The Indus and Ganges River Valleys

Describe the geography of the Indus and Ganges river valleys.

The Indus River crosses the Himalayas and empties into the Arabian Sea.
The Ganges River flows from the Himalayas into the Bay of Bengal.
The Indus and Ganges Rivers cut through mountains. They flow across Northern India and make farming possible in the river valleys.

How do the monsoons affect India and its climate?

India’s climate is dominated by the Monsoon. Monsoons help India become humid in the monsoon season. People of India depend on summer monsoons to provide life-giving rain. If the monsoon is weak, crops die and this can lead to famine. If the monsoon brings to much rain, overflowing rivers can then cause floods.



How did geography influence the building of Mohenjo-Daro?

Mohenjo-Daro was influenced by geography by having all of it planned. They wanted to be protected from incoming floods, so the city was built above the ground level. Canals helped to control flooding by catching overflow from the river. Also, a citadel was built on a hill that was surrounded by the wall. The wall protected the building from floods.

How was Mohenjo-Daro similar to modern cities?

Mohenjo-Daro was somewhat similar to modern cities. Its houses were built on a street grid which sort of looked like neighborhoods in modern cities. Many of the streets were covered with mud brick. Also, It had one of the most sophisticated drainage systems with drains running beneath the streets. Grains and surplus food was stored in big go-downs, properly constructed near Citadels.


Who were the Aryans?

The Aryans were newcomers to Mohenjo-Daro. They migrated from their homelands in central Asia. The Aryans drove horse-drawn chariots that helped them gain power. The word ‘Aryan’ in their language meant ‘noble’ or ‘highborn’. By their name we can guess that they must’ve been quite sophisticated.

How was it possible for the Aryans to spread their influence over the Indus and Ganges river valleys so successfully?

It was possible for the Aryans to spread their influence over the Indus and Ganges river valleys so successfully probably because they were such nomadic people. They spent a short amount of time in one place; spreading their ideas, languages and beliefs to the people, and then moved on to other places.

Reference:
Textbook: The Indus and Ganges River Valleys. Section 1.

Mohenjo-Daro

MOHENJO-DARO

The article by John Roach examines the case of the civilization of the Indus Valley, called Mohenjo Daro. The excavations that have been made in the 1920s give interesting facts about the town and its development.

Mohenjo Daro was a city in present-day Pakistan, discovered by the archaeologists in 1921. The very unique culture existed roughly 4500 years ago, and it became the puzzle for the scientists. One of the most interesting facts about the culture is the fact that the traits of rulers are very vague. There is an absence of the forms, such as a palace or a castle. On the other hand, archaeologists have concluded that cleanliness was one of the key drivers of this ancient society, given the fact that there was a bath in most of the houses, and the Great Bath on top of the hill.

Moreover, the sense of standardization was highly applied to the civilization, since there is a lot of evidence, such as pottery, that is very much the same shape. Furthermore, the city was built in grid-like order, which gives us an impression of tight control.

The National Geographic article by John Roach gives us basic information on the unique culture of the Indus Vally – Mohenjo Daro.

Citation:

"Mohenjo Daro." National Geographics. Ed. John Roach. Randy Olson, May 2011. Web.

Mapping Project

During Humanities classes these past few days we've been working on Mapping Projects in groups of 2. Firstly, we had to draw climate and Elevation maps of India. Maria and I colored in the two maps, and moved on to making elevation clay maps. When we’ve done that, we were assigned to answer the following questions:

1. How do physical features, climate and elevation relate to each other?

Physical features, climate and elevation all relate to each other in many different ways. Firstly, elevation is related to climate because the higher the surface area of a place is, the more it will affect the climate of the place. The physical features will obviously have an effect on the climate and elevation of an area; if it is a mountainous area it will have a high elevation, if it was a rain-forest the climate would be tropical. They are all inter- connecting, because one of them can cause another to change.

