Indus Valley Mysteries
Indus Valley Mysteries
Learning Goal: Students will develop the understanding that the historical view of ancient civilizations is incomplete, especially in regard to the civilization of the Indus River Valley.
Standards: SS.6.W.1.3,4 & 5. Interpreting primary & secondary sources, describing methods of historical inquiry and recognizing various historical interpretations. (Paraphrased, see Page 6 in the textbook for the actual text of the standards).
Directions: Part 1 – There are many mysteries & unanswered questions about the Indus Valley Civilization. Please answer the what we know & what we don’t know sections using the textbook. In the second part you will look further into the mystery of where this civilization went.
Their Government (382 – under the subsection “Government & Religion)
We know(list what historians already know or are fairly sure of)
1.
2.
3.
4.
We Don’t Know(list the questions historians have, what they haven’t seen or are unaware of)
1.
2.
3.
Their Religion (382-383)
We Know
1.
2.
We Don’t Know
1.
2.
Writing (383) – Briefly describe what we know and what we are unsure of.
Disappearance
Background & Directions: Sometime before 1700 B.C. (or B.C.E.) the Indus Valley people began to abandon their cities. Historians don’t know why. Follow the steps to think about which of the possible reasons is the most likely in your opinion and how would you go about finding out.
Name: Give your historian a name
______
Background (before doing your own research you would study what has already been found out)
From the book list three possible reasons for their disappearancr:
1.
2.
3.
Research Part 1 (how do you think a historian would gather evidence to try and solve this mystery. Don’t use internet research – that’s a given.
- A historian would …
- They might also ….
Research Part 2: You are going to go on the internet to do some research. Use your device or one of the classroom devices and search for “Disappearance of the Indus River Valley Civilization”
Websites Used:
What you found out:
1.
2.
3.
Your conclusion: Use the evidence you found to state why you think they disappeared. Connect your conclusion to the evidence you listed above.