History Head Activity - India

1. Patterns and impacts of interaction between humans and the environment

Indus River=silt=population growth (outside)

The Indus River shows the interaction between humans and the environment around them. This is because the Indus River brought silt to the Indus River Valley in India. Silt makes the soil in the valley very fertile causing agriculture to flourish in this area. Because of the booming agriculture in the valley, the human population in India exploded. This shows that the people in India took advantage of the silt that was in the environment and used it in a useful way.

Harappan decline (outside)

The Harappan decline also showed how the environment affected the people in India. The Harappan society declined due to the environment. The Harappan people used deforestation in the Indus River valley. They did this so that they could used the land for agriculture and cultivation and to also get firewood. Because of the deforestation, the topsoil eroded away and the amounts of rainfall also decreased. The Harappans also fell because of the flooding of the Indus River. they flooding devastated villages and killed many people who were trapped inside their houses. This best represents the life of the average human in India because the people had to brave the flooding and the erosion of topsoil to survive in India. The environment dictated the survival or the decline of the Harappan society.

1 room tenements (inside)

The patterns of settlement can be shown with the house that is inside the head. An average person in India usually lived in houses that were one-roomed. They were barrackslike houses. Most people lived in these structures while the elite few had houses of their own with many rooms and floors with a courtyard(s) in them. This  best represents the average person living in India because most people lived in these one-room houses. 

2. Development and interaction of cultures

sacrifices (outside)

Sacrifices are a reflection of the religion in India during 8000 B.C.E.-600 B.C.E. The people of India believed that the ritual sacrifices would please the gods. By pleasing the gods, the people thought that they would have a successful military, a long life expectancy, large herds of cattle, and large families. The Aryan people (who lived in India) would sacrifice no less than five sacrifices a day. This affects the whole community because everyone had to sacrifice an animal to please the gods. If they did not, then they everyone would think that they would not have any food or a successful military, etc. Therefore, these sacrifices affect the whole society and not just one individual.

hermits (inside)

Being a hermit also reflected the the religious beliefs of people in India during this time period. People began to live in the forests of the Ganges valley. The people lived as hermits because they wanted to be connected with the world and the gods. They also wanted to go the the state of moksha. This meant that they would be in a deep, dreamless sleep. This sleep would permanently free them from physical incarnation.This best represents the people in this time period because an individual people wanted to be connected to their god (Brahman) and be with him in the afterlife. This would affect an individual person.

3. State-building ,expansion, and conflict

clashing between Aryans and Dravidians (outside)

The Aryans and the Dravidians were both different societies living in India at the same time. They fought over land and also resources. The Vedas described the societies clashing. It was a clash between a group of peole and they were forced to do this. It affected the people because one group could take over the other and then the way the whole society ran was governed could change. That would affect everyone.

Representatives of the citizens (inside)

The early Aryans had no central government but had many chiefdoms with a raja (king) and a council of elders. The government then changed when the council of elders helped with the affairs of states that were governed by representatives of the citizens. This is inside of the head because a person could talk with the representative of their city for what they wanted and started to have a more direct say in the government.

4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems

horses-> wheels (outside)

Horses major in trade and commerce in India. Horses did not breed well in India so when people did go to other civilizations, they made sure to get more horses. Horses then brought the idea of wheels from the other civilizations and brought it to India.The wheels made it easier to transport and trade products. This also represents industrialization. The wheel was not invented in India but the idea was brought there and well as horses since they were not indigenous and did not breed well in that area.

human labor “untouchables” (inside)

Another part of theme four is the labor system. Part of the labor system is the human labor (untouchables). The untouchables were not all slaves but many did very unpleasant jobs. They are thought of as impure and less than human. This is inside the head because this is part of a person’s daily life and they job that they had to do. This best shows the average person because many people were indebted to other people by borrowing money or working on their land.

5. Development and transformation of social structures

varna “colors” (outside)

The beginning of the caste system was based on varna or “color”. The Aryans would think of themselves as superior to the Dravidians. The Aryans said that they were “wheat-colored” while they discriminated against the Dravidians because they were darker skinned. This is outside of the head because it is against the person’s power to decide what race they are and skin color they have. This best describes the average person in India during that time period because the caste system and varna decided what you would do and be in your life.

patriarchal society (inside)

A patriarchal society was a society that was headed by men. This means that they women had to obey men and do as they were told. This best represents the life of the average person because the average woman would stay at home and have no political say while men would rule over the family and rule over a society as well. They would have to obey the rules that their husband and fathers made for them.