Transcript 4 - Early Societies in South Asia

Geography
• India is a subcontinent, with many diverse
climates and geographical features.
• The northern plain is fertile due to the
Indus and Ganges Rivers.
• The Deccan Plateau is dry and sparsely
populated.
• Winds called monsoons bring summer
rains. India depends on monsoons to
grow their crops. There is often too much
or too little rain when the rains come.
Harappan Civilization
3300 BCE - 2400 BCE
Foundations of Harappan
Society
• The Indus River
– Silt-enriched water from the Hindu Kush &
Himalayan ranges
• Major society built by Dravidian peoples,
3000-2500 BCE
– Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early
cultivation of poultry
– Decline after 1900 BCE
• Major cities: Harrapa (Punjab region and
Mohenjo-daro (Southern Indus River)
– 70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)
Indus Valley Cities
(2500 – 1500 BCE)
• There were two prominent cities on the
Indus River: Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro.
• These cities were incredibly well planned:
– Grid pattern streets
– Water Systems (plumbing) with heated public
baths and brick sewers.
– The wealthy even had two story buildings with
indoor bathrooms and garbage chutes.
– Each city was dominated by a structure built
upon a hill that served as a stronghold, such
as a citadel.
Mohenjo-daro Ruins
• Population c. 40,000
• Standardized weights & measurements
evident throughout the region
• Specialized labor
• Widespread trade
Citadel
Of
MohenjoDaro
Aerial View of Mohenjo-Daro
Citadel, Mohenjo-Daro
The Great Bath,
Mohenjo-Daro
Bath Area, Mohenjo-Daro
Well, Mohenjo-Daro
A Main Street, Mohenjo-Daro
Granery, Mohenjo-Daro
Pottery, Mohenjo-Daro
Bison Seal, Mohenjo-Daro
A Horned-God Seal,
Mohenjo-Daro
A Male Head,
Mohenjo-Daro
Dravidian
A Priest-King,
Mohenjo-Daro
Necklace, Mohenjo-Daro
Public Well, Harappa
Drain, Harappa
Unicorn Seal?, Harappa
Harappan Society and Culture
• Evidence of social stratification
– Dwelling size, decoration
• Great influence on later Indian culture
• Statues, figurines and illustrations reflect a
tradition of art and metallurgy
• Venerated goddesses of fertility
Female Figures, Harappa
Female Figures, Harappa
Bull Figurine, Harappa
Elephant Figurine, Harappa
Burial Pottery, Harappa
Male Skeleton, Harappa
Female Skeleton with
Child, Harappa
Harappan Writing
Undecipherable to date.
Mysterious End of Harappan
Civilization
• Reasons for disappearance unclear
– Excessive deforestation, loss of topsoil
– Earthquakes?
– Flooding?
• Evidence of unburied dead
• Disappearance by 1500 BCE
• Harappan traditions survived – agricultural
practices, religious beliefs, and urban
traditions
Aryan Migration
 pastoral  depended on their cattle.
 warriors  horse-drawn chariots.
Aryan Migrations
• Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the
north
• Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary
inhabitants of Harappa
• Color Bias
• Socio-Economic Implications
• Difficulty of theory: no evidence of largescale military conquest
The Early Aryans
• 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 (wisdom), most important Rig
Veda
• 1,028 hymns to gods
The Vedas
 1200 BCE-600 BCE.
 written in SANSKRIT.
 Hindu core of
beliefs:
Rig Veda  oldest work.

hymns and poems.

religious prayers.

magical spells.

lists of the gods
and goddesses.
The Vedic Age
• Conflicts between Aryans and indigenous dasas
(“enemies,” “subjects”)
– Aryans fighting Dravidians
– Also Aryans fighting each other
• Chiefdoms: Rajas
• Early concentration in Punjab, migrations further
south
– Development of iron metallurgy
– Increasing reliance on agriculture
• Tribal connections evolve into political structures
Varna: The Caste System
• Origins in Aryan domination of Dravidians
– Brahmin, Priest
– Kshatriya, Warrior
– Vaishya, Merchant
– Sudra, Commoner
– Harijan: “Untouchables; Pariahs”
• Jati system of subcastes
– Related to urbanization, increasing social
and economic complexity
Varna (Social
Hierarchy)
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Pariahs [Harijan]  Untouchables
The
Caste
System
WHO IS…
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
 The mouth?
 The arms?
Vaishyas
 The legs?
 The feet?
What is a JATI?
Shudras
Patriarchy in Ancient Indian
Society
• “rule of the father”
• A social order that stood alongside the
caste system, and varna hierarchy
• Enforced in the The Lawbook of Manu
– Dealt with proper moral behavior and social
relationships
– Caste, Jati, inheritance through male line
Aryan Religion
• Major deity of Rig Veda: Indra, war god
• Elaborate ritual sacrifices to gods
– Role of Brahmins important
– Soma
• C. 800 BCE some movement away from
sacrificial cults
– Mystical thought, influenced by Dravidians
Sadhus: an Indian mystic or ascetic
Teachings of the Upanishads
• 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 ecstasy
• Relationship to system of Varna
Sanskrit
writing
The Vedic Age
The foundations for
Hinduism were
established!