1. South Asia
A History

2. Indus River Valley
● Asia’s first cities 4500 years ago
o Harappa
o Mohenjo Dahro
 Brick buildings
 Carefully laid out streets
 Ceremonial Gateways
 Buildings to store grain
With the growth in population the civilization
thrived by farming, trade, and the use of
small industry.
● Copper & Bronze tools
● Cotton cloth
● Clay pottery

3. Indus River Valley
● The Indus civilization declined between
1700 and 1500 BCE after nearly a thousand
years of prosperity.
● It is believed that earthquakes and floods
may have damaged the cities and the Indus
river itself may have changed course.
Indus Valley:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/indus_valley/
Crash Course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ndRwqJYDM&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

4. Aryans
● 1500 BCE nomadic herders called
Aryans settled in South Asia
● Believed to have come from the
Caucuses
● Developed a spoken language called
Sanskrit
o Passed on hymns and teachings by
word of mouth

5. Aryans
Sanskrit later became a written language
and teachings were written in sacred
texts called Vedas
The Vedas show that Aryans were
organized into four Varnas or social groups
1. Priests
2. Warriors
3. Farmers
4. Unskilled Laborers/Servants
Over time a Caste system emerged. A Caste is a social group a person is
born into and cannot change. The term for Caste in South Asia is Jati.

6. Maurya
● Rise to power in 300s BCE
● Founded by Maurya family
● Most famous ruler Asoka
o Was a Buddhist
o Let his people practice other religions
o Sent Buddhist missionaries throughout Asia
o Dedicated his life to peace
● Empire prospered through trade
● After Asoka’s death invasions led to
Mauryan Empire’s fall

7. Gupta Empire
● In 320 AD Gupta Empire set up in
● Northern India by Chandragupta I
● Under Hindu rulers contact with the
outside world led to:
o Increased trade
o Academia thrived
 Science
 Medicine
 Art
 Mathematics
● South Asian mathematicians developed the numerals 1-9
used today
o Later adopted by Muslim Arab traders and eventually
brought to Europe

8. Moguls
● During the early 1500s Muslim warriors
known as Moguls came from the North of India.
● Akbar was the greatest Mogul ruler.
o Added lands to the empire
o Lowered taxes
o Supported the arts
o Allowed Hindus to worship freely and hold
government positions
● Later Mogul rulers were not as good
o Heavy taxes led to rebellion
o Foreign invasions led to empires collapse
in the 1700s

9. Modern History
● 1600s British established the East India Trading Co.
● Through trade and Military might the British became the dominant power in
South Asia by the 1800s.
● As British tried to introduce European practices and ideas South Asians
became resentful.
● Indian soldiers attempted revolt in 1857 but failed.
● British textiles destroyed economies of the region with heavy taxes on poor
● Severe famines and poor health care under British rule kept resentment
and tensions high.

10. Gandhi
● Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi born in 1869.
● Mahatma means great one.
● Goal was to bring independence to India
● Opposed violence of all forms.
● Believed Civil Disobedience was preferable.
o Used Fasts as social protest.
o Held Strikes
o Refused to buy British goods
o Led the Dandi Salt march in 1930.
o Was imprisoned many times for many years.
● Independence gained in 1947 but as two nations.
o Hindu controlled India
o Muslim controlled Pakistan
● Assassinated in in 1948

11. South Asia today
● Upon independence West & East Pakistan
were created.
● Hindus fled the Pakistan’s to India and
Muslims fled India to the Pakistan’s.
● Half a million died in fighting
● In 1971 Civil War broke out between East
and West Pakistan.
● East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
● In 1948 Britain gave independence to
the island of Ceylon which reclaimed it’s
ancient name of Sri Lanka
● In 1965 the Maldive Islands gained its
independence from Britain.

12. India & Pakistan
● Tensions remain between the two
countries today.
● Religious differences
● Both countries claim ownership of Kashmir
in the Himalayas and Karakoram mountains
● They have fought several wars over the
region.
● Both countries have nuclear weapons
● Through peace talks the countries have
better relations but are still in disagreement
over Kashmir.

13. Bangladesh
Timeline: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12651483
Bhutan
Timeline: http://www.timelines.ws/countries/BHUTAN.HTML
India
Timeline: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12641776
http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/india/history-timeline

14. Nepal
Timeline: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12499391
Pakistan
Timeline: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12966786
Sri Lanka
Timeline: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12004081