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Chapter 6: Early India

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Chapter 6: Early India 190-193 CH6 CO-824133 3/22/04 10:48 AM Page 190 David Cumming/CORBIS Early India The Hindu temple of Devi Jagadambi in Khajuraho, India 2500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D. 500 c. 3000 B.C. c. 1500 B.C. 563 B.C. A.D.320 India’s first The Aryans The Buddha The Gupta civilization invade India is born empire begins begins 190-193 CH6 CO-824133 3/22/04 10:50 AM Page 191 Chapter Overview Visit Chapter Preview jat.glencoe.com for a preview Like ancient Greece, early India was a land of warriors, of Chapter 6. thinkers, and scientists. Read this chapter to find out how ideas from India affect how you do math today. View the Chapter 6 video in the World History: Journey Across Time Video Program. India’s First Civilizations The earliest Indian civilization developed on the Indus River. Later, the Aryans invaded northern India. They changed the government and created a new social system. Hinduism and Buddhism India’s two main religions were Hinduism and Buddhism. These two religions affected every aspect of people’s lives. India’s First Empires India had two great empires: the Maurya and the Gupta. The Mauryans helped spread Buddhism throughout Asia. Art and learning flourished during the Gupta empire. Identifying Make this foldable to help you identify and learn key terms. Step 1 Stack four sheets Step 2 With Reading and Writing of paper, one on top of the papers still As you read the chapter, the other. On the top stacked, cut write the terms from sheet of paper, draw a out all four Building Your Vocabulary large circle. circles at the in your foldable.Write a same time. definition for each term. Then turn your foldable Step 3 Staple the paper circles together Step 4 Label the over (upside down) to at one point around the edge. front circle as shown write a short sentence and take notes on using each term. the pages that This makes Chapter 6 Staple a circular open to the right. Key here. booklet. Terms 191 190-193 CH6 CO-824133 3/22/04 10:52 AM Page 192 Vocabulary Building Your Vocabulary What do you do when you are reading and come to a word you do not know? Here are some hints: 1. Use clues in the sentence (called context clues) to help you define it. 2. Look for prefixes, suffixes, or root words that you already know. 3. Look it up in the glossary or a dictionary. 4. Write it down and ask for help with the meaning. Context If you know 5. Guess at its meaning. what the caste system Look at the word Untouchables in the following paragraph. is, it will help you fig- ure out the meaning of Untouchables. Context The “Untouchables” were a “group.” There was one group so low that it was They had a “low” not even part of the caste system. Its rank in society. members were called Pariahs, or the Untouchables. They performed work other Indians thought was too dirty, such as collecting trash, skinning animals, or handling dead bodies. —from page 200 Prefixes and Suffixes Context The fact You might know that the that they performed Read the paragraphs prefix un- means “not” the “dirty” work indi- that appear before and and the suffix -able cates how they were after the word to help means “to be able to.” viewed by others in you understand its You might guess that the Indian society. meaning. meaning of Untouchable is an Indian who was not 192 to be touched by others. 190-193 CH6 CO-824133 3/22/04 10:53 AM Page 193 Defining Words Read to Write Take one word from the What are three things you could do to help you understand vocabulary bookmark the meaning of the word subcontinent in this paragraph? that you make in the Apply It! activity. Find its definition. Then create a cartoon strip. Look at the map below. India Have one of the looks like a diamond hanging from characters in your the bottom of Asia. India is a sub- cartoon strip use the word correctly. continent (SUHB • KAHN • tuhn • uhnt) because even though it is part of Asia, huge mountains make a barrier between India and the rest of Asia. These mountains are the Himalaya (HIH • muh • LAY • uh), the highest mountains in the world. —from page 195 Make a vocabulary bookmark using a 2-inch-wide strip of paper. As you read the chapter, write down words you do not know or want to find out more about. 