ancient india the subcontinent
What year was the early vedic period?
1700-1100 BC
Decline and End
2000 BC environmental factor, scarcity of grazing land central and western Asia
Indus Valley Civilization-
35,000 people
Indus Valley Civilization-
500 acre site in what is now Pakistan
Indus Valley Civilization-
970s Indus valley as indigenous civilization
Manuscript Illustration
A manuscript illustration (18th c.?) of the Battle of Kurukshetra, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the Mahabharata Epic.
From the Ramayana
A painting from the late sixteenth century edition, depicting the hero of the epic, Rama, and his brother Lakshmana, defeating two demons
Indus Valley Script
About 3500 seals found
Decline and End
Altered course of Indus River
Culture-
Animal and human figurines
Indus Valley Civilization-
Animal husbandry
Indus Valley Script
Appears unrelated to any other writing system
Indus Valley Civilization-
(c.3200-1600 BC) [33rd -17th C. B.C.]
Indus Valley Civilization-
Buildings were laid out diagonally
Early Indo-Aryans
Barley and other grains cultivated by use of a wooden plow drawn by bullocks
Religion
Bull
Decline and End
Collapse by 1600 BC
Indus Valley Civilization-
Constructed on raised platforms to protect grain from floods
Early Indo-Aryans
Dancing
Indus Valley Civilization-
Decorated pottery and figurines
Indus Valley Civilization-
Differed in many respects to later civilizations
Decline and End
Disputed
Indus Valley Civilization-
Diverse crops, incl. cotton
Indus Valley Civilization-
Evidence available sufficiently proves that this civilization at its peak compared favorably with Egypt and Mesopotamia
Culture-
Ex. Swastika (Sanskrit for well being/to be good)
Indus Valley Civilization-
Extensive trade connections
Indus Valley Civilization-
Fortified cities, brick construction of homes
Early Indo-Aryans
Gambling at dice national obsession
Decline and End
Induced widespread migration of nomadic peoples
Decline and End
Intermarried with indigenous population, retained and continued aspects of the previous culture
Decline and End
Inundated heavily populous areas
Decline and End
Invaders brought seeds of new civilization
Arya
Iran
Religion
Indicate prominence of fertility cult
Krishna and Arjuna, Kurukshetra
Krishna and Arjun on the chariot, Mahabharata, 18th-19th century, India.
Religion
Male deity, horned depicted on several seals believed to be a prototype of the Hindu god Shiva
Religion
Mother goddess
Early Indo-Aryans
Music
Religion
Necessarily a matter of knowledgeable guesswork
Oooooh, Nice.
Necklace from Mohenjo-Daro made from gold, agate, jasper, steatite and green stone (lizardite or grossular garnet). The gold beads are hollow and the pendant agate and jasper beads are attached with thick gold wire. Steatite beads with gold caps serve to separate each of the pendant beads. This necklace fragment is only half of the original ornament which was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947.
Decline and End
Not an isolated event
Indus Valley Script
Numbering 270 pictographs/characters
Indus Valley Civilization-
Only a small fraction of the artifacts have been recovered
Indus Valley Civilization-
Over period of three thousand years
Early Indo-Aryans
Possessed domesticated animals
Indus Valley Civilization-
Produced wheel turned pottery
Indus Valley Civilization-
Rested on foundation of food production & stone tool making
Decline and End
Series of floods and earthquakes
Decline and End
Series of invasions
Indus Valley Civilization-
Several cities, Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa
Indus Valley Civilization-
Several layers of food producing cultures
The Ramayana
She tries to immolate herself, but the fire god, Agni, refuses to burn her, proving Sita's innocence
The Ramayana
Sita is rescued by Rama and his faithful ally Hanuman, the monkey general.
The Ramayana
Sita is suspected of having sullied her virtue while in captivity
Early Indo-Aryans
Patriarchal family unit
Indus Valley Civilization-
Some multi-storied, bathrooms which drained to sewers under the principle streets
Culture-
Some symbols employed can be found in later Indian art
Arya
Technically only applies to Iranians , Indo-Aryans of the subcontinent ,There is no justification for applying it to any European nation or racial type
Indus Valley Script
The script is, so far, undecipherable
Indus Valley Script
There has been a considerable amount of work on deciphering Indus script. The leading authority is Asko Parpola, professor emeritus of the University of Helsinki, Finland. Indus Valley script may be related to the Ancient Dravidian language.
Indus Valley Civilization-
Traded over a wide area into Iran and Afghanistan
Indus Valley Civilization-
Urban, cosmopolitan
Indus Valley Civilization-
Waterproofed bricks and ornamental art work
Shadow Puppetry
Wayang Kulit Museum Indonesia Jakarta. The origins of puppetry can be traced to the Indus valley.
Indus Valley Civilization-
Wide range of affluence and social status
The Earliest Indian Civilization
harappa
Decline and End
initial decay 1000s
the earliest indian civilization
mohenjo-dara
Hanuman
monkey general, ally of Rama
Scene from the Mahabharata
Eighteenth century tapestry embroidered with colored silks and silver
Indus Valley Civilization-
Great Granary
Culture-
Art revealed in small objects of personal adornment
Indus Valley Civilization-
As early as 4000 BC
Indus Valley Civilization-
As early as 6th century BC (500s)
Early Indo-Aryans
Avid cattle breeders - cattle used as a form of currency
Indus Valley Civilization-
Held several varieties of grain
Culture-
Bronze Age
Indus Valley Civilization-
Brought to light 1920s
Religion
Carvings & figurines found
Polyandry
Draupadi with her five husbands - the Pandavas. The central figure is Yudhishthira; the two on the bottom are Bhima and Arjuna. Nakula and Sahadeva, the twins, are standing. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma, c. 1900.
Indus Valley
Goblet
Early Indo-Aryans
Handicrafts including metalwork
Indus Valley Civilization-
Harappa
Early Indo-Aryans
Horses for chariot racing and war
Indus Valley Civilization-
Housed a 900 square ft. public bath
Early Indo-Aryans
Largely pastoral economy
Driver and team
Late Harappa figures from a hoard at Daimabad
Indus Valley Civilization-
Many unrecoverable because the rise in the water levels over the centuries
Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan
Masculine Torso
Indus Valley Civilization-
Mesopotamia 2300-2000 BC
Indus Valley Civilization-
Mohenjo-Daro
The Dancing Girl
Mohenjo-Daro
Religion
Sacred tree
Arya
noble
