Ancient India &

China
(2500 BC – 256 B.C)
_________________________________
 The First Civilization in INDIA
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING
● The Indian Subcontinent
Geography
Indus Valley located in South
Asia
• Subcontinent – a large landmass
that juts out from a continent*
• Northern border – Hindu Kush &
Himalayas
The mountains in the north
limited contact with other lands
and helped India to develop a
The subcontinent is divided into three
major zones:
• Northern plain – Fertile
• Deccan Plateau - dry raised area of
level land
• Coastal plains - Eastern & Western
Ghats

3 great rivers: Indus River &

Ganges River

The rivers of India, particularly the

Ganges, are considered sacred.
THE MONSOON
• The chief feature of the of the
Indian climate is the
MONSOON, seasonal wind,
that bring wet & dry spells.
The monsoon has shaped the
Indian life.
Discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization
 In 1921, archaeologist discovered traces of an ancient civilization in
the Indus River valley.
 Priest-King rulers
 Undeciphered writing system
 Well-organized government; Carefully planned out cities of Mohenjo-
Daro & Harappa
 plumbing and sewer system
 Most people were farmers; First to cultivate cotton
 Covered largest area of any early civilization
 Traded with distant lands, including Sumer

Religious Beliefs
Indus Valley people were polytheistic. Statues and masks shows that
they worshipped a “Mother-Goddess” and a three-faced god. They also
revered sacred animals such as the bull and certain sacred trees.
Priest King Rulers – Harappan Civilization
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization

 Indus Valley began to decline many years before it

finally ended about 1500 B.C.
 Builders abandoned the uniform standards of earlier
times, and the quality of works declined
 The arts showed less creativity
 Trade with Mesopotamia dwindled
 Government lost some of its power
 Aryan invaders overran the region
 The Aryans
Conquest by the Aryans
● Aryans – nomadic herders from southern Russia
 2000 B.C - 1500 BC – Migrate into India
 Warriors
 Tribe * - consists of group of related families who organize a
common ancestor, speak the same language and share the same
traditions and beliefs.
• Rajah* – chief of tribe/ the leader in the war
 Conquered Indus and India, built no cities and left no statues
 No writing system and called “VEDIC AGE”
 Value cattle (wealth)
 Felt superior to the people they conquered
Aryans Religious Beliefs
• Were polytheistic, with Priests who sang hymn/prayers (VEDAS).
 Vedas*– book of hymns, chants, & religious teachings (Vedic Age)
• Priests conducted ceremonies and sacrifices to please Gods
• They worshipped gods of nature, the sun, sky, thunder, and fire.
• Beliefs in Reincarnation or rebirth.

● New lifestyle – New beliefs

○ Brahman – single spiritual power beyond gods; resides in all things
○ Mystics – seek divine contact by practicing meditation & yoga*
● Hinduism*
 No single founder*
 No single sacred text*
 Diverse groups settle – beliefs overlap
Basic Beliefs
Brahman *
- Spiritual force that everything is part of*
Atman*
- Essential soul*
Moksha*
- Union with Brahman - free from the cycle of death and rebirth
- Ultimate goal of existence*
- Free from selfish desires
• Epic Literature
The power struggles between rival Aryan kingdoms gave
rise to stories about civil wars and great heroes.

2 Long Epic Poems: Mahabharata and the Ramayana

• Sanskrit
By about 700 B.C, the Aryans had developed a written
language called Sanskrit. Knowledge of Sanskrit belonged
mostly to priest, who used the language to record sacred text.
Village Life

 The nomadic Aryans settled into

villages they developed patterns of
life
 People in Aryan villages farmed and
herded cattle.
 The Rajah ruled all the villages
within a region
 A headman, usually a wealth
farmers was responsible for a
village. Headman is appointed by the
Rajah to worked with the village
council to settle disputes.

• The Extended Family

– includes a husband and wife,
their unmarried children, their married sons,
and the son’s wives and children.
• The Status of Women
– In early Aryan society,
women enjoyed relatively high
status. When the Aryans invaded
India, women warriors fought
alongside the men.
As Aryan Civilization developed,
the status of women declined.
Women become eventually became
subordinate to men.

