INDIA+3

Dear sir, Ancient India is a very important part of history, and is a civilization that should be displayed at the exhibit. The whole southern part of India is surrounded by bodies of water. These bodies of water were the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Andaman Sea, and the Indian Ocean. This was important because it provided ancient India with a great source of trade and transportation. India has very fertile soil which made them have great farming. This is important because it gave them a __surplus__  of food. Another thing that made ancient India the best acculturation is all the mountains they had in the north. The Hindu, Kush, and Himalaya mountains are near the northern border of ancient India. These mountain in northern ancient India and the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean surrounding southern ancient India kept ancient India safe from military and nomadic invasions. They also lived in many places toosuch as deserts, plains, mountains, rain forests and near rivers. These are some geographic things that are important to our civilization.

There are many reasons why India is politically superior and deserves to be noticed. One reason is the form of union . This was important because without government they would not have been able to run an organized civilization. They had empires for their government. Two of the main empires are the Gupta and Mauryan Empires. The founder of the Gupta Empire was Chandragupta. This time was known as the Golden Age. It ended when the Huns invaded and ended it all (an important war in Ancient Indian history). The Mauryan Empire was founded by another Chandragupta. King Ashoka was a great ruler in this empire. Being traumatized by the horrors in battle, he converted to Buddhism and convinced millions of others to do so also. Another good thing about India was there set of laws. Classical Hindu law is a great set of laws and was used in ancient India. These laws were dictated by a variety of important groups such as merchant leaders, heads of caste, and kings, and because of the diverse leadership, these laws were particular to a set place, this is great because the leadership can relate to all parts of there civilization. India`s government started off simple, where a tribal leader appointed helpers to make things run smoothly, and deal with problems with the people. But, with the coming of new empires, India`s government had to take a complex form to handle, and maintain order. This meant king or maharaja who was head of administration and the state. this makes them the best. India’s political structure helped form governments around the world. Because of the facts, we can conclude that it was an organized society. India was one of the many early civility with government , <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #9900ff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and laws of course. All of today’s countries/civilizations have some type of government because of the early cultivation. That is why we believe that India the best.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">India’s economy was very important <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to their society. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">India’s trading system was exponential. They had lots of ways to trade and they were a main source of resources to other civilizations. Trading was a big part of daily life. They traded cinnamon, indigo, shawls, pepper, pottery and more. They even had a slave trade like so many other civilizations. They traded with south-east Asia, Europe, and even China. Their agricultural system was important too. They grew dates, mustard, peas, barley, wheat, cotton, and more. They had fertile soil thanks to the monsoon floods. Lastly, their exports and imports had great importance. They prospered and modern India still works with the same exports and imports today. They exported spices, perfumes, herbs, some precious stones, and silk. Silk was <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">essential <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. They imported fruit, animals, and stones.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The social aspects of Ancient India were very important also. They’re religion was a huge part of social life. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Buddhism__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Hinduism__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">were the two major religions that originated in India. These are two religions still being practiced today by billions of people! Buddhism originated from Siddhartha Gautama (the original Buddha). He was a prince who left his pampered life to abolish suffering of any kind (sickness, age, and death). He created the eight noble truths that all Buddhists follow. They believe in karma and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__reincarnation__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">until the soul reaches enlightenment/Buddha (Nirvana). Hinduism is different and has no known founder (though people believe it developed out of Brahmanism). Their three main gods of <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Brahma__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(the creator), <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Vishnu__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (the preserver), and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Shiva__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (the destroyer). They also be <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">l <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ieve in reincarnation and karma until the soul is at peace. Next was their caste system. It was an advanced caste system that got work done. We still use a variation of it. We have upper-class, high middle-class, low middle-class and lower-class The head of India’s caste system was the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Brahmins__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (the priests). Then came the Kshatriyas (warriors), thirdly Vaisyas (merchants and traders), and lastly the Sudras (artisans and farmers). Below all of them though were the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Untouchables__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Untouchables were barely considered human with animals above them, doing the worst jobs imaginable. This is important to learn so we don’t repeat that awful mistake of torturing people like that. Lastly were the amazing achievements of the Indus Valley ( <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Mohenjo-Daro__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__Harappa__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). These were huge as that the Indus Valley was the first civilization that had a proper sewage system. Each house had it’s own well and bathroom. Pipes from the bathroom ran the village and landed in the river. They had a storage for food so that it never ran out (what other civilization had that great planning!). They spoke Sanskrit which was an accelerated language. They made toys for the children, they had animals like camels and elephants for transportation, they wore colorful robes with jewelry, and made so many new discoveries in the world of mathematics and astronomy.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">India is a great civilization with geographic, political, social, and economic aspects that make it perfect for the exhibit. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">India still uses religions today that have been used many years ago these religions are Hinduism and Buddhism. These religions have been practiced very carefully by the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">majority India's people. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This complex place also has a unique characteristic of being a <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__subcontinent__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> unlike the other civilizations. This characteristic proves that India is different and considered independent. Having the ability to survive through droughts and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">__monsoons__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> does have a good affect on India and its future, meaning that the knowledge of how to survive will keep India running strong. Plus some threats that people took for granted are the fall to many different civilizations. The fact that India is a huge source of world wide trade is important to because without India's sources are used by many other civilizations that would not be satisfied without them. You <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">can't <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> deny that India has a organized caste system. No matter who you are you sure knew your place in life. That is all India needed to begin a organized and good place to live. Most importantly India has something that other places seem to not know how to keep at a successful rate and that is PEGS. That is why should be chosen for the exhibit.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kindest Regards, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meghan Hagenbarth <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Deni Morales, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jack Tyszkiewicz, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #9900ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nicki Lawson, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff9900; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brock Dalton, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Matthew Barry, and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Taylor Justice