LET US PUT THE PICTURES ON THE TIME LINE

ndus Valley Civilization

Mauryan Empire
The Indus Valley Civilization
• It was one of the most ancient and the largest civilization in the world.
• The civilization started around 2500 BCE and continued till 1500 BCE.
• As this civilization was set up on the banks of the Indus River, hence it
was named as Indus Valley Civilisation.
 Group of
Charles Masson Archaeologist
A British traveler – came to Found two
India – saw few mounds – important ancient
made of bricks – Modern cities – Harappa
Punjab
and Moehnjo - Daro
1856
1826 Group of engineers –
laying down railway
1920
lines – more bricks
were found –
unfortunately were
used to construct
railway lines
• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro situated in the North - Western parts of
India and parts of modern day Pakistan.
Art
• Made clay models
- Artefacts provides information about the kinds of carts used and also how animals
looked like.
• Seals were found - Depict facts about the lives of people
- Showed that people knew how to read and write. But, what was written is still a
mystery.
Architecture
• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro – well planned cities
• Beautiful buildings were constructed.
• Houses were made up of – mud bricks, had flat roofs.
- Some were two storey buildings with courtyards.
• Important building – Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro.
- Consist of huge pool in the centre & surrounded by many changing rooms.
• Size: Approx. 11m by 7m in an area and depth: 2.5m
• Two wide stairs: served as an entrance to the pool.
• At the end of the bath, there is a hole from where the
water drains.
• Mohenjo-Daro was the biggest city
• It was located near the river

• Occupation: Farming
- They used ploughs for cultivation
- Grains were stored in granaries
- Apart from farming another important occupation was of
Trading.
- Camels, Elephants and Ox driven carts – used to transport
goods.
 End of the civilization
• Causes:
- In 1953, Sir Mortimer Wheeler – proposed – decline- caused
by invasion of an Indo- European tribe from Central Asia
called the “Aryans”.
- Because of drought and decline in trade
- Other reasons are: immigration, deforestation, floods or
changes in the course of river.
- But Indus Valley Civilization will always be known for its
progress in City Planning .
 Interesting facts
• It was the largest among the four civilisations of the world
(Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China)
• There were more than 1,400 towns and cities in the Indus Valley.
• The biggest were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Around 80,000
people lived in these cities.
• People of that time were concerned about their hygiene, and
perhaps they had the world’s first sanitation system.
• It is believed that the first dentist was during this period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhDY4KJuvc0&t=
153s
The Vedic Age
• Around 1500 BCE – group of Indo Europeans invaded India – came
from the areas between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
• They were known as Indo Aryans in India.
• They first started to live in present day Eastern Afghanistan, Punjab and
than Western Uttar Pradesh.
• First settlements were found – banks of the rivers Indus & Saraswati
 • End of Indus Valley Civilisation – beginning of new period - Vedic age
• Vedas means “roots”. It refers to ancient texts that gives us information
and knowledge.

Hymns in praise Source of Indian

of gods and Rigveda Samaveda
Classical Music
goddesses

Teaches non- Scriptures used

violence and peace. Atharvaveda Yajurveda for doing pujas
Ayurveda is part of and yagnas
it.
• Sanskrit language came to India during this period.
• Two great epics composed – The Ramayana & The
Mahabharata.
Life of the people
• During this period caste system was introduced.
• Society was divided into 4 varnas.
• Varnas – group or caste based on the type of occupation
carried out by people
• People of this period – Nomads – moved from one place to another in search of
food, water and grazing fields.
• Gradually – settle down, rear cattle & cultivate crops.
• Occupations:
- Farming & Cattle rearing (Rice, Wheat, Barley and cotton- common crops grown)
-Carpentry
-Pottery
-Weaving
Different tools and weapons were made with
iron.
• The women of this period had same right to education
as the men.
• Widow remarriages – permitted
• Barter system (trading of one product for another) –
flourished
•Cows were considered as an important
element of the barter system

•Trading begin with other countries in

West – Asia and Egypt
 Structure of Indo-Aryan society
• Gramas – families joined together to form a village
• Visu – was formed by group of villages and was
headed by the Vishayapati
• Janas – bigger groups than Gramas & Visus
- turned into small kingdoms
- People who lived in the kingdom - Praja
• Rajan – head of each jana
Rise of Kingdoms
• 6th century BCE – 16
kingdoms were
formed

• Important kingdoms
– Magadha, Kashi,
Koshala, Avanti &
Anga
• Kingdom of Magadha – most powerful kingdom
- Ruled by kings: Bimbisara & Ajatashatru
- Mauryan Empire – popular dynasty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LYioyRKZT0&t
The Mauryan Empire
Chandragupta
Maurya

• In 321 BCE he became the king of

Magadha, which was the strongest
kingdom.
• Founder of Mauryan Empire
- Capital: Pataliputra (Patna)
• Conquered – whole North India &
present day Afghanistan – help of
Chanakya.
• Ruled - more than 15 years.
• After his death- son Bindusara
became the king- extended the
empire to the Deccan region.
Kautilya

• Popularly also known

as Chanakya
• Friend, guide &
philosopher to
Chandragupta Maurya.
• Professor: Takshashila
University
• Writings: he wrote a
book on Economics &
Political Science –
Arthashastra

• Main advisor of
Chandragupta & his son
Bindusara.
Ashoka
• Son of Bindusara &
Grandson of
Chandragupta Maurya
• Mauryan Empire became
stronger & powerful
• Expanded his empire –
large part of Ancient
India, excluding the
Southern most end.
Ashoka the Great
• War of Kalinga
changed his life
• Transformed him into
peaceful emperor
• Ended the war &
became disciple of
Gautam Buddha
• War of Kalinga was his
last war.
• Became Buddhist & spread
teaching, for which he also sent
Buddhist missionaries to Tibet.
• Reign – period of peace and
prosperity
• Worked for the wellbeing of the
people
• Built many hospitals for poor & sick
• The country – advanced in the
fields of Science & Technology
• Also known as Devanampriya
Priyadarshi- worked for the welfare
of people.
• Died in 231 BCE.
• Decline of the Mauryan Empire : as
no one could manage it, after the
death of Ashoka.