The Indus River Valley

Indus Valley Civilization

~ 2500 BC 1500 BC
Around 2600
B.C. the
various
regional
cultures were
united in what
is called the
Indus Valley
Civilization. It
is also
commonly
referred to as
the Harappan
culture after

 Natural borders
consisted of mountains
and the Arabian Sea,
which sheltered the
civilization from attack
and disease.
Water from the river
fertilized and irrigated
crops. Proximity to the
river allowed boats to
become a viable
transportation option.

Indus River Valley

This civilization is still
mysterious.
Symbols have been
found that suggest a
writing system but it
has not been
translated.
Because of this, we
dont know any
famous names from
the area.

Indus Valley Script

Here are several
examples of Indus
Valley writing. It is
believed that the
Indus Valley people
may have also
written on palm
leaves or cloth but
no evidence of this
has survived.

Indus River civilization

We do know the cities
were sophisticated
enough to have brick
walls surrounding them
for protection against
flooding from the Indus
River.
There was also a sewage
and drainage system
throughout the city.
Must have had an
organized government

Here is a reconstruction of what the entrance

to Mohenjo Daro might have looked like.

This is a photograph of The Great Bath at

Mohenjo Daro. This is one of the earliest
examples of a public bath or water storage
system found in the world. The Indus Valley
people were great architects and city planners.

Agriculture
The development of widespread
irrigation systems allowed the
indigenous population to provide
food for themselves. Wheat and
barley were primary crops, however
rye, peas, cotton, and rice were also
grown. Domestication of animals also
served as an important tool for
cultivation and as a source of food.

Indus Economy
Just like the other
river valley
civilizations, the
Indus river valley
people were mostly
farmers.
Traditional economy
They did trade with
Chinese and with
Sumerians
(Mesopotamians).

Art
Artisans made statues to represent their
gods and goddesses (some historians
believe they were Hindu).
They also made pottery, jewelry from
copper, bronze, silver and gold, as well
as ceramic toys.
Seals were also created inscribed with
the picture of an animal and symbols. It
is believed they were created to show
ownership and each person would have
had their own seal.

Decline and new culture

Around 1500 BCE, a group of nomadic
warrior-herders crossed the narrow Khyber
Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains and
invaded the Indus Valley culture.
These people, the Aryans, came from
Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and
Caspian Sea, probably looking for pastures
for their animals.
Flooding and earthquakes had weakened
the Indus Valley culture and they were
unable to withstand the newcomers.

The route of
the Aryans
into India.

The Aryans brought with them their own

language, called Sanskrit and religious and
cultural beliefs.
The Indus Valley people eventually became
intermixed with the Aryan people and the two
cultures together make up what is now much
of the culture of modern India.
Hinduism, the major religion of India, was a
mixture of Aryan and Indus Valley beliefs.
The caste system, which keeps people in
strict social classes, was brought to India by
the Aryans.

Caste System
People are born into the social class
of their parents and they stay in that
class for the rest of their life.
Each class looks down on the others
until you get to the untouchables
at the bottom.
The class you are born into was the
class you died in.

Chandala

That concludes Indus River

Valley Civilization.