Harappan Civilization

Content Standards:

6.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of India.

  1. Locate and describe the major river system and discuss the physical setting that supported the rise of this civilization.

  2. Discuss the significance of the Aryan invasions.

Map: India: Physical: This is a physical map of India. India is a peninsula that goes out into the Indian Ocean. The Himalayas, which are the highest mountains in the world separate India from the rest of Asia. In the northwest there is a desert called the Thai Desert. The Deccan Plateau is in the middle of the continent. The dry monsoon air flow is illustrated by red arrows that move from the north to the south. This air comes in the winter. The wet monsoon air flow moves from the south to the north. It comes in the summer and is illustrated by the blue arrows.

     Historians call the civilization that grew up in the Indus River Valley the Harappan (huh-RA-puhn) civilization. Centered along the Indus, the civilization also controlled large areas on both sides of the river.

 

     Like other ancient societies you have studied, the Harappan civilization grew as irrigation and agriculture improved. As farmers began to produce surpluses of food, towns and cities appeared in India.

Aryan Invasion

Map: Aryan Invasions: The Aryans moved southward into India from between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It shows how they moved around the Caspian Sea and then southward and branched off into different parts of India.

The Aryans brought many cultural changes that still affect India today.