Transcript Ancient Eastern Civilizations

Ancient Eastern
Civilizations
Unit 3
Unit 3
Indus River Valley
Gave rise to the earliest Indian Civilization
Geography
To the North:
Himalayan Mountains
Hindu Kush
Mountains
Two Rivers south of the
mountains:
Ganges River
Indus River
Interior: high plateau called
the Deccan
Climate
India’s climate is dominated by
monsoons. Monsoons are strong,
often violent winds that change
direction with the season.
Additionally, most of India lies
between the Tropic of Cancer and
the equator, so the sun’s rays
shine directly on the land. The
temperature can reach as high as
120oF.
Indus River Valley Civilization
(2500 B.C. -1500 B.C.)
Much
information
comes from
the ruins of
two ancient
cities,
Harappa and
Mohenjo
Daro.
The Cities of Harappan Civilization:
• Large and carefully planned
• Wide streets
• Water system with public baths and
brick sewers
• Some lived in two-story brick homes
that had bathrooms and garbage
chutes.
• Strong central fortress, or citadel,
built on a brick platform
• Storehouses for grain—could hold
enough to feed 35,000 people.
Shows the
bricklined
drain
pipes
used in
Harappa.
What is
left over of
MohenjoDaro
today, with
its
perfectly
uniform
bricks.
Harappan Farmers grew cotton, wheat,
barley, and rice.
They raised cattle, sheep, pigs, and
goats.
Irrigation of
fields
allowed
farmers to
raise
surplus
crops for
storage and
trade.
Writing
The script of MohenjoDaro and Harappa is
called Proto-Indian.
The script appears to
be phonetic and has
ideographic origin.
Religion
No Harappan temples,
shrines, or religious
writings have been
found.
However. . .
Mother goddess
Decline of the Harappan Culture
Scholars are Not Certain:
a. Ecological changes
b. Economic problems caused by population
increase, decline in agriculture, and/or
deforestation
c. Change in river flow patterns or flooding could
have disrupted agriculture.
d. Invasion by intruders ( Indo-Aryans)
Around 1750 B.C.
The Indo-Aryans
Nomadic sheep and cattle herders as well
as skilled warriors
Most of what we know of
these people comes from
the Vedas.
• Oldest written scriptures in India----1500 B.C.
circa
• The term Veda literally means “knowledge”
• The Vedas are comprised of:
• Sacred hymns
• Poetic descriptions of the gods and nature
• Rituals
• and Blessings
Recorded in Sanskrit, the Indo-Aryan language
Indo-Aryan religion
• Earliest gods drawn from nature: earth, fire, light, sky,
storms, sun, & water
• Sky = father; earth= mother
• Gods were portrayed as having particular
characteristics
• No temples in early Vedic religion—ceremonies
performed in open spaces
• Foods offered as ritual sacrifices
• Juice of soma plant poured into sacred fire—the drink
of immortality.
Brahmins special priests who performed
the religious ceremonies
Characteristics of Indo-Aryan
Society
Government
• Tribes
formed
small citystates
• Each state
ruled by raja
and his
council
Social Life
• Complex system of
social orders
• Elaborate rules
governed marriage
among the different
orders
• Parent-arranged
marriage favored
Economy
• Mostly farmers
• Wheat and barley
major crops
• Poor transportation
and trading
methods
sometimes limited
trade
• Marriage by purchase,
by capture, and by
•
mutual consent
recognized
System of barter
for goods
By 700 B.C. several Indian religious thinkers
began to question the authority of the
Brahmins. (Special priests who knew the proper forms
and rules of their religious rituals.)
• Began to teach their messages in the forests.
• Became known as Vedanta, or “end of the
Vedas.”
• Teachings collected in the Upanishads.
Advanced
the religious
belief that
there is one
eternal spirit
called
Brahman
Nerguna
The two epics—became known as:
Mahabharata
Most famous of
Hindu scriptures
Tells the story of a
great battle in a
kingdom in what is
now northern India.
Part of this epic is
known as the
Bhagavad Gita
& Ramayana
 Tells the story of Rama, a
great prince and an
incarnation of the god
Vishnu, and his wife Sita.
 Sita is kidnapped by a
demon.
 Rama rescued Sita and
became king.
 Rama and Sita became
role models for men and
women in Indian society.
Vishnu
The Caste System developed between
1500 B.C. and A.D. 500
Rulers and warriors
Brahmins
Merchants,
Traders, and’
Farmers
Peasants
Pariahs, or
“untouchables”
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha or “Enlightened One”
Born 563 BCE
Son of a wealthy prince
Vowed at the age of 29 to discover the reasons
for human suffering.
Great Renunciation: left palace and family in
search of truth and meaning
6 years later, while meditating under a tree, he
felt that he understood the truth that forms the
basis of life. In that moment, Siddhartha
Gautama became the Buddha.
Spent the remainder of his life teaching his
followers to pursue the way of enlightenment,
the way of life.
The meaning of life according to Buddha
Four Noble Truths:
First, all people suffer and know sorrow.
Second, people suffer because of their
desires.
Third, they can end their suffering by
eliminating their desires.
And fourth, to eliminate those desires, people
should follow the Buddha’s Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path:
Knowing the truth
Resisting evil
Saying nothing to hurt others
Respecting life
Working for the good of others
Freeing the mind from evil
Controlling thoughts
Practicing meditation
200 B.C. and A.D. 200, Buddhism split
into two branches
Theravada Buddhism
 Regards Buddha to be a
great teacher to be read
and understood.
 Follows the traditional
beliefs of Buddhism
 Accepted in Burma (now
Myanmar), Siam (now
Thailand), Ceylon (now
Sri Lanka), Laos, and
other countries.
Mahayana Buddhism
 Worships Buddha as a
savior of the people and
believes he is a god.
 More elaborate
ceremonies than
Theravada
 Accepted in China,
Vietnam, Korea, and
Japan
Rise of the Mauryan Empire
Ruler: Chandragupta Maurya
Established: the Mauryan Empire (lasted 150
years)
Accomplishments:
Built a grand palace on the Ganges River
Army of 600,000 soldiers (equipped with
thousands of chariots and elephants)
Conquered all of northwestern India
Strong kingdom
Great administrative structures
Asoka----3rd ruler of Mauryan
Empire
came to power in 270 B.C.
The strongest ruler of the
Empire
•Eventually became a
pacifist and a Buddhist
•Sent Buddhist
missionaries to other
countries
•Laws carved into stone
pillars
•Improved living
conditions
•Cultural and political
advances
Enlarged the Mauryan Empire
until it included all of India
except the southern tip of the
subcontinent
First Imperial dynasty to hold
nearly all of India
The Gupta Rulers
This new dynasty contributed to the decline of Buddhism
and the growth of Hinduism
•Early years of Gupta rule called a Golden
Age (lasted 200 years)
•Society prospered
•Hinduism—dominant religion
•Learning and education (algebra, the concept of zero,
and the numerals 1-9 were identified)
•Astronomy-knew the world was round
By 600 C.E., empire dissolved into many
small kingdoms.