Transcript Chapter 4 - Early Societies in South Asia

CHAPTER 4
EARLY SOCIETIES IN
SOUTH ASIA
Indus River Valley Geography
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The Indus River
 Floods twice yearly
 Silt-enriched water from Pamir and Himalayas
mountain ranges (March and April)
 August monsoons
 Punjab (five waters) feeds the main stream of the Indus
Mountains
 Hindu Kush (north)
 Himalayas (northeast)
 Sind Region (modern day Pakistan)
Harappan society c. 2000 B.C.E.
Foundations of Harappan
Society
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Major society built by Dravidian peoples, 30002500 BCE
 Cultivation of cotton and agriculture before
5000 BCE
 Early cultivation of poultry
 Decline after 1900 BCE (mystery)
 70 smaller sites excavated (total ~1,500)
Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro
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Central location early society
Advanced Technology
Evidence of social stratification
 Dwelling size, decoration
Harappan Civilization: matriarchal?
 Influence on later Indian culture
Goddesses of fertility
Writing system contained more than 400 signs
 most inscriptions can not be deciphered
Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro
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Regional center
 Layout, architecture suggests public purpose
 Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage
Standardized weights evident throughout region
Specialized labor
Smaller towns on the coast engaged in trade
with Sumer and areas around the Persian Gulf
Fishing communities and gathering seashells
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What does standardization tell us about early
Indus Valley culture?
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What does standardization tell us about early
Indus Valley culture?
 Extensive exchange of goods within the
region.
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What does standardization tell us about early
Indus Valley culture?
 Extensive exchange of goods within the
region.
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Strong central authority (regional)
Decline of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro
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Abandoned 1900 BCE
The cause is not known.
Speculation
 Cultural Breakdown
 Natural Disasters
 Geographical Impact
Resort to village based lifestyle
 Farming and herding increase
Lack of interaction
Lack of leadership
Elites merge with common population.
ARYAN INVASION
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Aryans (noble), lighter-skinned invaders from the north
 Migrated into northwest India c. 1500 B.C.E.
 Vedic Age (1500 – 500 B.C.E.)
Dravidians (also called Dasas), darker-skinned sedentary
inhabitants of Harappa
Early conflict
Caste (Varna)
 Color Bias
Socio-Economic Implications
Difficulty of theory: no evidence of large-scale military
conquest
Varna: The Caste System
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Origins in Aryan domination of Dravidians
 Brahmin, Priest
 Kshatriya, Warrior
 Vaishya, Merchant
 Sudra, Commoner
 Harijan: “Untouchables; Pariahs”
Jati subsystem of castes
 Related to urbanization, increasing social and economic
complexity
The Early Aryans
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Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses, cattle
 Vegetarianism not widespread until many
centuries later
Religious and Literary works: The Vedas
 Sanskrit: sacred tongue
 Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali
 Four Vedas, most important Rig Veda
 1,028 hymms to gods
Aryan Religion
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Major deity of Rig Veda:
Indra, war god
Elaborate ritual sacrifices
to gods
 Role of Brahmins
important
C. 800 BCE some
movement away from
sacrificial cults
 Mystical thought,
influenced by
Dravidians
Patriarchy in Ancient Indian
Society
“rule of the father”
 Enforced in the The Lawbook of Manu
 Overwhelmed Harappan matriarchy?
 Caste, Jati, inherited through male line
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Teachings of the
Upanishads
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Texts that represent blending of Aryan and
Dravidian traditions
Composed 800-400 BCE, some later collections
until 13th century CE
Brahman: the Universal Soul
Samsara: reincarnation
Karma: accounting for incarnations
Moksha: mystical ecstacy
Relationship to system of Varna