Indus Valley Project Timeline
Geography
Religion
Politics
Economics
Social Class
There where four castes.
Kshatriyas where the sacred warriors. They where appointed to fight for the empire.
Vaishyas where the common people including merchants and traders. They made money with basic jobs, and could be considered the modern 'middle class'.
Brahmins where the highest class, being priests.
Indus valley is often very warm, being close to the equator.
Hinduism was the major religion for the Indian subcontinent. It was very flexible, and had one universal energy called dharma. It was the creator of all things.
Buddhism followed a while after (about 500 B.C.E), following much of the same principles. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama , wanted a more quiet and zen religion, without so many ceremonies.
Religion played a big role in everyday life, alone being the purpose of living Everyone had a karma in life, which was their duty to do and fulfill. If they did their karma dutifully, they would be reborn into a higher caste.Eventually, they would be able to escape the endless wheel of life and go into a stage of for everlasting, pure joy.
There was also a lower "caste", being excluded from all others:the untouchables. These peoples' shadow couldn't even be touched, because according to the wheel of life, they had done something so low and criminal in their last life that they where born into that caste. They did the dirtiest jobs that no one else wanted to do-not like they wanted to do them, either.
The Indus valley is not actually a valley, but perhaps being called that because it lies in between several other civilizations.
Sudra where the servants and among the lowest caste.
1500 B.C.E-the first hymns of the rig-Veda are composed, a collection of Sanskrit hymns spread across four books called the Vedas.
Climate change began to affect the civilization.
The Ages
The Bronze, or Iron age begins, marking the development of better tools and the making of bronze.
Around the same time as Buddhism, Jainism makes an appearance, following the principle of not hurting a single living thing. Brushes are used to sweep away anything that is in the way so that it wouldn't be stepped on.
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Achievements
The Mahabharata and Ramayana are composed, soon to be a vast collection of stories occurring throughout India, which will soon form into a kind of 'history' of India.
There was no currency, but trade was done with goods. Wealth was determined by wheat and barley.