Predicting Areas of Early Settlement in India
Mr. Mitchell's Social Studies Class
Predicting Areas of Early Settlement in
India
Mr. Mitchell's Social Studies Class
Assignments to hand in: Completed Map of Indian Subcontinent Predicting the Location of Early Indian Settlements (Critical Thinking Questions) Comprehension Questions
Step 1: Download and print the following map and tape the two pages together: Map of Indian Subcontinent
Step 2: Download and print out the following text: Guide to Transparencies (This information describes each location)
Step 3: Label/complete the map as follows for ALL regions/locations provided below:
A. Look
at the corresponding picture (transparency)
B. Read the corresponding text paragraph in the "Guide to
Transparencies"
C. Create and label a symbol to represent the
physiographic
feature. (Draw symbol on map and at bottom key)
D. Label the name of the physiographic feature in the map key
at bottom.
E. Write in a brief description of the physiographic feature
at the bottom of the map.
The Physiographic Features of the Indian Subcontinent:
Step 4: Download and print the following handout: Predicting the Location of Early Indian Settlements. Answer each "Critical Thinking" question by reviewing your map and chart you completed.
Step 5: Look at the map, read the text, and answer the following Comprehension Questions on a separate piece of paper:
In the 1990's, satellite pictures revealed an ancient, dried riverbed located in India's present-day Thar Desert. Geologists have identified this riverbed as the route of the ancient Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati lay east of the Indus River and generally followed the same course, originating in the Himalaya mountains and emptying into the Arabian Sea. Geologists believe that the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati evolved into the dry, hot desert that exists today.
Early Indian agricultural settlements arose in the Indus-Sarasvati river region at least as far back as 6500 B.C.E. Like many other ancient peoples, the early Indians settled by rivers. They settled primarily on the banks of the Sarasvati River as well as along the banks of the Indus. These rivers provided the ancient Indians with plenty of water, and the land near the rivers was fertile and excellent for growing crops. The rivers also provided the Indians with a convenient way to travel and trade among themselves and with other civilizations. Archeologists have found artifacts from the Indus-Sarasvati civilization - such as carved seals - in Mesopotamia's Sumer. These discoveries have led scholars to believe that the early Indians traded with Mesopotamia, possibly by traveling in ships down the Indus and Sarasvati rivers to the Arabian Sea and then west to Sumer and other locations.
After the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E., the Indus-Sarasvati Indians moved to more habitable areas, such as the fertile banks of the Ganga river further east. Archeological evidence shows, however, that people settled by the Ganga River as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
Comprehension Questions: In what ways is your map similar to the one that you see in the transparency? What physiographic features can you identify on this map that are not on your map? Why do you think settlements developed along the Indus and Saravati rivers?
