2. THE
The Indus Valley
Civilization, which spread
and flourished in the
BEGINNING northwestern part of
the Indian subcontinent
from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE,
was the first major
civilization in India. The
Indus Valley is one of the
world's earliest urban
civilizations along with
Mesopotamia and Ancient
Egypt. The Indus Civilization
may have had a population
of over five million. The
inhabitants developed new
techniques in producing
tools with copper, bronze,
3. A
The ancient Indian civilization
had very talented craftsmen.
They were skilled in pottery,
weaving, and metal working.
Several small figures of
R
animals, such as monkeys, have
been found. These small
figures could be objects of art
or toys. There are also small
statues of what they think are
T
female gods. Bowls made of
bronze and silver, and many
beads and ornaments have
been found as well. The
metals used to make these
things are not found in the
S
Indus Valley. So, either the
people who lived in this
ancient civilization had to
import all of these items
from some other place, such
4. FOOD IN INDIA!
Dinner would have included warm tasty wheat bread served with
barley or rice. The ancient Indians were very good farmers. They grew
crops such as: barley, peas, melons, wheat, cotton, and dates. They
kept herds of sheep, pigs, zebus, and water buffalo. The Indians fished
and some hunted. The land was rich for growing sugar canes so they
ate many sweets. They made many stews, soups, rice dishes, and flat
breads.
5. C Family was the
center of life.
U They held family
with the utmost
S importance. The
Ancient Indians
took place in
T many sacrifices,
burial, wedding,
O and religious
rituals. These
M customs have
passed down are
S still active
6. Nobody knows exactly G
what the government
of the Harappan period O
was like; they
probably had V
a king over each city
and possibly some E
queens. By about 1500
BC, all of the people in
R
India are divided up
into castes. Only men
N
from the highest caste
could be rulers in the
M
government. Women E
were not allowed to
rule. Most of India N
continued to be divided
into small kingdoms, T
7. The two main cities of this civilization were Harappa
and Mohenjo-Daro. They flourished from about 3,000
B.C. to 1,500 B.C. These cities were considered advanced
because most of their structures are like that of
today. The cities had broad main streets and smaller
streets off to the sides They used walls to separate
neighborhoods and all of the houses were different
but had the same general layout. The buildings were
usually square shaped and made of oven-baked bricks.
CITIES
8. R
India has been an
important part of three
major world religions
E -Hinduism, Buddhism,
and Islam. Buddhism
L began in India and
spread to other places
I in Asia. Islam came into
India from West Asia.
The origins of Hinduism
G are unclear, but are
related to the arrival
I of the Indo-
European Aryans from
O West Asia. Not much is
known about the
earliest Indian religion,
N but that it was
9. People in Ancient India wore mostly
cotton or silk clothing. India was the
first place where cotton was grown,
even as early as 2500 B.C. By
the Aryan period, the Indian women
wore one very long piece
of cloth called a sari, that they
wrapped around themselves in
different ways. Men also wore one long
piece of cloth called the dhoti, which
was generally white. They accessorized
the dhoti with a head wrap called a
turban. The Indians are known for their
DRESS
elaborate jewels.
10. G
India was the first
civilization to get the
idea of carving the
knucklebones of cattle
A
and sheep and turning
them into marked dice.
They would throw
these dice to predict
M
the future and upcoming
events. The Indians
invented a game named
“Snakes and Ladders”
which we now know as
E
“Chutes and Ladders.”
They invented many
board games like chess,
and card games as well.
S
Ancient India is claimed
to be the origin of Judo
and Karate. It was very
popular, even among
the women and
11. The writing of this
civilization has
puzzled scholars
for nearly
seventy years
because of its
briefness and it
being unknown to
all people. The
writing style is
very unique and
scribes were
highly regarded.
--LITERATURE--
12. INTERESTING FACTS
In India's 100,000 years of history, it has never
invaded any other country.
India is the largest democratic country in the
world.
The value of pi was first calculated by an Indian
mathematician- Budhayana.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus originated in
India.
Varanasi, also known as Benaras, also called "the
Ancient City" (when Lord Buddha visited it in 500
B.C.), is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in
the world today.
Islam is India's and the world's second largest
religion. There are 300,000 active mosques in
13. Excavations of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
reveal that the people participated in many
physical activities and also played a variety
of games using marbles, balls, and dice.
Hunting, swimming, dancing, boating, craft
making, and martial arts were some very
popular activities in India in ancient times.
14. India is the birthplace of several sciences. Several
Mathematical concepts including zero, decimal system,
square root, and algebra, Stared here in India.
Discoveries about the body, the womb, and childbirth
were made. Some of the first surgeries took place
during this time.
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