1. CHAPTER 2 – LESSON 3
PLANNED CITIES ON THE INDUS
SOCIAL STUDIES
7TH. GRADE
SECOND PERIOD

2. Outline
• Environment
 Indus flooding unpredictable.
 Natural barriers: mountains and deserts.
 Monsoon winds.
• Power and authority
 Strong centralized government.
 Planned cities
• Science and Technology
 Writing (not yet deciphered).
 Cities built on precise grid.
 Plumbing and sewage systems.

3. TERMS AND NAMES
• Subcontinent: A large landmass that forms
a distinct part of a continent.

4. monsoon
• A wind that shifts in direction at certain times
of the year.

5. Harappan civilization
• Another name for the Indus Valley civilization
that arose along the Indus River, possibly as early
as 7,000 B.C.; characterized by sophisticated city
planning.

6. What is one conclusion you can draw
about the Indus Valley civilizaton?
• Cities – Central planning, advanced
plumbing and sewage systems.
• Language – Written with symbols
and phonetic sounds.
• Trade – Thriving trade by river,
overland, and sea.
• The Indus Valley civilization had a
high level of culture and
organization.

7. What problems can monsoons cause?
• They can dump excessive rain,
causing flood damage, or they
may not come, causing crops
failures.

8. How were the planned cities of the
Indus Valley different from other
early cities?
• They were laid out on a grid and had
sewers; other cities had winding
streets and lacked sewers.

9. What reasons are suggested for the
disappearance of the Indus Valle
civilization?
• Tectonic plate shifts altered the
course of riveers, which changed
agriculture and trade.

10. What evidence suggests Indus Valley
cities were run by a strong central
government?
• Planned cities, standard building
materials, sanitation systems.

11. What skills would the construction of
planned cities require? Explain
Central government.
Standard building
materials.
Engineering and
architectural skills.

12. How were the people of the Indus
Valley connected to Mesopotamia?
• They were linked through the Indian
Ocean trade. They also could go overland.

13. What does the attention the Indus
people gave to plumbing and sewer
systems suggest about their culture?
• The Indus people valued
personal cleanliness and
social sanitation.
• They may have known
that poor sanitation could
spread disease.

14. What is the main reason Harappan
language has not been deciphered?
• No bilingual texts have been found to
help in the translating of the
symbols.

15. What do planned cities of the Indus
Valley people tell us about their
culture?
• High level of cooperation.
• Strong central government.

16. What are some characteristics of the
Harappan culture?
• They were peaceful, organized and clean.