Section 3.1 Pgs 68-74

1. Section 3.1 Pgs 68-74 • India is classified as a subcontinent large landmass that juts out from a continent

2. Geography of India • Snow covered mountain ranges mark the northern border • Hindu Kush and Himalayas • These mountain ranges isolated India from other people and cultures

3. Hindu Kush Mountains

4. Himalayas

5. Natural Features Define Regions • India is divided into three major zones: • Gangetic Plain in the North • Deccan Plateau • Coastal Plains

6. The Gangetic Plain • Located south of the Himalayas • Very fertile region • Indus Rives, Ganges, and the Brahmaputra • These rivers carry melting snow from the mountains to the plains…important why?

7. Ancient India and China Chapter 3

8. The Deccan Plateau • Plateau raised area of level land • Lacks the melting snow • Very dry area, not good for agricultural use

9. Coastal Plains • Coastal plains are separated from the Deccan plateau by the Eastern and Western Ghats (Mountain ranges) • Very wet climate contains rivers and seasonal rains • Access to the sea for fishing and trade

10. Monsoons • Very common in India • Seasonal winds that regularly blow from a certain direction for part of the year

11. Monsoons Shape Indian Life • Monsoons are welcome because they bring rains that are needed for crops • If the rains are late, starving and famine can occur • If they are too strong, deadly floods are possible

12. Indus Civilizations • Have not found any record of Kings and Queens • No tax records, literature, etc • We know they existed, just don’t know many specifics about them

13. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro • Considered possible twin capitals • Both were large • Both contained massive hilltop structures

14. Carefully Planned • Mohenjo-Daro was laid out in a very organized pattern • Houses made of baked clay bricks • Contained plumbing systems that led to sewers beneath the streets

15. Making a Living • Most people were farmers • May have been the first to grow cotton and weave into cloth • Also traders, sailed up Persian Gulf and reached Sumer • Might have learned writing system from Sumer

16. Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic • Believed in the mother goddess • Also viewed certain animals as sacred, such as the buffalo and bull • Veneration special regard for cattle

17. Indus Civilization Declines • Don’t know for sure what may have happened • Suggested that damage to the environment played a role • Too many trees cut down? • Flood? river mud found in streets • Earthquake?