. Promoted idea of Mandate of Heaven. Set up feudal state. Economy and commerce grew. Population increased. 3 Chinese civilization took shape under the Shang and Zhou. Zhou Dynasty (1027 B.C.–256 B.C.) Shang Dynasty (1650 B.C.–1027 B.C.)

26. 3 The Dynastic Cycle in China The dynastic cycle refers to the rise and fall of dynasties.

27. The Zhou Dynasty (Con’t) • A Feudal State • Federalism during the Zhou Dynasty • System of government in which Lords governed their lands but owed support to their ruler • Economic Growth • Ironworking developed • Better irrigation, roads, and canals • Use of coins, or money economy • Population explosion

28. Chinese Achievements • Made an accurate 365 ¼ days calendar • Silk making • Became biggest export • Later developed trade route to Middle East called Silk Road • First Books • Made first books of thin wood or bamboo