Early Civilizations in India and China India Geography

Early Civilizations in India and China

India • Geography: The Indian Subcontinent – Indus valley is located in the region India – Subcontinent- large landmass that juts out from a continent • India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – Mountain ranges, Hindu Kush and Himalayas are at the Northern border • Limited contact with India and other lands- Cultural Diversity

Three Regions • Northern Plain – Well watered, just south of the mountains – Many rivers- Indus, Ganges, Brahma putra • Carried melting snow down the mountains • Deccan Plateau – Dry and triangular shaped, juts into ocean • Lacks snow that come from the mountains, land is dry • Coastal Plains – Separated from Deccan by low lying mountain ranges-Eastern and Western Ghats • Rivers and seasonal rains provide water

• Monsoons- Seasonal winds and rain – In Oct. winds flow hot dry air – In June, moisture flows over and drenches crops • Cultural Diversity – India’s big size & diverse landscapes made it hard to unite

• Indus Valley Civilization – Emerged in what is present day Pakistan (2500 BC) – Flourished for 1000 years – Archeologists discovered the once prosperous cities • Have not uncovered all • Indus Valley covered largest area of any civilization until the rise of the Persian Empire

• Well Planned Cities – Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, twin capitals • • • Both large, 3 miles in circumference Massive hilltop structure (fortress or temple) Had warehouses to store food surplus All houses built of uniform oven-fried clay bricks Modern plumbing systems, with baths, drains, water chutes that lead to sewer beneath streets

• Farming and Trade – Grew wheat, barley, melons and dates – First people to cultivate cotton and weave fibers into cloth – Merchants and traders • Ships carried cargos of cotton, grain, copper, pearls and ivory • Religion – Finding of many statues shows they were polytheistic – Mother goddess wildly honored – Worshipped sacred animals, (bull), -Indian beliefs

• Decline and Disappearance – 1750 BC, quality of life was declining, order became unstable • Causes- Ecological disasters- Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, deforestation • Aryans, migrated and overtook land with horse drawn carriages

Kingdom of the Ganges • The Vedic Age – Aryans migrated across Europe and Asia seeking water and pasture for horses and cattle – Early Aryans didn’t build cities – Most of what we know comes from the Vedas. Collection of prayers, hymns, and other religious teachings

• Aryan priests recited and memorized the Vedas 1000 years before they were written down • 1500 BC-500 BC known as Vedic Age

• Aryan Society-Divided people by occupation – Brahmins- Priests, claimed they alone could conduct ceremonies needed to win favor of the gods – Kshatriyas- Warriors, first enjoyed highest prestige, priests eventually gained most respect – Vaisyas- Herders, farmers, artisans and merchants

• Aryans felt superior to the Dravidians, people they conquered – Dravidians descended from original inhabitants of Indus Valley – Non-Aryans, separated into fourth group, the Sudrasfarm workers, servants, laborers • Class divisions came to reflect social and economic roles more than racial differences • Became castes, social groups into which people are born and from which they cannot change

Varna (Social Hierarchy) Brahmins Kshatriyas Vaishyas Shudras Pariahs [Harijan] Untouchables

• Aryan Religious Beliefs – Polytheistic – Worshipped Gods and Goddesses that embodied natural forces – Honored animals – Brahmins offered sacrifices of food and drink – Eventually religious leaders wanted one spiritual power • Brahman-resided in all things • Mystics- People who devote their lives to seeking spiritual wealth • Meditation and Yoga- Mystics looked for direct communication with divine forces

• Expansion and Change – Aryans travelled over mountain passages into Northwest India – Aryan tribes were lead by chiefs called rajahs, most skilled war leader

• Colonization of Ganges – Made tools out of Iron – Made cities in the jungle, rajahs ruled them – Developed written language, Sanskrit • Priests began writing sacred texts

• Heroic Deeds and Morals – Mahabharata – Ramayana

Early Civilization in China • Geography: The Middle Kingdom – Ancient Chinese called their land the Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom – Very isolated • Long distances and physical barriers kept it from Egypt, the Middle East and India • Isolation contributed to belief that China was the center of the Earth – Sole source of civilization

