Transcript India and China Civilizationsx

South Asia and Early China
Indus River and Yellow River
Early South Asia
• 3rd civilization on the
rise = Indus River
Valley in South Asia
• 3 modern nations
there today = India,
Pakistan, and
Bangladesh
The Subcontinent
• Mountains separate it
from the rest of Asia =
Himalayas & Hindu Kush
• Mountains block cold air
& give the area a warm
climate
• Monsoons = seasonal
winds that affect the
climate and way of life
• People depended on
monsoons to grow crops
The Indus Valley Civilization
• Often called Harappan
Civilization
• Cities were carefully planned
– used a grid pattern
• A fortress built on a brick
platform overlooked each city
– probably the center of
government and religion
The Indus Valley Civilization
• Houses were made of
oven-baked bricks
1) Each house had at
least one bathroom
with plumbing to
sewers
2) Houses rose to
several stories and
had enclosed
courtyards
The Indus Valley
Civilization
• Most people farmed
• Trade = bronze and copper tools;
jewelry out of gold, shells, ivory;
clay pots; woven cloth; silver
containers
• Used pictograms – still haven’t
been deciphered
• Not much is known due to a lack
of written records
• Collapsed around 1500 BCE
Early China
• 4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River
Valley in China (Huang He River)
• Oldest continuous civilization in the
world
China’s Geography
• 1/3 mountains
• Vast deserts – Gobi
Desert
• These factors isolated
China from other early
civilizations
• Prevented cultural
diffusion
• Promoted strong sense
of national identity
Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE)
• 1st dynasty (line of rulers
who belong to the same
family) from which there
are written records in China
• Kings were also high
priests
– Performed special
ceremonies for good
weather, crops, etc.
– Had special powers to call
upon their ancestors
– Used oracle bones
Shang Dynasty
• Had a writing system
– Characters
represented objects,
ideas, or sounds
– Had to memorize each
character to
understand script
– Few people could read
& write in ancient
China
Shang Dynasty
• Produced some of the
finest bronze objects
ever made
• Wove silk into beautiful
colored cloth for the
upper class
• 7 capital cities
– Palace and temple stood
at the center of each city
Shang Dynasty
• Collapsed under attack
– Shang Dynasty lacked
strong leaders
– 1000 BCE = ruler from the
north named Wu marched
in his armies and killed the
Shang king
– Set up his own dynasty
called the Zhou Dynasty
that ruled China for 800
years
Shang Dynasty
• Paved the way for many
other dynasties to rule China
– Dynasties ruled China until the
early 1900s under the
Mandate of Heaven
• If rulers were effective, they
received the authority to rule
from Heaven
• If not, they were overthrown &
lost this mandate to someone
else who started a new dynasty