Understand the origins and early development of the first civilizations in the Indian subcontinent, assignment help

1. Understand the origins and early development of the first civilizations in the Indiansubcontinent.2. Understand the origins and early development of the first civilizations of ancientChina.Web Sites:Harappan Civilization http://www.archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/harappa-mohenjodaro.htmlAryans in India http://www.indhistory.com/aryan.htmlShang Dynasty http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/shang/Videos:Harappan Civilization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvrE38HL0HMAncient China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpF6bVd_xjAZhou Dynasty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY7M1p8jvlEDocuments:Chapter 3From Primitive to Zen, A Vedic Hymn to the Goddess Earth: http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/026.htmlThe Indian Ascetic, (The Laws of Manu):http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/218.htmlThe Creation of the World from The Upanishandshttp://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/058.htmlThe Dilemma of Arjunahttp://web.archive.org/web/20001025081804/http://www.humanities.ccny.cuny.edu/history/reader/krishna.htmChapter 4The Mandate of Heaven, Selections from the Shu Jing (The Classic of History):http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/shu-jing.htmlintroduction to the I Ching, by Carl Gustav Jung:http://www.iging.com/intro/foreword.htmReading: Chapter 3, pp. 66-91; Chapter 4, pp. 94-119By 2500 BCE, another advanced civilization had emerged along the Indus Riverthat runs northeast through present-day Pakistan to the contested province of Kashmir.Like the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of Mesopotamia, the Indus River was noted for itsunpredictable and often violent pattern of flooding. A number of urban centers arosealong the Indus River with streets laid out along a precise grid and houses with runningwater and sewage systems.Much of what historians know about the Indusvalley civilizations come from archaeological discoveriesbecause Harappan writing has yet to be deciphered. Thediscovery of Harappan artifacts by archaeologists in theMiddle East indicate an active trade between the peoplesof the Indus valley and Mesopotamia by way of thePersian Gulf.Around 1500 BCE, the Harappan civilization wasovertaken by a group of Indo-Europeans, called theAryan. (When you get to HS 1122, you will see this termused by Hitler and the Nazis as the ancestors of theGerman race and to designate acceptable people and non-acceptable peoples (Jews).By the time of the Aryan conquest, the Harappan civilization had already declinedmarkedly, perhaps as a result of rivers changing their courses or a natural disaster such asan earthquake. The blend of the traditional culture of the Indus valley people and that ofthe Aryans had a tremendous effect on the future course of Indian history.The most isolated of the ancient river valley civilizations was the one in theHuang He valley of present-day China. Isolated by deserts, the Himalayas, and seas, thepeople of the Huang did trade with Southwest Asia and South Asia.Now we are going to move north of the Himalyas to study the origins anddevelopment of ancient China. The earliest Chinese dynasty that left written records wasthe Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BCE). A key elementof the Shang period was the knowledge of bronzemetallurgy, which came from Southwest Asia throughmigrations of Indo-Europeans. Bronze metallurgyand familiarity with iron-making around 1100 BCEstrengthened the Shang rulers. Shang rule was alsoempowered by the need for central rule to overseeirrigation and flood-control projects along the HuangHe River. Shang rule also saw the rise of a number ofwalled cities which served as cultural, military, andeconomic centers. Elaborate palaces and tombs werebuilt for Shang rulers.Shang society was stratified with a class of ruling elites, artisans, peasants, andslaves. Families were patriarchal, and the veneration of ancestors was common. Thematrilineal society that characterized China before Shang rule gradually eroded untilwomen held positions subordinate to those of men.The Shang dynasty eventually gave way to the Zhou about 1122 BCE who ruleuntil 258 BCE. The Zhou claimed they overthrew the Shang by the will of the gods,what they called the mandate of heaven. The Zhou continued the tradition of centralauthority that first took root under the Shang. The Zhou emperors, or Sons of Heaven,as they called themselves, continued to centralize authority and expanded Chineseterritory to include the fertile rice-growing region of the southern Yangtze River to therich wheat-producing regions of northern China. One significant achievement was thestandardization of the spoken language.Study Questions:1. What are the origins of the earliest civilizations in the Indus River Valley2. What were the origins of ancient China?