Evan Dastin-van Rijn 9E 7 October

The Indus Valley and early Chinese were two of the first civilizations on earth. The people of the Indus Valley lived in what is now Pakistan on the Indian subcontinent. The Shang and Zhou dynasties developed around the Yellow River in China. The Indus Valley and early Chinese civilizations were very different socially and politically. The Indus Valley and early Chinese civilizations were ruled in very different ways and had contrasting social structures. However; they both had very organized governments.

The Indus Valley and early Chinese civilizations were ruled in very different ways. The Indus Valley civilization was believed to be a unified body of city states. Every city had its one chief who presided over all the affairs of the city. Due to this, the Indus Valley civilization is not an empire but a chiefdom. Unlike the Indus Valley civilization, an emperor ruled the early Chinese civilizations. The line of emperors were all from the same dynastic family that had received the mandate of heaven. As the empire conquered more land, the emperor would give land to high ranking Chinese officials in a form of Feudalism. This land would be passed down patrilineally (father to son).

The Indus Valley and early Chinese civilizations had contrasting social structures. Historians at this point have not been able to translate the language of the Indus Valley so they can only speculate not the social structures were like. The Indus Valley lacked a complex religion and because of this they lacked a

complex social structure. Almost every house in each city was the same size suggesting that all the citizens had equal wealth. It is believed that women had very few rights in the Indus Valley civilization. If they wanted to do anything they needed the permission of a male. Unlike the Indus Valley civilization the early Chinese civilizations had a very well defined social structure. The Chinese adhered strictly to Confucianism. Confucianism stated that there were five key relationships and society would run smoothly if they were all followed. The relationships were ruler to subject, parent to child, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend.

The Indus Valley and early Chinese civilizations both had very organized governments. The Indus Valley civilization had large well-planned cities. Each city was divided into blocks and was dominated by a large hilltop structure. The Indus cities had complex plumbing systems. Each house had baths, drains, and water chutes connected to a large underground sewer. The Chinese government was also highly organized. The emperor rewarded his nobles with large portions of land in exchange for their loyalty. This enabled the early Chinese dynasties to spread over large areas.

The Indus Valley civilization and early Chinese dynasties contrasted socially and politically. The Indus Valley civilization was a chiefdom while the early Chinese dynasties were a feudalistic empire. The Indus Valley civilization had a very simple structure versus the Confucian ideals of the early Chinese

civilizations. However both had highly organized governments with complex cities and large amounts of land.

Works Cited:

Meadow, R. H., and J. M. Kenoyer. "Ancient Indus Civilization." Ancient Indus Civilization 90 Slide Tour. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. <http://www.harappa.com/indus/indus0.html>. "Indus Valley Civilization (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. "Zhou Dynasty (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABCCLIO, 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. Ellis, Elisabeth Gaynor., Anthony Esler, and Burton F. Beers. "Ancient India and China."Prentice Hall World History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. N. pag. Print.