1. Section 1 Notes

2. In 1922, archaeologists in northwestern
India made a huge discovery
Digging in the Indus River valley they
discovered evidence of a lost civilization
believed to be 3500 years old
The Indus River valley is located on the
Indian subcontinent
Subcontinent---large landmass that juts out
from a continent

5. The Indian subcontinent is a huge, wedge-
shaped peninsula extending into the Indian
Ocean
Today, it includes 3 of the world’s 10 most
populous countries---India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh
The northern border of the subcontinent is
framed by the towering, snow-covered
Hindu Kush and Himalaya mountain
ranges

10. The Indian subcontinent is divided into
three major zones: the well-watered
northern plain, the dry triangular Deccan,
and the coastal plains on either side of the
Deccan

11. The northern plain lies just south of the
mountains
This fertile region is water by mighty rivers:
the Indus (which gives India its name), the
Ganges*, and the Brahmaputra
These rivers and their tributaries carry
melting snow from the mountains to the
plains, making agriculture possible

13. The most recognizable feature on any map
of India is the Deccan
This triangular plateau juts into the Indian
Ocean
The Deccan lacks melting snows that feed
the rivers of the north and provide water
and irrigation
As a result, much of the Deccan is
arid, unproductive, and sparsely populated

14. The coastal plains are separated from the
Deccan by low-lying mountain ranges, the
Eastern and Western Ghats
Rivers and heavy seasonal rains provide
water for farmers
People use the seas for fishing and as
highways for trade

15. Today, as in the past, a defining feature of
Indian life is the monsoon, a seasonal wind
In October, the winter monsoons blow from
the northeast and bring a flow of hot, dry
air that withers crops
In late May or early June, the wet summer
monsoons blow from the southwest and
drench the land with daily downpours

16. The monsoon has shaped Indian life
Each year, people welcome the rains that
are desperately needed to water the crops
If the rains are late, famine and starvation
may occur
If the rains are too heavy, rushing rivers
unleash deadly flooding

17. The earliest Indian civilization emerged in
the Indus River valley in present-day
Pakistan about 2500BC
This civilization flourished for 1000 years
then vanished without a trace
Archaeologists have not fully uncovered
many Indus Valley sites

18. The two main cities, Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro may have been twin
capitals
Both were large and were about three
miles in circumference
Each was dominated by a massive hilltop
structure, probably a fortress or temple
Both cities had huge warehouses to store
grain brought in from outlying villages

19. The most striking feature of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro is that they were so
carefully planned
Each city was laid out in a grid pattern
All houses were built of uniform oven-fired
clay bricks
Houses had surprisingly modern plumbing
systems, with baths, drains, and water
chutes that led into sewers beneath the
streets

23. Archaeologists have concluded that the
Indus Valley cities had a well-organized
government
Powerful leaders made sure the people
had a steady supply of grain
The rigid pattern of building and the
uniform brick sizes suggest government
planners

24. Most Indus Valley people were farmers
They great a wide variety of crops that
included wheat, barley, melons, and dates
They were the first people to cultivate
cotton and weave its fibers into cloth

25.  Some people were merchants and traders
 Their ships carried cargoes of cotton cloth,
grain, copper, pearls, and ivory combs
 By hugging the Arabian Sea coast and sailing
up the Persian Gulf, Indian vessels reached
the cities of Sumer
 Contact with Sumer may have stimulated
Indus Valley people to develop their own
system of writing

26. The peoples of the Indus Valley
civilizations were polytheistic
A mother goddess, the source of
creation, seems to have been widely
honored
Indus people also worshipped sacred
animals, including the bull
Some scholars think these early practices
influenced later Indian beliefs, especially
veneration for cattle

27.  Began the excavation of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro in the 1940s
 Wheeler was a noted scientist but also had a
reputation as a scoundrel
 His scandals, self-promotion, and success---
combined with his manipulation of the press--
-drew thousands of visitors to his sites
 Possibly more than any other
person, Wheeler is responsible for the
public’s fascination with the work of
archaeologists