SOCIAL STUDIES - CHAPTER 6 / LESSON 2

Aryans (means noble ones)

migrated both to Europe and India. The Aryan people brought Sanskrit language to the Indus Valley and the rest of the subcontinent.

Main Ideas

*Little is known about Harappan civiliazation because its writing system has not yet been figured out. *The city of Mohenjo-Daro included many brick buildings and huge citadel. The city also had a sewer system more advanced wthen any other of its time *The orderly layot of the city and its large grain warehouse suggest that Mohenjo-Daro was ruled by a strong local government *In about 1500 B.C. people called Aryans migrated to the Indian sub-continent. They brought new ideas to the region.

What was life like in the ancient cities of the Indus River Valley?

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Why is ancient Indus Valley civilization called Harappan civilization?

Ancient Indus Valley civilization is called Harappan civilization because archeaologist have no way of knowing what early people living along the Indus called themselves.

Working in Mohenjo-Daro

Harappan biulders, engineers, and craftworkers were highly skilled. As in other acient cities, farmers produced surplus food. Surplus grain was stored in a great warehouse. Perhaps as in ancient Egypt, government workers collected grain from farmers as taxes.

Harappan Trade

Harappan merchants traded with neighbors both near and far. Harappans sold stone seals in what is today Iran. They brought blue stones called Lapis lazuli form what is today Afghanistan. Beadmakers made necklaces from stones brought from what is today India. These and other goods were then traded in faraway Mesopotamia. Sailors may have taken along field birds such as crows and swallows. Then set free they would fly towards land.

What have historians learned about Harappan civilization from written sources?What have they learned from building remains in cities like Mohenjo-Daro?

Historians did not learn much about the Harappan civilization from written sources because its writing system has not yet meen figured out. They learned much from building remains, like the drainage system, and where grains were stored.

The Big Picture

Of these three civilizations - Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus River Valley - the least is known about the Indus River Valley civilization. *On reason that historians know less about this culture is that experts have not been able to figure out how to read ancient Indian writing. *another reason is that few Indus artifacts and reamins have been found.

Mohenjo-Daro (means Mound of the Dead)

a city almost exactly like Harappa about 400 miles to the south. Most homes were small, one-room buildings. Others were several stories high.

Harappa

a city named after an Indian god. The entire ancient Indus Valley civilization is called Harappan civilization. It lasted from about 2500 B.C. until about 1600 B.C.

Newcomers

around 1600 B.C. the city of mohenjo-Daro was totally abandoned, so was the city of Harappa. One possible answer, archaeologists say, is that an earthquake caused the Indus to change its course. Without river water, farming would have become very difficult. This earthquake may have created massive floods. Life went on in the Indus Valley after the disaster. Harappan civilaztion was never the same again.

City Planning

one of the most striking things about Mohenjo-Daro is the exactmess of the measurements used in making and building things. Bricklayers used thousands of same-sized bricks to pave streetsand build homes