Transcript Aryans

India’s First Civilizations
Chapter 6, Section 1, page 194
Chapter 6, Section 1 Objectives
• After this lesson, students will be able to:
– describe how the climate and geography of India
influenced the rise of civilization there.
– explain how the Aryans conquered India and introduced
new ideas and new technologies.
– explain the caste system introduced by the Aryans.
The Land of India – page 195
• subcontinent – large
landmass that is part of a
continent but distinct
from it
• other important features:
–
–
–
–
the Himalaya Mountains
Ganges and Indus Rivers
Deccan Plateau
monsoons
The Land of India – page 195
• monsoon – winds that blow one way in the
summer and another way in the winter
The Land of India – page 195
India’s First Civilization – page 196
• first Indian civilizations
grew up near the Indus
River
– farmers and traders
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro – page 196
• Harappa
– The Harappans were a
peaceful people who
farmed and traded with
their neighbors.
– advanced city planning
including indoor toilets and
garbage collection
Harappan Society – page 197
• religion and politics closely
connected?
• trade thrived
• one rare item: weapons
• decline
– c. 1750 B.C.
– tectonic shifts →
earthquakes/floods?
– soil exhaustion
The Aryans Invade – page 198
The Aryans Invade – page 198
• Aryans – nomadic herders who were expert
horsemen
– invaded Indus River Valley c. 1500 B.C.
– eventually conquered everything short of the southern
tip of India
The Aryans Bring Change – page 199
• Aryan changes
– iron plow
– Sanskrit – written language developed by the
Aryans
– rajas – princes who led Aryan tribes
The Aryans Bring Change – page 199
Society in Ancient India – page 199
• caste – a social group that someone is born into
and cannot change
– determines a person’s job, social group, and even
marriage
– Aryans used it to help control the people who
outnumbered them
Society in Ancient India – page 199
• pariahs – “untouchables,” who do work Indians
consider unclean
The Role of Men and Women – page 201
• men valued more than women by society
– only boys could go to school or be educated
• gurus – teachers to boys from high caste families
– arranged marriages (90% even today)
– divorce not allowed; men could take a second wife if a
couple could not have children
– suttee – practice of high-caste women leaping into
the cremation fires of their husbands
• refusing to do so was shameful
Chapter 6, Section 1 Questions
1. What makes India a subcontinent?
2. What is a monsoon?
3. What evidence suggests that the Harappans were
probably a peaceful people?
4. How did the Aryans use the caste system to
control the people they conquered?
5. What does the practice of suttee say about the
relative values of men and women in ancient
Indian culture?
Hinduism and Buddhism
Chapter 6, Section 2, page 202
Chapter 6, Section 2 Objectives
• After this lesson, students will be able to:
– explain how Hinduism grew out of the ancient beliefs of
the Aryans.
– describe why a new religion, Buddhism, appealed to
many in India and other parts of Asia.
Hinduism – page 203
• Hinduism
– grew from a mixture of Aryan beliefs and those of
the Harappans
– all life considered sacred
– third largest religion in the world
Hinduism – page 203
• Hinduism
– extremely complex
– thousands of gods and
goddesses; considered to
be different parts of one
universal spirit – the
Brahman
• the Upanishads
– ultimate goal for the soul is
to be reunited with
Brahman
Hinduism – page 204
• Hinduism
– reincarnation – the belief that a soul must pass
through many lives to reach the Brahman
– dharma – meaning “divine law,” that requires people
to perform the duties of their caste
– karma – the consequences of how a person lives his
or her life
Who Is the Buddha? – page 205
• Buddhism
– founded by Siddhartha Gautama
– Gautama was a prince who witnessed suffering.
– decided to meditate on why people suffer
– became known as the Buddha, means “Enlightened
One”
– became popular because it rejected the caste
system
Buddhism – page 205
• Buddhism
– religion that believes that the only way to stop
suffering is to stop desire
– Four Noble Truths – the heart of Buddha’s teaching
1. Life is full of suffering.
2. People suffer because they desire worldly things and selfsatisfaction.
3. The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things.
4. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the
Eightfold Path.
Buddhism – page 206
•
The Eightfold Path
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Know and understand the Four
Noble Truths.
Give up worldly things and don’t
harm others.
Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and
don’t speak badly of others.
Don’t commit evil acts, like killing,
stealing, or living an unclean life.
Do rewarding work.
Work for good and oppose evil.
Make sure your mind keeps your
senses under control.
Practice meditation as a way of
understanding reality.
Buddhism in Southeast Asia – page 206
• Theraveda – “teachings of
the elders”; Buddha seen
as a teacher – not a god
• Mahayana – Buddha is
seen as a god
– theocracy – government
by religious leaders
Chapter 6, Section 2 Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Explain how Hinduism developed.
What is reincarnation?
Who founded Buddhism?
What is the difference between an oligarchy, a
democracy, and a theocracy?
India’s First Empires
Chapter 6, Section 3, page 209
Chapter 6, Section 3 Objectives
• After this lesson, students will be able to:
– describe how the Mauryan dynasty built India’s first
great empire.
– explain how the Gupta empire reunited much of northern
India.
– list the important contributions in literature, mathematics,
and science made by the Mauryan and Gupta empires.
The Mauryan Dynasty – page 210
• setup: Alexander’s
invasion of and withdrawal
from India
• Chandragupta Maurya
founded the Mauryan
Empire
– achievements include a
centralized government
and a postal system
The Mauryan Dynasty – page 210
• Asoka – rejected
violence; first great
Buddhist king
– religious tolerance
– stupas – Buddhist
shrines have the shape of
a dome or mound
The Gupta Empire – page 213
• Chandragupta founded the Gupta Empire, during
which the golden age of Indian culture came.
– Hinduism was made the official religion.
Indian Literature and Science – page 214
• Indian poetry
– literature stresses dharma
– Vedas – ancient hymns and prayers for religious
ceremonies
– epic: Mahabharata – longest poem in any written
language
• Bhagavad Gita – (“Song of the Lord”) speaks of doing
one’s duty
Indian Math and Science – page 215
• important Indian contributions to math:
– developed the idea of zero and a symbol for it
– developed the symbols for the numerals 1-9 that we use
today
– invented mathematical algorithms (steps to solve a
problem), which computer programmers use to tell
computers what to do
Indian Math and Science – page 215
• important Indian contributions to science:
– astronomy – mapped movement of the stars, the earth
was round, the earth revolves around the sun
– idea of atoms
– medicine – could set broken bones and perform
operations (even plastic surgery)
Chapter 6, Section 3 Questions
1. Name two achievements of the Mauryan Empire.
2. What is a stupa?
3. During which empire did the golden age of Indian
culture come?
4. Name two ways that the Indians contributed to
computer science.