193 194-201 Ch6 S1-824133 2/29/04 11:50 PM Page 194 India’s First Civilizations What’s the Connection? Meeting People In India, just as in Egypt and Aryans (AR•ee•uhnz) Mesopotamia, the first civilizations Brahmans (BRAH•muhns) developed in fertile river valleys. Building Your Vocabulary Focusing on the subcontinent • Climate and geography influenced (SUHB•KAHN•tuhn•uhnt) the rise of India’s first civilization. monsoon (mahn•SOON) (page 195) Sanskrit (SAN•SKRIHT) • The Aryans conquered India and raja (RAH•juh) introduced new ideas and caste (KAST) technology. (page 198) guru (GUR•oo) • The Aryans created a caste system that separated Indians into groups. Reading Strategy (page 199) Organizing Information Complete a diagram like the one below showing Locating Places how the Aryans changed India. Himalaya (HIH muh LAY uh) • • • Major Ways Aryans Changed India Ganges River (GAN•JEEZ) Indus River (IHN•duhs) Harappa (huh•RA•puh) Mohenjo-Daro (moh•HEHN•joh DAHR•oh) 30003000 B..C.. 2000 2000 B..C.. 1000 B.C. Khyber Pass Harappa c. 3000 B.C. c. 1500 B.C. c. 1000 B.C. G anges R. India’s first civilization Aryans Aryans control begins invade northern India India 194 CHAPTER 6 Early India 194-201 Ch6 S1-824133 3/22/04 12:47 PM Page 195 The Land of India Indian climate. A monsoon is a strong wind that blows one direction in winter and the Climate and geography influenced the opposite direction in summer. The winter rise of India’s first civilization. monsoon brings the cold, dry air of the Reading Focus Do you have tornadoes or hurricanes mountains. The summer monsoon brings where you live? Read to find out how geography and warm, wet air from the Arabian Sea, which weather affected India’s first civilization. produces drenching rains. When the monsoon rains begin, many Look at the map below. India looks like farmers celebrate. If the rains come on time a diamond hanging from the bottom of and the rainy season lasts long enough, the Asia. India is a subcontinent (SUHB • KAHN • crop will be good. If the rains are delayed, a tuhn• uhnt) because even though it is part of drought will occur. This extended period Asia, huge mountains make a barrier between India and the rest of Asia. These mountains Geography of India are the Himalaya (HIH • muh • LAY • uh), the highest mountains 70°E KEY KA Winter monsoon in the world. RAK OR (dry winds) Today, there are five nations AM R Summer monsoon A N (wet winds) that occupy the Indian subconti- G nent: India, Pakistan in the E Mountain peak H 30°N northwest, Nepal, Bhutan, and I Mt. Everest . G M 29,035 ft. s R A du N A (8,850 m) Bangladesh in the northeast. n G I ES L PL A Y India has two very fertile AIN A river valleys. Both are fed by the Ganges R. ANCER mountains in the north. When TROPIC OF C the snow in the Himalaya melts, INDIA water flows into the Ganges DECCAN River (GAN • JEEZ) and the Indus N River (IHN•duhs). If the water is PLATEAU Bay of Bengal controlled, the land near these W E rivers can be used for farming. S Arabian 0 500 mi. The Ganges River runs south Sea of the Himalaya and flows into 0 500 km Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection ° the Indian Ocean. The Indus 10 N River empties into the Arabian INDIAN OCEAN Sea. The area around the Indus is called the Indus River valley. South of the river valleys is the The mighty Himalaya and several bodies of dry and hilly Deccan Plateau. The water border the Indian subcontinent. 1. What two rivers are found in northern India? eastern and western coasts of 2. Based on the area’s geography, what parts of India are lush, fertile plains. the Indian subcontinent do you think are best Monsoons (mahn • SOONZ) suited for settlement? are an important part of the Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps 194-201 Ch6 S1-824133 3/22/04 12:55 PM Page 196 without rain can be disastrous for farmers. India’s first civilization in the Indus Few crops will be harvested and many River valley began about 3000 B.C. and people will starve. lasted until 1500 B.C. More than a thousand villages and towns were part of this civiliza- India’s First Civilization In earlier chap- tion, which stretched from the Himalaya to ters, you learned about civilizations that the Arabian Sea. We know something about began in river valleys. Indian civilization the way these people lived from studying also began in a river valley. the ruins of two major cities, Harappa The first civilization grew up near the (huh • RA • puh) and Mohenjo-Daro (moh • Indus River. When the summer monsoon HEHN • joh DAHR • oh). The civilization of began, the river rose higher and higher.
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