I.

Cities of the Indus Valley

A. Indias first civilizations emerged form Indus River Valley, 2600 B.C.
1. People flourished for 700 years
2. Was very complex and biggest of time. Had many amenities, ex plumbing
B. Most people were farmers
1. Had a lot of grain, and many merchants and traders
C. 1750 B.C.
1. Cities declining, floods ruined cities
2. 1700 B.C. many cities abandoned
II. Kingdoms of the Ganges
A. Civilizations in Indus Valley declined
1. People moved to Central Asia and Northwest India
2. In India, people intermarried and were called Aryans
B. Eastward
1. Went to forests or Ganges River Basin
2. 500 B.C. Indus civilizations formed
C. Information of Aryans comes from the Vedas
1. Priests remembered Vedas, which is prayers and hymns.
III. Society
A. Social classes by job occupation
1. Priest on top, dalits bottom, dalits is jobs no one wanted
B. Gave away to Castes
1. Castes is a social class your are born into, cannot leave it
IV. Religious Beliefs
A. Aryans were polytheistic
1. Believed in many gods
2. Power is called brahman
3. Some Aryans were mystics, devoted life to seek spiritual truths
V. Early Civilizations in China
A. Distances and physical barriers separate (from Egypt, Middle East, and India)
1. Through China war was at middle of Earth, called Central Mid Kingdom
VI. Geography
A. Barriers blocked China from outside world
1. Mountains ocean, etc blocked, but still got good out
B. Chinese history began in Huangite Valley
1. People learned to farm, found rivers to get big governments
VII. The Shang and Zhou Dynasties
A. 1650 B.C. Shang had power in Northern China
1. 1027 B.C. Zhou overthrew Shang, lasted until 256 B.C.
2. Chinese believed when corrupt rulers came, they would fall
VIII. Religion
A. Shang had developed complex Religion with many gods
1. Religion had respect for ancestors, would bring good fortune to families
2. Believed in Yin Yang, Yin=Earth, Yang=heaven
IX. Science and Technology
A. Shang Dynasty had great technology
1. Developed calendars and bronze making
2. Zhou made first books out of bamboo
3. 256 B.C. China was large, wealthy, and a highly developed center of civilization