Indus Civilization
The People
- Life was centered around family
- Wanted extended families living under the same roof
- Patriarchal
- Males were in charge
- Children are considered important part of marriage
- Suttee- tradition of putting dead men on pyres and having wife jump into flames
- Lived near the Indus river and used floodplains to grow crops in silt
- Came in 3000 B.C.
- Ended in 1500 B.C.
- Traded with Sumerians
- Caste System determined social class (you were what your parents were)
Climate
- Monsoons
- Wind Patterns Reverse from October through February
- Rain is greatly depended on
- Need monsoon rains at specific times or crops and people starve
Writing
The Indus had a very complex system of writing. This system was so complex that we still haven't been able to decipher their texts.
Religions and Language
- Hinduism
- believed in reincarnation
- Karma is real and ruled by dharma
- Yoga used to achieve openness with gods
- Shiva and Rudra are example s of gods
- Many different dialects of language
- Early writings are indecipherable
- 1000 bc started writing in Sanskrit
Technology
- The Indus had planned cities
- Plumbing was found in many cities
- This consisted of a hole with running water underneath to wash away feces
- Iron plows used for farming
- First to create a measurement system
Violence
It is believed that the people were peaceful and never engaged in war.
Government
- municipal
- power held by trade and religion
Fall/Decline
The Indus mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Nobody knows what happened to cause this mystery.