Ancient India: Early Civilizations
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Practice flashcards covering geography, the Indus Valley Civilization, Aryan migrations, Sanskrit, and ancient Indian social structures.
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33 Terms
What is a subcontinent?
A large landmass that is smaller than a continent
Which mountain range separates India from the rest of Asia in the north?
The Himalayas
What three great river systems flow throughout India?
Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra
What are the three river systems in India used for?
Farming, transportation, and trade
Where is the Deccan Plateau located in India?
In the southern two-thirds part of India
What is a plateau?
A broad flat area of high land
What is a monsoon?
Seasonal wind, especially in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia
What kind of weather do winter monsoon winds bring to India?
Cold, dry air from the Himalayas
Where do summer monsoon winds blow from in India?
From the Arabian Sea
Where did India's first civilization begin?
In the Indus River Valley
When did nomads settle in the Indus River valleys in present day Pakistan?
About 5,000 years ago
Between which dates did the Indus culture flourish?
Between 2600 B.C.E. and 1900 B.C.E.
What were the two major cities of the Indus River Valley civilization?
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
How many people lived in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro at their peak?
About 35,000 people living in each city
What unique feature did each house in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have?
One indoor bathroom that had pipes that flowed to pits outside the city
Where did most people in the Indus Valley reside?
In farming villages
How far did Indus Valley merchants travel to trade goods?
As far as Mesopotamia
Around what time did people begin to abandon Indus Valley cities and villages?
Around 1900 B.C.E.
What potential reasons do archaeologists give for the abandonment of Indus Valley cities?
Severe drought that destroyed crops and caused people to starve, or earthquakes/floods
To what large language family did the Aryan language belong?
Indo-European
During what time frame did groups of Aryans move throughout India?
From 1500 to 1000 B.C.E.
What was a raja?
An Indian prince who led an Aryan tribe
What was Sanskrit?
The first written language of India
What were the Vedas?
Ancient sacred writings of India containing recorded Aryan hymns, stories, poems, and prayers
Along which river were most Aryans setting up towns and villages?
The Ganges River
What are the four social classes of ancient India called?
Varnas
Who were the Brahmins in ancient Indian society?
Priests who performed religious ceremonies
Who were the Kshatriyas in ancient Indian society?
Warriors who ran the government and army
Who were the Vaisyas in ancient Indian society?
Commoners, such as farmers, craftspeople, and merchants
Who were the Sudras in ancient Indian society?
Manual workers and servants with few rights, who made up the majority of Indians
What are jati?
Thousands of smaller social groups based on the type of work a person did, into which the four varnas gradually divided
Who were the Untouchables in ancient Indian society?
People at the lowest level of the social system who were not part of the jati and collected trash, skinned animals, and helped dispose of dead bodies
What was the role of a guru?
A teacher who taught boys in prominent households until they went to school