HIST 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Vedic Period, Dravidian Languages, Mohenjo-Daro
Document Summary
Indus valley (c. 2900- 1800 bce: the indus valley, an arid region, an alluvial plain, overflows twice a year. Urban settlements: unknown [its written language remains un-deciphered], but city walls and large buildings such as granary and temples suggesting. Harappa and mohenjo-daro were political centers: living situation: one-room tenements vs. large houses, large public building (the sewage systems), irrigated farming. Ecological disaster: weather became drier; deforestation; the change of river course. It is located in the ganges river valley: annual monsoon brings in plenty of rainwater; the valley is a fertile plain; peasants can grow two or three crops a year. The vedic age (1500-500 bce) is very important for us to understand ancient indian civilization. Some key terms are aryans and vedas: vedas and ancient indian civilization. Vedas religious texts and literature works; there are four vedas: rivalry between the aryans and the dasas. Aryans: relatively light-skinned speakers of indo-european languages; immigrants.
