Introduction
Ancient India - The Aryan Civilization
the remains of a well in the ancient Indian ruins of Harappa
The remains of a well in the ancient Indian ruins of Harappa
In India, an ancient river valley civilization was born near the Indus River in Southeast Asia. There, the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro developed. Due to the geographic features of the Indian subcontinent, the classical Indian civilization was able to make several scientific and cultural contributions without fear of invasion from outside groups. In this topic, you will begin by examining India's unique geography. Then, you will explore the Indo-Aryans, along with the Mauryan and Gupta empires that contributed to India's Golden Age. In addition, you will learn about the caste system, which persisted in India for thousands of years.

Essential Questions

 

Warm-Up

warm-up iconYou have already learned how a big part of development in ancient and classical civilizations involved people being conquered, relocated, and resettled. Did you know that this type of displacement still happens in modern times?

In the video, The Partition of India, from eMediaVASM, you will discover how Damyanti Hingorani and her family had to leave their homeland when she was a child. As you watch the video, think of other groups of people you know about from history who have had to change their lives. What must they have felt like? Is there ever a good reason for displacement? How would you have dealt with this change if you were Damyanti? As you continue through the content in this topic, think about whether there are any similarities between what happened during the partition of India in 1947 and what occurred in ancient Indian history.