Early Civilizations in India and China - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Early Civilizations in India and ChinaSlide2

IndiaGeography: The Indian SubcontinentIndus 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 borderLimited contact with India and other lands- Cultural Diversity Slide3
Three Regions

Northern PlainWell watered, just south of the mountains

Many rivers- Indus, Ganges, Brahma

putra

Carried melting snow down the mountains Deccan PlateauDry and triangular shaped, juts into oceanLacks 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 waterSlide4
Slide5

Monsoons- Seasonal winds and rainIn Oct. winds flow hot dry airIn June, moisture flows over and drenches cropsCultural Diversity India’s big size & diverse landscapes made it hard to uniteSlide6

Indus Valley CivilizationEmerged in what is present day Pakistan (2500BC)Flourished for 1000 yearsArcheologists discovered the once prosperous citiesHave not uncovered all

Indus Valley covered largest area of any civilization until the rise of the Persian EmpireSlide7

Well Planned CitiesHarappa and Mohenjo-Daro, twin capitals Both large, 3 miles in circumferenceMassive 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 Slide8

Farming and TradeGrew wheat, barley, melons and datesFirst people to cultivate cotton and weave fibers into clothMerchants and traders

Ships carried cargos of cotton, grain, copper, pearls and ivory

Religion

Finding of many statues shows they were polytheistic Mother goddess wildly honoredWorshipped sacred animals, (bull), -Indian beliefsSlide9

Decline and Disappearance 1750 BC, quality of life was declining, order became unstable Causes- Ecological disasters- Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, deforestationAryans, migrated and overtook land with horse drawn carriages Slide10

Kingdom of the GangesThe 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 teachingsSlide11

Aryan priests recited and memorized the Vedas 1000 years before they were written down1500BC-500BC known as Vedic AgeSlide12

Aryan Society-Divided people by occupationBrahmins- Priests, claimed they alone could conduct ceremonies needed to win favor of the godsKshatriyas- Warriors, first enjoyed highest prestige, priests eventually gained most respect

Vaisyas

- Herders, farmers, artisans and merchantsSlide13

Aryans felt superior to the Dravidians, people they conquered Dravidians descended from original inhabitants of Indus ValleyNon-Aryans, separated into fourth group, the Sudras- farm 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 changeSlide14

Varna

(Social Hierarchy)

Shudras

Vaishyas

Kshatriyas

Pariahs [

Harijan

]



U

ntouchables

BrahminsSlide15

Aryan Religious BeliefsPolytheisticWorshipped Gods and Goddesses that embodied natural forces Honored animalsBrahmins 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 Slide16

Expansion and Change Aryans travelled over mountain passages into Northwest IndiaAryan tribes were lead by chiefs called rajahs, most skilled war leaderSlide17

Colonization of GangesMade tools out of IronMade cities in the jungle, rajahs ruled themDeveloped written language, SanskritPriests began writing sacred texts Slide18

Heroic Deeds and MoralsMahabharata Ramayana Slide19
Early

Civilization in ChinaGeography: The Middle KingdomAncient Chinese called their land the

Zhongguo

, the Middle Kingdom

Very isolatedLong distances and physical barriers kept it from Egypt, the Middle East and IndiaIsolation contributed to belief that China was the center of the Earth

Sole source of civilizationSlide20

Geographic BarriersTo the West and Southwest of China, high mountains, Tien Shan and HimalayasSoutheast, full of thick jungles divided China from Southeast China

North, Gobi Desert

East, Pacific OceanSlide21

The barriers didn’t stop the Chinese from trading with other people, the Middle EastNomads and invaders entered China and accepted Chinese superioritySlide22

Main RegionsChinese heartland lay along the east coast and the valleys of Huang He (Yellow River) and the YangtzeFertile farming region supported large populationsSlide23

Other Regions:Xinjiang, Mongolia, ManchuriaChina also extended influence on Himalayan region Tibet and XizangSlide24

River of SorrowsHuang He got its name from the loess, fine windblown yellow soilEarned nickname, “River of Sorrows”, as loess settles to the river bottom, it raises water level Overflowing river killed manySlide25

Shang Dynasty1650BC, people called the Shang gained control of Northern China, near Huang HeDominated region until 1027BC, during this time Chinese civilization took shapeSlide26

Government Archaeologists uncovered large palaces and rich tombs of Shang rulersNoble women had considerable statusKing 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 ancestorSlide27

Social ClassesRoyal FamilyShang 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 riversSlide28

Religious BeliefsIn Shang Dynasty the Chinese developed complex religious beliefsPrayed to many Gods and nature spiritsShang Di- Mother GoddessVeneration of Ancestors

Shang Di would not respond to mere mortals, only to spirits of greatest mortals

Prayed to Ancestors to pray to GodSlide29

Yin and YangDelicate balance between two forcesYin- Linked to Earth, darkness and female forcesYang- Stood for Heaven, light and male forcesForces were not in opposition, depended on harmonySlide30

System of WritingIdeographs- Signs that expressed thoughts or ideasConsulted ancestors with Chinese writing written on oracle bones, used by priests to predict the futureSlide31

Written Chinese took shape almost 4,000 years agoOver time, evolved to include tens of thousands of characters Most difficult language to learnChinese scholars turn to calligraphy, fine handwriting, into an art form Slide32

The Zhou Dynasty Around 1027BC, the Zhou people overthrew the Shang dynastyZhou dynasty lasted until 256BCSlide33

Mandate of HeavenThe Zhou justified their takeover of the Shang by declaring they had a divine right to rule Declared cruelty of last Shang ruler outraged the godsGods passed mandate of heaven (Devine right to rule)to the Zhou, who then treated the people wellSlide34

Dynastic CycleThe rise and fall of dynastiesAs long as a dynasty provided good government it would enjoy the mandate of heavenIf rulers became corrupt, Chinese believed Heaven would withdraw support Slide35

Feudal StateRewarded supporters by granting them control over different regionsChina became a feudal stateFeudalism- 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)Slide36
Slide37

Economic GrowthChina’s economy grew under the Zhou periodLearned ironworking in 500BCIron 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 canalsSlide38

Economic expansion lead to an increase in populationPeople from the Huang He heartland overflowed into central China and began to farm the immense Yangzi basinFeudal nobles expanded their territories and encouraged peasants to settle thereChina increased in size, population and prosperity Slide39

Chinese AchievementsAstronomers studied the movements of planets and recorded eclipses of the sunDeveloped an accurate 365 ¼ calendarChinese discovered how to m

ake silk around 1000BC

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