Indus River Valley Civilization

1. Indus River Valley Civilization By: Victoria Silva And Elizabeth Sutton

2. Words to Define • Polytheistic- Belief in many gods. • Maya- Illusory world of the senses; according to the Hinduism. • Monsoons- Winds that mark seasons. • Monism- Belief in one god. • Differences- The source of the complex system of social orders. • Nomadic- Moves from 1 place to another. • Reincarnation- Rebirth of ones soul; Born in a new body.

3. Words to Define • Citadel – Strong central fortress of a city. • Raja- The prince who ruled the Indo-Aryan state. • Epics – Long poems based on historical religious themes. • Caste System- A complex form of social organization; began to take shape after the Indo-Aryan migration. • Varnas- Social Classes in Indian Society. • Nirvana- Reaching the “perfect piece” or “perfect place” • Polygyny- The practice in which a man is allowed to have more than 1 wife. • Suttee- Ancient Indian practice of a woman committing suicide after her husband’s death. • Inoculation- Practice of infecting people with a mild form of disease to protect them from a more serious illness.

4. Identify to Words • Upanishads-Written explanations of the Vedic religion. • Bhagavad Gita - Last 18 chapters of the Mahabharata, stressing the idea of proper conduct for one’s status. • Siddhartha Gautama- Founder of Buddhism. • Chandra Gupta II – A region (A.D. 374–415) • Chandragupta Maurya- a powerful young adventurer • Panchatantra- Fables from the Gupta period of ancient India. • Nalanda- Famous Buddhist university of ancient India.

5. Words to Identify • Indo-Aryans- Came from Black and Caspian seas. Nomadic people. • Vedas- Literature in the Indo-Aryan religion. • Sanskrit- Indo-Aryan language. • Vedic Age-The period of India’s history from 1500 B.C.E to 1000 B.C.E • Asoka- Chandragupta’s grandson. • Brahmins – Special priests of the Indo-Aryan society.

6. Read to discover questions Chapter 3 Section 1 Answers • What role did geography and climate play in the settlement of the Indian subcontinent? • How did people in the first Indus River Valley live? • The geography had high mountain ranges so it made it harder for invaders to enter Indian by foot. The climate had high temperature. This was good for their crops. • The first Indus River Valley Civilization lived by growing crops and trading things that they didn’t need for clothing and food.

7. Read to discover questions Chapter 3 Section 2 Answers • How did life in northern India change with the coming of Indo-Aryans? • What were the major contributions of the Indo-Aryans to ancient Indian society? • The Indo-Aryans had to cross Hindu Kush mountains. They came from the Black and Caspian Sea. • Some of their major contributions were marriages. They were set up by their parents. There was also a social structure. Warriors and priests were at the top. Farmers, merchants, and traders were below them.

8. Read to discover question Chapter 3 Section 3 • How important was religion in ancient Indian society? • What were the principal elements of Hinduism? • What were the basic beliefs of Buddhism? • Religion was EXTREMELY important. They believed in polygyny, suttee, reincarnation, and nirvana. • Tfghjinr • Buddhism's believes in the eight fold path and the four noble truths.

9. Read to discover questions Chapter 3 Section 4 Answers • How did the Mauryan rulers increase their power? • What were the reasons for the decline of Gupta rule? • The Mauryan rulers increased their power by fighting bloody wars. • The reason for the decline of the Gupta rule is Asoka’s death.

10. Read to discover questions Chapter 3 Section 5 Answers • In what ways were women’s rights limited in ancient Indian society? • What were the most important cultural achievements of the Gupta period? • Women’s didn’t have much rights. They had to follow what their husbands said. If their husband died they had to follow her son’s orders. • In the Gupta period the most important achievements were plays, mural paintings, plastic surgeries, and inoculations.