Ancient India

History & Geography

Lesson 1
 Geography of India
India is located in southern Asia.
The northern border is formed by the
Himalaya Mountains, the highest mountain
range in the world.
3214 km from north to south 2933 km from east to west

Total land area 3,287,263 sq. km

population of more than 1.2 billion.

 China
 Pakistan
N  Myanmar and
W E Bangladesh
S
 Sri Lanka

Most of the country is surrounded by water:

The Arabian Sea to the

south west side
The Bay of Bengal to
the south east
The Indian Ocean
to the south
Geography • Almost every climate exists in
India.

• Glaciers are in the Himalaya

Mountains.

• In the western states of Gujarat

and Rajasthan is the Thar
Desert, one of the driest places
on earth.

• To the east in Meghalaya are the

world’s two wettest cities,
Cherrapunji and Mawsynram –
457 inches of rain each year.

• The Ganges Plain, in the east is

one of the world’s most fertile
places.

• The southern part of India is the

Deccan Plateau that is bordered
on both sides by mountains
known as the Western and
Eastern Ghats.
The Himalayas
 The Indus River Valley

•The Indus Valley Civilization is one of the oldest civilizations.

•In the 1920s, archaeologist found evidence of early human civilizations in
the Indus River Valley dating back to 3,000 BC. These first people settled
near the Indus River.
•This civilization is known as the Harappan Civilization, named after the
first city archaeologists discovered – Harappa.
•The great cities of this civilization were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, which
were located in present day Pakistan. There were at least 80 other villages
and towns in this area.
What would it have been like to live in the United States in 3,000 BC?
Harappan Civilization & Neighbors
c. 2000 B.C.E.

What might be some positive and negative effects of the location

of the Harappan Civilization?
 Indus River Valley History
• Harappa grew on the
floodplains of the
Indus River. Because
of flooding, it was
rebuilt five times.

• Mohenjo-Daro was
rebuilt six times
because of flooding.
 Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro
• Archaeologists discovered
planned cities that were laid
out in grids, with straight
streets in Mohejo-Daro and
Harappa.
• They were the first people to
plan the building of cities.
The cities were built on a
common plan:
• About one square mile in size in
a rectangular layout
• Two sections for each city:
1. A Walled Citadel containing
administrative buildings,
 Cities

• Streets were laid out in grids that formed

blocks with homes.
• Most homes had only one room, but some
had multiple rooms and stories.
• Some contained inner courtyards and brick
staircases that led to upper floors or roofs.
• Most buildings were made from baked bricks.
 Indus Valley Plumbing

The Indus Valley Civilization was advanced in many ways:

1. Plumbing – many homes were equipped with bathrooms
including toilets and baths
2. Houses received water from wells in their home’s courtyard or
from a public well.
3. A drainage system, located underneath the streets, removed
water from homes.
 Writing
• The Harappans were
literate – able to read and
write.
• Many of the artifacts that
have been found contain
writing – pictographic
script.
• No one has been able to
figure out what the writing
means.
• The writing was done on
bricks or seals not on paper
or clay tablets.
The Aryans Arrive c. 1500 BC

•The Aryrans were nomadic people, traveling from

one place to another in search of food and shelter.
•They were originally from Black Sea and Caspian
Sea areas.
•For several hundred years the Aryans spread from
Central Asia to the Indus River Valley.
 The Aryans
• They called themselves “noble
ones” or “superior ones.”

• The Aryans were tall, with light

colored hair and had blue or
green eyes.

• The were a warring people,

and often fought among
themselves.

• Aryans learned to farm the

fertile soils of the Indus River
Valley.
 CASTE SYSTEM

• In each tribe, people began to belong to one of

four groups according to their jobs or Castes:

1. Brahmana – priests
2. Kshatriya – warriors or soldiers
3. Vaishya – traders & farmers
4. Shudra – perple in service to others

• Your occupation was the occupation of your father.

If your father was a farmer, you had to be a
farmer.
 Modern History

• Other groups of people conquered and ruled India until

1757, when a British company called the East India
Trading Company changed from being traders with India
to their rulers.

• The Indian people were frustrated under British rule.

• In 1919, 400 unarmed Indian people were killed by

British soldiers.
Indian Independence
• Mahatma Gandhi became
India’s leader for freedom. He
believed in peaceful,
nonviolent protests instead of
fighting. He used hunger
strikes and prayer to achieve
his goals.

• In 1947, Great Britain granted

India independence.