Indus Valley Civilizations:
2500-1500 BCE
Indus River
Modern-Day Pakistan
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (Twin capitals)
First to cultivate and weave cotton
Discovered in 1922
First city planning in history: grid pattern, uniform building style, rectangular city blocks, plumbing
Barriers
Seals not deciphered
Figurines in religion
Sacred animals
Polytheistic
Economy agricultural
Trade with Mesopotamia
Aryans invade around 1500 BCE, superior technology, brought herds of livestock
Mohenjo-Daro:
One of Twin Capitals in Indus Valley
Had math skills to lay out cities
Grid pattern
Rectangular blocks
Uniform building style
Plumbing
Irrigation
Aryans:
War like people from southern Russia
Arrived around 1500 BCE
Superior technology
Brought herds of cattle, goat, and sheep
Vedic Age (1500-500) BCE
Civ. Along Ganges River
Mingled with Dravidians
Knowledge of Aryans came from Vedas: collection of prayers, hymns, and religious teachings
Lived in tribes
Advised by council of elders
Sanskrit Language
Used iron in 800 BCE
Wealth measured in cattle and slaughter of them forbidden.
Four Castes
Brahmins (priests): Aryan
Kshatriyas (warriors): Aryan
Vaisyas (herders, farmers, artisans, merchants): Aryan
Sudras (farmworkers, servants laborers): Dravidian
Dravidian Civilization:
Descendants from Indus Valley people that were conquered.
Lowest part of society (sudras)
Aryans mingled with them
Maurya Empire
321-183 BCE
Well administrated gov.
Taxes, road repair, justice, defense
Brutal yet efficient secret police
Pataliputra (capital) had schools, libraries, parks, temples, palaces
Largest Empire
Chandragupta Maury: ruler in 321 BC, built capital
Gupta Empire
Golden age of peace and prosperity
Advances in arts and sciences: zero, decimals, plastic surgery, bone setting
Strong central gov.
Smallpox vaccine 1000 years before Europe
Shang
1650-1027 BCE
Small kingdoms
Silk making
Bronze tools