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Indus Valley Civilizationa Primary Phase
Culturelittle or no continuity
with the following cultures
forgotten until the 19th Century◦ rediscovered by the
British
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INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATIONa Primary Phase Culturelittle or no continuity with the following
culturesforgotten until the 19th Century
◦rediscovered by the British
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Harappan CultureIndus valley
◦not desert◦well-watered and heavily forested
500 miles along the river valley◦10-20 times larger than
Mesopotamia or Egypt
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India
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Hydraulic Culturelike Egypt and Mesopotamiaagriculture and flood-controlsignificant industry and tradecities very common
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Indus Valley
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Lack of Sources literate culture
◦we cannot read the writing◦writing on bricks and seals◦did not use paper or clay tablets
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“Unicorn” seal + writingARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
More sealsARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
…and more seals...ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
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Seated “yogi” : early Shiva?ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
Reasonable generalizationsrapid development: early 2,000s
B.C.roughly contemporary with Egypt
and Mesopotamiaearly village culturechanging rapidly to urban
civilization
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Generalizations, con’t cities dominated both economic
and political activityorigins of the people are unclear
◦similar to the Mediterranean type
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Major CitiesHarappa and Mohenjo-daro
◦surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages
one situated in the northone situated in the south
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Cities, con’tuniform culture over a wide areacities built on a common plan
◦a grid: always NS and EW axes with twelve smaller grids
◦kiln-dried brick
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Grid map of Mohenjo-daro
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Mohenjo-daro : aerial viewARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”
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The “Great Bath”ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
another view of the “Great Bath”ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
view of a small, side streetARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well
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A bathroom on a private residenceARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...
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A large drain or sewer ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
Monumental architecturevery-large scale buildingwalled cites, with fortified
citadelsalways on the same scalepalaces, temples
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Architecture, con’t large grain storage facilities near
templesa theocracy ??planned economy
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Harappan granary
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Citiesvery densely populatedhouses: two to three storiesevery house is laid out the same
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Culture and Societyadvanced agriculturesurplus productiontextiles: wool and cottondomesticated animals and fish
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Bronze Age technologyno swordsspears and bowsstone arrow heads
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Societydominated by priests ?from the fortified palaces and
temples ?power base: fertility ?deities: male and female, both
nudebull worship and phallic symbols
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A priest? A bull
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Tradewith lower Mesopotamiabut gradually declined
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Declinedomination of an indigenous
people ?◦who rebelled ?
foreign invasion?gradual decline ?
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Combination of Changesclimate shift: the monsoon
patternsfloodingdestruction of the forestsmigrations of new peoples: the
Aryans
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The Aryan InvasionsIndus civilization on the verge of
collapseabout 1500 B.C.settlement by a nomadic people
◦the Aryans
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Possible route of the Aryan invasionsARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER
The Aryansnot to be confused with Hitler’s
“Aryans”these Aryans speak an Indo-
European dialectrelated to other languages like
Greek and Latin
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Map of Language Families
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The Aryans, con’t they called themselves “Aryans”their land: “Aryavarta”
◦land of the Aryans
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Gradual settlementover a long period of timegradual infiltration more primitive than the earlier
culture
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Settlement, con’t new society by 1,200 B.C. or solittle evidencenot literateno record system
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Oral Traditionpassed down from priests and
singerswritten down in the 500’sThe Vedas
◦“Veda” means “knowledge”
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The Vedasour primary source
◦early Aryan tradition◦later Hindu religion
four “vedas”◦the Rig Veda is the oldest
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Krishna with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksketra
2 points to the first person who can tell whether this is a modern or ancient painting and why?
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Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna in his manifold aspects
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The Vedasoral poetrycome to have a sacred characterprovide some historical
information
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The Aryansrestless, warlike peopletall, blue-eyed, fair-skinneddescribe the indigenous
population as◦short, “black”, noseless, and slaves
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The Aryans, con’toriginally pastoralistsfamily, clan, tribe (typical Indo-
Europeans)eventually settled down to
farmingliving in villages
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The Aryans, con’t villages and kingdoms constantly
fightingWar chiefs and kingsaristocrats and freemen
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The Aryans, con’tfond of fighting, drinking, chariot
racing, gambling chasing women and bragging about their spears◦any modern comparisons ???
fond of taking soma◦a psychedelic drug◦probably psychotropic mushrooms
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Aryans and HindusAryans give rise to Hindu societybut different characteristics
◦cows: they ate them◦classes, but no castes◦priests subordinate to the nobility
the Mahabharata
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The Iron Age: new sourcesthe Vedas: passed on orallythe Brahamanas:
interpretations on the Vedasthe Upanishads: interpretations
and symbolic studies◦forerunners of later dissenting
literature
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Strain of changeIron Age change causes strain on
the class systemblurring of lines between Aryans
and Daas◦answered with the caste system
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Caste Systemskin colorritual purity“Us--Them” feelingsdivine order of four castes
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Caste System (“Varnas”)Brahmins: the priestsKshatriyas: the warriorsVaisyas: merchants and
peasantsSudras: non-Aryans
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Caste system, produced by Brahminsliterature emphasized the divine
orderhierarchical relationshipinheritance and marriage
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Caste system in practicewarrior class did not always
accept itnor the other classesthe process of evolution is still
going onthe most powerful organizer of
Indian society◦thousand of castes today
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Castesdefine a person’s social universedefine a person’s standard of
conductdefine a person’s expectationsdefine a person’s futuredefine how a person deals with
others
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