2. What conclusions can you draw?

The climate, elevation and physical features have an influence on where humans settle. The main thing about all these things that humans look for is practicality, are there resources nearby? How can certain features be beneficial? Is it safe? Things like climate influences where people settle because we don’t want to settle in a a hot place where water is scarce, and yet neither do we want to settle in a extremely cold place where food is hard to farm. We look at elevation and include things in such as; Is this terrain of the side of the mountain where it will be hard to grow crops and build a house? Also physical features; Physical features can mean resources if they are the important kind. Things such as the river give water to humans who settle there, whereas as people who settle in the desert, the physical features are not as important.

Unit Reflection

Reflection on the Learner Profile:

During this unit, I demonstrated Risk- Taker, Reflective, Inquirer, and Principled

Risk-Taker: Throughout this unit, I answered a lot of questions in groups and I was included in them- this means that I was confident enough to answer something even if I was unsure. However, I think I should be included in class discussions more often- because I get quite nervous when it comes to answering the teachers’ questions- Since teachers are always excellently right, I’m usually afraid and I get the feeling of being wrong.

Reflective: When it comes to reflections, I always see the Rights and the Wrongs in any topic we did in class. I briefly write down the things I need to improve on for the future, and the things I did well and continue doing them well in other topics we will continue doing in class. This might sound weird, but I think I am the only person in my class who likes to write reflections. This is because I get to think-over and actually write down EVERYTHING I want myself to know. However, I think it might be well if I were to share my feelings with my classmates- maybe they would give me tips for the next unit.

Inquirer: I enjoyed learning about Ancient Egypt this unit. I was quite curious- I wanted to find out more. So, I went online at home and researched some well written and reliable facts on my laptop and this enabled me to learn more and get prepared for the test. (This is true!) I think I should have written these facts that I found on the net in my notebook instead of just reading them and trying to memorize every single fact.

Principled: I was good at this skill- because all of my writings are not all made up; I was honest about everything, especially my reflections. During group discussions, I was fair enough, and I let other people talk first to show respect. I was quite tolerant (meaning that I let other people share their ideas and be patient while they talk) and I got along with almost all of the people’s own perspectives.

Reflection on the ATL’s

Organizational: During this unit, I was very organized. I did not lose anything- and I made sure everything was in its place. I collected all papers and gathered them up in my folder to keep them safe and tidy so I would have them at home when it comes to studying for the test. Throughout this unit, I paid more attention to Graphic Organizers than I did before; because before, I thought they were not helpful at all and that my notes are much more useful, but now that our teacher has talked about how good they are quite often, I think I tried using them as useful tools and I stopped rewriting everything at the last minute.

Collaborative: As said in the Risk-Taking section, I was included in group discussions, but not class discussions. This is because in groups, there are only 3 or 4 people, and during class, there are a lot more classmates who might all make fun of you if you say the wrong answer- and this is the reason why I don’t normally talk during class.

Information Literacy: I have changed a lot since the beginning of the year. During this unit, we had to do a lot of research, especially in presentations, Blog Posts, and include facts from the net in posters. I was able to write paragraphs and essays in my own words- and I certainly did not plagiarize. I am able to scan and skim text and then rewrite it; This is better than just rewriting every sentence from the book or from a site on the computer.

Transfer: During this unit, I used a lot of information that I knew and that I found out in my tasks. For example, I included some things I already knew before in my notes. Another example would be my presentation on the Daily Life and Jobs of Ancient Egypt. I used a lot of valid info and made it interesting for my friends during my presentation.

How did the physical environment affect the development of civilizations?

Ancient civilizations were affected by the geography of where they were living. Cities were built near bodies of water (For example; lakes, oceans, rivers, etc.) because it provided them to have fertile soil and sediment, food, and water, leaving the people to hunt more animals and hygiene- more importantly for people and animals to drink in order to survive. Stabled food sources were a very big part of how you lived in an Ancient Civilization. If animals were to have a place to stay stable and calm, the people would too- and this results in them settling down well. In some civilizations, there were areas with average temperature too. In colder places, animals such as birds and monkies would have to adapt to the snow whereas in hot regions, polar bears that live in the Arctic (Although the Arctic barely gets warm) would have to adapt too.