World History: Journey Across Time  Chapter 6: Early India
Chapter Overviews  The subcontinent of India is home to five
nations: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Climate
and geography influenced the rise of India's first civilization,
which arose in the Indus River valley. The monsoon seasons
dominate the climate.  The Harappans—India's first
civilization—were farmers. Their ruins suggest that they were
both peaceful and prosperous. Around 1500 B.C., the Aryans—a
nomadic people—invaded and destroyed the Harappan civilization.
The Aryans settled in India. They became excellent farmers, and
they invented new farm tools using their ironworking skills. The
Aryans also developed a written language called Sanskrit. Their
presence in India brought other changes as well. The Aryans
implemented a caste system, creating rigid social classes that
could not be altered.  Hinduism grew out of the ancient beliefs
of the Aryans, and it changed over time as they adopted certain
beliefs of the people they conqu