ANCIENT INDIA – INDUS VALLEY
CIVILIZATION

BASIC CHRONOLOGY
• . 3000 BCE: farming settlements appear along
the valley of the river Indus
in what is now Pakistan
• . 2500 BCE: high point of the Indus Valley
civilization
• . 2000 BCE: some Indus sites showing signs of
decline
• . 1500 BCE: the Aryan invasions

ANCIENT INDIA

GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA
India is considered a
“subcontinent” because of
its size.
North: high mountains, the
Himalayas and Hindu Kush.
Center: Deccan Plateau.
Deccan
Plateau

INDUS VALLEY
The Indus River is
located in Pakistan.
Indus Valley Civilization:
Two major cities:
Harappa and Mohenjo-
Daro.
Another major river:
Ganges

THE INDUS VALLEY CULTURE
•Mostly peaceful farmers.
•Built large cities with
ordered streets and bricks
made all the same size.
•Strong central
government.
•Statues of priests and
kings.

•Advanced civilization with large cities, running water and
sewer systems.
•We do not know a lot about them because we cannot yet
read their writing.
•Traded with the people of
Mesopotamia and Egypt

Traded with Iran and
neighboring regions in
India to the east.
Harappa:

Mohenjo-Daro
Traded with the
Persian Gulf and
Sumer to the west.

Political Structure:
Villages & cities were never
politically united; however, they
did share a common language &
culture.

•TRADING
SEALS
Writing developed
from earlier
trading seals,
which had the
merchants name
and symbols of
trade items.

•Wheel technology 2300-2200
B.C.E.

•Standard weights and measures
based on ratio of 1/16th.

Religious beliefs:
•Great Bath Tanks were used for the
purification of the body & soul.

• The first
civilization to
cultivate cotton
and make cotton
clothing.

• Religion beliefs were centered on the idea of an afterlife, thus
bodies were buried with personal items.