Early South Asia &

Early China
Chapter 3 Notes
 Early South Asia
3rd civilization on the
rise = Indus River
Valley in South Asia
Arose on the
subcontinent of
Asia = landmass
that is part of a
continent but is
distinct from it
The Subcontinent
3 modern nations there
today = India, Pakistan,
and Bangladesh
Mountains separate it
from the rest of Asia =
Himalayas & Hindu
Kush
Indus River drains into
the Arabian Sea
 Climate & Seasonal Winds
Mountains block cold air & give the
area a warm climate
Monsoons = seasonal winds that
affect the climate and way of life
Summer monsoons bring heavy
rains, causing flooding that helps
the soil
People depended on monsoons to
grow crops
Monsoons sometimes
unpredictable
- Unusually heavy rains drowned
people, animals, whole villages
- Late or light monsoons caused
poor crops & starvation
The Indus Valley Civilization
Often called Harappan
Civilization
Major cities: Harappa &
Mohenjo-Daro
Cities were carefully planned
used a grid pattern
A fortress built on a brick
platform overlooked each city
probably the center of
government and religion
The Indus Valley Civilization
Houses were made of
oven-baked bricks
1) Each house had at
least one bathroom
with plumbing to
sewers
2) Houses rose to
several stories and
had enclosed
courtyards
The Indus Valley Civilization
Most people farmed
Trade = bronze and copper tools;
jewelry out of gold, shells, ivory;
clay pots; woven cloth; silver
containers
Used pictograms still havent
been deciphered
Not much is known due to a lack
of written records
Collapsed around 1500 BCE
 Early China

4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River

Valley in China (Huang He River)
Oldest continuous civilization in the
world
Chinas Geography
1/3 mountains
Vast deserts Gobi
Desert
These factors isolated
China from other early
civilizations
Prevented cultural
diffusion
Promoted strong sense
of national identity
 Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 BCE)
1st dynasty (line of rulers
who belong to the same
family) from which there
are written records in China
Kings were also high
priests
Performed special
ceremonies for good weather,
crops, etc.
Had special powers to call
upon their ancestors
Used oracle bones
Shang Dynasty
Had a writing system
Characters
represented objects,
ideas, or sounds
Had to memorize each
character to
understand script
Few people could read
& write in ancient
China
 Shang Dynasty
Produced some of the
finest bronze objects
ever made
Wove silk into beautiful
colored cloth for the
upper class
7 capital cities
Palace and temple stood
at the center of each city
Shang Dynasty
Collapsed under attack
Shang Dynasty lacked
strong leaders
1000 BCE = ruler from the
north named Wu marched
in his armies and killed the
Shang king
Set up his own dynasty
called the Zhou Dynasty
that ruled China for 800
years
 Shang Dynasty
Paved the way for many
other dynasties to rule China
Dynasties ruled China until the
early 1900s under the
Mandate of Heaven
If rulers were effective, they
received the authority to rule
from Heaven
If not, they were overthrown &
lost this mandate to someone
else who started a new dynasty