○ Dowry* – payment to the

bridegroom
Social Classes

Brahmins – priests*

Kshatriyas – warriors

Vaisyas – herders, farmers, merchants

Sudras – little or no Aryan heritage

Dravidians – Indians conquered by Aryans

 Beginning of Chinese Civilization

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING

Ancient China
• China cover and immense area. The good farm land of the
river valleys and coastal plains of central China support most
of the population.
Four outlying regions: Manchuria, Mongolia, Sinkiang and
Tibet – the heartland of China.
• Isolation contributed to the Chinese belief that China was the center of the
earth and the only civilization “middle kingdom”
• As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, Chinese civilization began in a river valley,
the Huang He. Sometimes called the river of “sorrows”
Outside influence:
Despite natural barriers the Chinese still
had contact with the outside world:
- Traded with neighbors
(Mongolia)
- Nomads- tried to conquer and
attack Chinese cities

The Yellow River

• Chinese civilization began on the
Huang/Yellow River
• Called the Yellow River because
of:
 Loess- fine wind blown yellow
soil*
 River often flooded- destroying crops-
starvation*
Shang Civilization
• The Shang Dynasty, or ruling family, was the first in China, it survived until 1122 B.C.
• Ruled/Lead by a King
• Controlled Princes who were in charge of Clans
• Clans - group of families with a common ancestor*

Chinese Writings
• The Chinese developed a system of writing. The early Chinese used pictograms,
or drawings of objects. Later they added ideograms, symbols that expressed
ideas such as wisdom or unity. Under the Shang, Chinese Writing included over
3,000 symbol, or characters. Shang scribes drew characters with a sharp stick or brush on
many types of material. Including bronze, pottery, jade, and silk.
• Scribes- usually wrote on strips of bamboo or wood, which were tied together in
rolled bundles.
Shang Religious Beliefs
• The Shang people believe that many Gods and spirits lives in nature
• The Shang believed that if they made the right sacrifices their ancestors would
bring them good fortune
• Ancestor worship become the central to Shang religion.
• Bones used for telling the future in this way are called Oracle Bones.
• Oracle Bones- “dragon bones”
Oracle Bones
Daily Life
Shang society had a
strict division of
classes.
 Royal Family/
Nobles
 Merchants &
Artisans
 Peasants
(Majority)
Shang Achievements
• Bronzemaking was special skill of Shang Artisans.
They invented bronze weapon, such as daggers,
spears, and armor. They also made splendid
bronze vessels for religious rituals.
• The Shang invented the yoke, harness ,and spoked
wheel
• The Shang also made advances in the arts and sciences.
 Expansion Under Chou Dynasty

Zhou Dynasty

• Overthrew the Shang

• Justified the takeover by-
“The Mandate of Heaven”*
• Ruled by divine right -
power from the gods*
• Gods were upset with
Shang… so the Zhou should
take over
Mandate of Heaven
• The Chinese used the Mandate of Heaven to explain the
Dynastic Cycle - the rise and fall of China's Ruling families*

 Good = Rise
 Prosperity
 Peace
 Bad = Fall
 Floods
 Famine
 Invaders
 Earthquakes
Chou Government
• Zhou had a feudal state
Feudalism - Government where land is granted in
return for support military service*

=
Life in Chou China
• Constant welfare in Chou China wealtened the warrior class.
• Well organized state emerged, a new class of able, ambitious
government officials gradually gained power
• A social system had evolved in China that would remain a
stable force through later dynasties.
• They gained greater status by becoming a land owners
• Education become increasingly important as the need for
government official grew.

Economic Growth
• Peasants began to use fertilizer and Iron tools
• Trade expanded and cities grew.
• When the Chinese began to use metal coins, trade grew even
faster.
• Merchants made huge profits by buying gain and then selling it
in times of famine for high prices.
“Thank
you!”
— Sarah