03 Ancient South Asia Free Online FlashCards

When did the mature urban phase of the Indus Valley civilization flourish?

Its mature urban phase lasted roughly from 2600 to 1900 BCE.

What features show civic planning in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro?

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro had planned streets, standardized baked-brick buildings, wells, and drainage systems.

How does the undeciphered Harappan script limit historical knowledge?

The script remains undeciphered, so historians cannot confidently reconstruct Harappan rulers, beliefs, or institutions from written records.

What do Harappan seals indicate about trade?

Harappan seals and other evidence indicate trade with regions to the west, including Mesopotamia.

What is known about the decline of Harappan cities?

Harappan cities declined gradually after about 1900 BCE amid changing settlement patterns and regional conditions; no single cause explains the transformation.

What is the Rigveda?

The Rigveda is the oldest Vedic collection. It preserves Sanskrit hymns, prayers, and ritual poetry praising deities.

How did life in Vedic communities change over time?

Communities spread eastward into the Indo-Gangetic plain, where agriculture, ironworking, and settled political organization grew in importance.

Which four groups appear in the Vedic varna model?

The model lists Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors), Vaishyas (cultivators and traders), and Shudras (service groups). It is a textual ideal, not a complete account of every community.

What do karma and samsara mean in later Vedic thought?

Karma means action and its consequences; samsara is rebirth. Later Vedic and Upanishadic thought also explored liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

How did Hinduism develop in relation to Vedic traditions?

Hinduism developed over a long period from Vedic and other traditions; it was not fully formed as a single religion in the earliest Vedic age.

What were the mahajanapadas, and how did their governments differ?

The mahajanapadas were large territorial polities; some were monarchies, while others had governing assemblies or oligarchic institutions.

Why was Magadha historically significant?

Magadha, in the lower Ganges region, became especially powerful and later formed the core of the Mauryan Empire.