Transcript Unit-3-India

Unit-3-India
Empires and Accomplishments
Impact the Modern World
Mauryan Empire and Asoka
• India’s first empire was founded by Chandragupta
Maurya. He founded the Mauryan dynasty in 321
BCE, but many historians think the empire’s
greatest king was Asoka. Asoka ruled from 273
BCE to 232 BCE.
• After a bloody fight, Asoka walked over the
battlefield. When he saw the dead and
wounded, he was horrified and made a vow. He
would dedicate his life to peace and follow the
teachings of Buddha.
Buddhism Spreads
• Asoka was history’s first great Buddhist king. He built
hospitals for people and for animals, too. He built
new roads so it was easier to trade and put shelters
and shade trees along the roads where travelers
could rest.
• Asoka sent many Buddhist teachers throughout India
and the rest of Asia. They carried the religion to new
believers. In India, Buddha’s teachings were carved
on stone pillars for people to read. Stupas, Buddhist
shrines were built for worship. Although Asoka was
a Buddhist, he allowed Hindus freedom of worship.
• Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world.
Asoka and Mauryan Empire
Mauryan Empire ruled by Asoka
Asoka makes rules posted
around India.
Various forms of Buddhism spread
throughout Asia
The Gupta Empire Preserves
Hinduism
• In AD 320, the Gupta Empire emerged along the
Ganges River. The Gupta Empire grew wealthy from
trading with China and the Mediterranean.
• Asoka had converted to Buddhism, but the Guptas
were Hindus like many of their subjects. They gave
their full support to Hinduism and gave money to
support Hindu scholars and Hindu shrines. The shrines
were built to Hindu deities. They often had brightly
painted sculptures of images from Upanishads and
other sacred writings.
• Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world.
Gupta Empire Preserves Hinduism
Literature
• The Mahabharata is along sacred text which describes
a great war for control of an Indian Kingdom. The best
known section is the Bhagavad Gita, or “Song of the
Lord”. It is very important in Hindu writings. In it, the
deity Krishna preaches a sermon before a battle, He
tells his listeners how noble it is to do one’s duty even
when it is difficult and painful
• The teachings in the Mahabharata, especially the
Bhagavad Gita, contain many of the central beliefs in
Hinduism. They provide important religious and moral
lessons.
• For this reason, they have had a great impact on
Hinduism and continue to influence Indian philosophy
(teachings and beliefs) in modern times.
Mahabharata
Teaches Hindu Beliefs
Hindu Reincarnation
Music
Music played an important part in the
religious and social lives of people in India.
Many of the early sacred texts like the
Bhagavad Gita were probably sung in group
settings.
At annual festivals today, people dance and
sing to ancient Indian songs. They also use
music in plays. Musical instruments
include tambourines, flutes, drums, and
lutes.
Music
Art
Much of early Indian art was made of
material that have not survived. What
exists today is mostly religious art
made in stone. There are many
sculptures of the Buddha for example.
These statues teach different Buddhist
messages based of the figure’s pose.
Buddhist temples also included
carvings of local scenes.
Statue of the Buddha
The “0”
The invention of Zero, A.D. 500. Early humans
understood the idea of nothing, but they did not
have a symbol to represent that idea. During the
Gupta dynasty, Indian mathematicians invented
the symbol “0” and connected it with the idea of
nothing. The Indians’ invention of zero had a
great impact on the study of mathematics and
science – then and now. Without the concept of
zero, modern technology, such as computers
would not be possible.
Hindu-Arabic Numerals
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Gupta mathematicians created the symbols for the
numbers 1 to 9 that we uses today. These number
symbols, or numerals, were adopted by Arab
traders in the A.D. 700s. European traders
borrowed them from the Arabs. Use of these
numbers spread throughout Europe in the A.D.
1200s, replacing Roman numerals. Today, this
system of number symbols is known as the HinduArabic numerical system. Some find this numeric
system simpler to use than Roman Numerals.
Roman Numerals
Algorithms
Early Indians also invented
mathematical algorithms. An
algorithm is a series of steps that solve
a problem. If you follow the steps, you
get the right answer. Computer
programmers today often use
algorithms to tell computers what to
do.
Inoculation
Indian doctors knew how to protect
people from diseases. The Indians
practiced inoculation, or injecting a
person with a small dose of a virus to help
him or her build up defenses to a disease.
By fighting off this small dose, the body
learns to protect itself. This has helped to
prevent the: flu, chicken pox, small pox,
polio, and other life threatening diseases.
Astronomy
Indian astronomers, people who study
planets and stars, knew of 7 planets in
our solar system. They knew the sun
was a star and planets revolved around
it. Indians, also knew the Earth was a
sphere and that it rotated on its axis. In
addition, they could predict eclipses of
the sun and moon.
Solar System
Review
• 1. How did empires assist in preserving and
spreading religion?
• 2. What accomplishments of the ancient
Indian’s do we enjoy today?
Independent
• Compile a list of the accomplishments from
the Indian Empire’s which greatly impact
society today.
• Justify your responses in a written
explanation. Be sure to include the most
important accomplishment that has impacted
society the most today.