Ancient India Lesson 1

Lesson 1: Early Civilizations

The Geography of India

India’s northern border starts on the southern edge of the

continent of Asia. The Himalaya is a mountain system which

blocks off India from the rest of Asia. This makes India a

subcontinent.

The Ganges and Indus Rivers are in northern India. The

Ganges runs southeast into the Indian Ocean. The Indus flows

southwest into the Arabian Sea. Their water comes from melting

snow in the Himalaya. The Deccan Plateau is south of the river

valleys. It is dry and hilly. The coastal areas have plains, or flat

land, that is good for farming.

Multiple Choice

The Himalayas makes India what?

• Subcontinent

• Country

• State

• Continent

India’s climate, or usual weather, has monsoons, or strong

winds. The winter monsoon blows in cold, dry air from the

mountains. The summer monsoon brings warm, wet air from the

Arabian Sea. Summer monsoons bring the rainy season. If the rain

comes in time, the crops will be good. If the rains are late, then

there may be a drought, or a long dry period that can ruin crops.

​Climate

Multiple Choice

Monsoons can either help/damage crops

• True

• False

India’s first civilization began in the Indus River valley where crops grew in the rich soil. The Indus civilization lasted from about 2600 b.c. until 1900 b.c. Cities and towns were spread over western India and Pakistan.
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were large cities with populations of about 35,000 people each. The cities had large streets paved with bricks and smaller, unpaved side streets. A fortress was built to protect the people. Houses were built with oven-baked bricks made of mud. The houses had flat roofs, enclosed courtyards, wells, and indoor bathrooms. Pipes took wastewater to pits outside the city walls. Houses also had garbage chutes that led to bins in the streets.

​The Indus Valley Civilization

​Guided Notes

1. In the text, circle the landform that separates India from the rest of Asia. 2. How do monsoon winds affect life in India?
3. List five features of houses in Indus Valley cities.

The Indus Valley people left no written records. Experts have studied what is left of the cities to learn what life was like there.

The royal palace and the temple may have been built together

inside a fortress.

Open Ended

Why would historians not be able to know anything about the Indus Valley?

​Guided notes

4. How did most Indus Valley people earn a living?

Aryan Migrations and Settlements

Around 1900 b.c., the people of the Indus Valley began to leave their cities. Soon, people called the Aryans began settling the river valley.

The Aryans came from central Asia. They were nomads, so they traveled around to find food for their herds of cattle. The Aryans were not a single race or a tribe. They were a group of people who spoke similar languages. This language family was called Indo-European. The Aryans were good warriors, and expert horse riders and hunters.

Multiple Choice

The Aryans were different groups of people. In what way

were they alike?

• Had the same jobs

• Spoke similar languages

• Had the same race

• Spoke one language

After awhile, the Aryans stopped living as nomads and became farmers. Over time, they decided that cattle were sacred, so people in India stopped eating meat from cattle. The Aryans began to make iron tools. With these, they cleared India’s forests and dug canals to bring water from the river to the fields. This made the Ganges River valley good for growing crops. Farmers in north India grew wheat, barley, and other grains. In the river valleys, farmers grew rice. In the south, they grew spices like pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.

​Guided Notes

5. The Aryans were different groups of people. In what way were they alike?6. What two activities did the Aryans stop after moving into the Indus River valley?

The early Aryans did not write things down when they were nomads. When they became farmers, they developed a written language called Sanskrit. Using Sanskrit, they wrote down sales and trade information. They also wrote down songs, stories, poems, and prayers in sacred books called the Vedas.

The Aryans lived in groups, each ruled by a raja, or prince.

Rajas often fought with each other over treasure and cattle.

Multiple Choice

Why did the Aryans develop written language?

• To keep track of their lives

• To communicate with one another

• To track sales and trades

• To write poems and songs

​Guided Notes

7. Why did the Aryans develop written language?
8. How did the Aryans change their way of life after they settled in India?

Ancient India Society

Ancient Indian society was grouped into four classes called varnas. The top varna was the Brahmins, who were priests. The next varna was the Kshatriyas, the warriors. They ran the government and the army. After the Kshatriyas came the Vaisyas, or “common” people.” They were farmers, craftspeople, and merchants. Then came the Sudras. They were lower-class workers and servants who had few rights. Most Indians were Sudras.

Multiple Choice

Which class ruled the government

• Brahmins

• Kshatriyas

• Vaisyas

• Sudras

The four varnas gradually divided into thousands of smaller groups known as jati. A person was born into one jati and could never move into another. The jati system had rules for almost every part of life, including marriage, work, and friendships.

One group was too low to be part of the jati system—the Untouchables. Untouchables did work considered too dirty for jati members, such as collecting trash. Most Indians thought Untouchables were unclean. As a result, Untouchables were made to live apart from everyone else.

Multiple Choice

You could move from one jati class to another. There are no strict rules on these social classes.

• True

• False

Grandparents, parents, and children all lived together with the oldest man in charge. This is called an extended, or enlarged, family.

Men had many more rights than women. Only men went to school or could become priests. When they were young, some boys studied with a guru, or teacher. Older boys went to schools in the cities. Parents choose marriage partners for their children. Divorce was not allowed.

Open Ended

In Ancient India, only men could go to school. Which civilization have we talked about that also did this?

Multiple Choice

What was family life like in ancient India?

• Extended families lived together

• Parents chooses marriages for their children

• The oldest family was in charge

• All the above

​Guided Notes

9. In the text, circle the names of the four varnas and the group that was not part of the jati system. Underline the types of people who belonged to each.
10. What was family life like in ancient India?
Check for Understanding: Write whether each feature was from the Indus Valley civilization, Aryan civilization, or both.

1. __ developed the varna system

2. ___ used mud bricks to make buildings

3. ___grew rice, wheat, and barley

4.___ used the Sanskrit language

5. ___built large cities with paved streets