• Geographic Barriers – To the West and Southwest of China, high mountains, Tien Shan and Himalayas – Southeast, full of thick jungles divided China from Southeast China – North, Gobi Desert – East, Pacific Ocean

• The barriers didn’t stop the Chinese from trading with other people, the Middle East • Nomads and invaders entered China and accepted Chinese superiority

• Main Regions – Chinese heartland lay along the east coast and the valleys of Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze • Fertile farming region supported large populations

• Other Regions: – Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria – China also extended influence on Himalayan region Tibet and Xizang

• River of Sorrows – Huang He got its name from the loess, fine windblown yellow soil – Earned nickname, “River of Sorrows”, as loess settles to the river bottom, it raises water level • Overflowing river killed many

• Shang Dynasty – 1650 BC, people called the Shang gained control of Northern China, near Huang He – Dominated region until 1027 BC, during this time Chinese civilization took shape

– Government • Archaeologists uncovered large palaces and rich tombs of Shang rulers • Noble women had considerable status • King controlled small area, princes and nobles loyal to King governed most of the land • Heads of important clans, groups of families that claimed a common ancestor

– Social Classes • Royal Family • Shang warriors- used leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse drawn chariots • Artists and Merchants- Produced goods for nobles, organized trade • Peasants- Clustered together in farming villages, all families worked in the fields, had to prepare damns for the flooding rivers

• Religious Beliefs – In Shang Dynasty the Chinese developed complex religious beliefs – Prayed to many Gods and nature spirits • Shang Di- Mother Goddess – Veneration of Ancestors • Shang Di would not respond to mere mortals, only to spirits of greatest mortals • Prayed to Ancestors to pray to God

• Yin and Yang – Delicate balance between two forces – Yin- Linked to Earth, darkness and female forces – Yang- Stood for Heaven, light and male forces • Forces were not in opposition, depended on harmony

• System of Writing – Ideographs- Signs that expressed thoughts or ideas – Consulted ancestors with Chinese writing written on oracle bones, used by priests to predict the future

– Written Chinese took shape almost 4, 000 years ago – Over time, evolved to include tens of thousands of characters – Most difficult language to learn – Chinese scholars turn to calligraphy, fine handwriting, into an art form

The Zhou Dynasty • Around 1027 BC, the Zhou people overthrew the Shang dynasty • Zhou dynasty lasted until 256 BC

• Mandate of Heaven – The Zhou justified their takeover of the Shang by declaring they had a divine right to rule – Declared cruelty of last Shang ruler outraged the gods – Gods passed mandate of heaven (Devine right to rule)to the Zhou, who then treated the people well

• Dynastic Cycle – The rise and fall of dynasties – As long as a dynasty provided good government it would enjoy the mandate of heaven – If rulers became corrupt, Chinese believed Heaven would withdraw support

• Feudal State – Rewarded supporters by granting them control over different regions – China became a feudal state – Feudalism- a system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler – Zhou kings ruled China and enjoyed great power and prestige for 250 years – After 771 BC, feudal lords exercised the real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants, within in their domains (rule)

• Economic Growth – China’s economy grew under the Zhou period – Learned ironworking in 500 BC • Iron axes, ox-drawn iron plows, replaces wooden and stone tools – Peasants grew new crops, such as soybeans • Feudal lords organized large-scale irrigation works – Chinese began to use money for the first time • Copper coins had holes in the center to be strung on cords • Merchants benefited from new roads and canals

– Economic expansion lead to an increase in population – People from the Huang He heartland overflowed into central China and began to farm the immense Yangzi basin – Feudal nobles expanded their territories and encouraged peasants to settle there – China increased in size, population and prosperity

• Chinese Achievements – Astronomers studied the movements of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun • Developed an accurate 365 ¼ calendar – Chinese discovered how to make silk around 1000 BC • Became China’s most valuable export, trade route between China and Middle East was the Silk Road – Chinese made the first books • Bound thin strips of wood or bamboo