Chapter 2, section 3: Indus River Valley Civilization (Harappan)
citadel
an elevated fortress overlooking a city; a stronghold cities were built around them
Indus Valley Civilization (aka Harappan Civilization)
ancient civilization in NW India & Pakistan, along the Indus River flood plain c. 2500-1500 BC
terracotta
baked clay, used for sculpture and as a building material
pictograph
A picture or drawing representing words or ideas
Major seasonal winds They bring moisture in from the Indian Ocean for 1/2 the year, causing the rainy season They take it out to sea during the other half, causing the dry season
Monsoons
1. City planning using grid pattern 2. indoor plumbing & underground drainage systems- long before anyone else 3. standardized weights & measures 4. distillation 5. terracotta (oven-baked clay) bricks of standard sizes
Harappan innovations
Cotton jewelry silver, bronze, copper & tin items woven, dyed cloth decorative beads and buttons terracotta pottery and figurines
Harappan products
Merchants used water and land routes connecting the Indian subcontinent to Egypt, the Middle East, and central Asia
Harappan trade networks
World's tallest mountain range forms the NE border of India & separates it from China
Himalayas
Mountain chain separating Pakistan and northern India from the rest of Asia
Hindu Kush Mountains
Harappan writing system uses pictographs no one has been able to decipher them
Indus script
28 mile gap in Hindu Kush mountain chain that is the only land passage from India into central Asia
Khyber Pass
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
The 2 major cities of the Harappan civilization; built of terracotta brick
Indus and Ganges Rivers
most important rivers on the Indian subcontinent
Harappan religion
polytheistic showed strong concern with female fertility
brick-lined pool collected rainwater for drinking and bathing accessed by steps going down
stepwell
Pieces of stone carved with images & writing. These were pressed into the clay used to seal jars or to create clay "id tags." This allowed merchants to identify and track their products. The discovery of these seals is one way archaeologists can tell the Indus Valley people were trading with Mesopotamia and Egypt.
stone seals
A large landmass jutting out from a continent the land containing Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka is an example
subcontinent
Archaeological evidence of a peaceful civilization
the discovery of children's toys and games
