Asia in the Past. Indus Civilization

Transcription

1 Indus Civilization Asia in the Past Who were people living in this civilization? What did they do? How did they live? In which cities did they live? How well were the cities designed? How long did this civilization last? How was it destroyed?

2 The word Civilization comes from the Latin word Civilis, meaning Civil, related to the Latin Civis, meaning Citizen, and Civitas, meaning City or City- State.

3 Most people in this civilization were farmers; they grew crops, such as wheat, barley, peas, and cotton. They wove cotton into cloth and sold it in far a way places (they were perhaps the first people in the world to use cotton clothes). Indus craftsmen had learnt to use copper and brass as well as silver and gold. They also had invented a system of writing.

4 The Indus people had two large cities Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. These cities were best designed in the world at that time; the buildings were made of baked bricks; the houses were large and comfortable; each house has its own well to supply water; the houses had bathrooms, sit-down toilets, made of bricks and drain pipes; the drain pipes emptied into sewers running along the streets.

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6 The Indus civilization lasted about one thousand years; it came to an end around 1500BC. It was believed to be destroyed by a great flood in the Indus valley. Farms and villages were drowned; buildings in the cities crumbled; the people had to abandon their farms, villages, and cities.

7 Indus River provides water resource for the Economy of Pakistan, especially the Punjab Province.

8 The Aryans [earjen] were people who entered the Indus Valley by the time of the great disaster. Who were these Aryans? Where did they come from? Which language did they use? Aryans were invaders, came in groups over many years, they were originally wandering herdsmen (pastoral profession domesticate livestock), later when they mixed with the local Indians, they gave up their wandering habits.

9 The Aryans were related to the ancestors of Europeans, such as Greeks, the Romans, the Celts[k], and the Germans. The language of the Aryans was Sanskrit. When they arrived in India, they brought ideas and beliefs, but later they accepted many of the customs and ways of life of the earlier Indians; they settled down in villages, in each village there was a headman called Rajah (king). Gradually, several villages joined together to form a kingdom. Many kingdoms arose in India.

10 Hindu Empires What is an empire? It is a group of states under one government or ruler. One of the greatest empires of India is called Gupta Empire. During the Gupta Empire, Indian civilization reached its peak. What was famous about Gupta Empire?

11 Gupta Empire lasted about 250 years (approx. from 320 to 550CE or AD); Gupta rulers encouraged musicians, dramatists, and writers; the rulers set up several universities; it was founded by Maharaja Sri-Gupta Kalidasa - the Indian greatest poet and playwright (dramatist = a person who writes plays) produced collectionof animal stories, calledpanchatantra. Gupta mathematicians developed the system of numbering we used today, they also invented decimal system; Gupta doctorsperformed plastic surgery.

12 Gupta Empire Gupta Empire The Elephant and Sparrowtwo sparrows, husband and wife The Elephant and the Rabbit (Indian animal fables = stories)

13 The Moghul Empire Began in the 16 th century. This empire was not Hindu, but Muslim. The Moghul Empire built a beautiful mosques, tombs, and palaces. One Moghul emperor named Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal. The Moghul declined at the beginning of the 18 th century.

14 What is Taj Mahal? Where is it in India? In which state is it in India? Who built it? When was it built? For whom was it built? Why is the Taj Mahal famous? Do you wish to see it? Why?

15 NOTICE! B.C. => Before Christ, means the number of years before the time of Jesus Christ. That was about 2000 years ago, so the date 552 B.C. means 2552 years a go. Sometime we see B.C.E => Before the Common Era. AD = Anno Domini or Anno Domine => denotes the years after the birth of Jesus (EX: 68B.C, but 2010A.D. = Buddhist calendar = 2554 [Buddha was born 554 years before Christ], or sometime is called Common Era => Christian Era => CE

16 Vocabularies Weave Wove Woven Copper red brown metal Brass - yellow alloy of copper Sewer conduit, underground, for carrying off drainage water and sewage (waste matter convey in sewers ) Drown (ed) killed or died by submersion ( being under water) in liquid, such as flood Crumbled- smashed, ground, powder Abandon give up, leave

17 Taj Mahal Is a mausoleum (tomb),; Located in Agra (State Uttar Pradesh), India; It was built in a memory of the 3 rd wife of Shah Jahan; It was built in ; It is famous because: 1 st It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983; 2 nd It is a large white marble a unique, massive, impressive architectural accomplishment with 55 meters high. (statue of liberty is only 46 high).

18 Taj Mahal

19 The Great Wall in China The Great Wall of China was built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire. It was built in the 5 th BC, and has been rebuilt and maintained from then through the 16th century. It is one of the most famous wall built by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The construction had been continued during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi).