Transcript The Classical Period in China and India

Chapters 2 and 3: The Classical
Period in China and India
AP World History, Mr. Bartula
The Classical Era
ca 1000 BCE- ca 500 CE
What is a Classical Period?
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A period of advanced civilization
Technology
Cross cultural trade and contact
Ethical religion and philosophy
Population growth
Syncretism
Ca 1000 BCE—500 CE
Technological Developments
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Iron metallurgy
Hittites (Asia Minor ca 1200 BCE)
Stronger and more versatile than bronze
Levers, inclined planes, pulleys, wedges,
wheels, sails
Power from human and animal labor
Ruins of Hattusas, the Hittite
Capital
Population changes
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Population growth in civilized areas
Diseases in civilized areas spread to huntergathering societies.
Many diseases became endemic in civilized areas
Exposure to pathogens caused virulent
epidemics among other societies
Isolation caused substantially less disease in the
Americas, Australia, and the Pacific Islands:
Virgin soil areas.
Gender Structures
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Patriarchal societies
Patrilocal structure
Philosophies and religions considered
women necessary, but inferior to men.
Women had little access to education or
economic power
Religious Changes in the Classical
Era
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The Axial Age ca 800 BCE- 200 BCE
Zoroaster ca 600 BCE
Isaiah and the “Age of the Prophets” 770-600
BCE
Confucius 551-479 BCE and Laozi 606-530 BCE
Upanishad texts ca 550 BCE, Buddha 563-483
BCE
Greek philosophy
Zoroaster
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Dualism
Apocalyptic
Ahura-Mazda vs
Ahriman
Devas
Hebrew Monotheism
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Growing emphasis on personal God of
morality
Early Hebrews worshipped Elohim (plural
for “lords”) or El Shaddai “God the
Mountaineer”
Henotheism
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Moses: El Shaddai became YHWH
(Yahweh)
Transcendant
Monotheism
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Isaiah and the Prophets
God of Righteousness
Ethics: do right, show mercy, punish evil,
do justice to ensure harmonious society
Classical Age China
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Later Zhou Dynasty
Period of weak central government
Ca 600 BCE, only eight or nine large states
remained
Warring States Period
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Large population (There is no point in
history in which China has not been the
most heavily populated region.)
Large, conscripted armies led by
professional soldiers
Professional governing class developed
“The Period of the One Hundred
Schools” 551-233 BCE
The most creative period in Chinese
philosophy
All the major schools of Chinese philosophy
began
Confucianism
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Kung fu tzu 551-479
BCE
“Master Kung”
Born in province of Lu
Early successful
political career
Dismissed from
government service
Became itinerant
teacher
The Analects
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Confucius’ teachings,
recorded by his
students
What is the right way to live?
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Determine the right pattern to live and
govern by.
Do this by studying the past.
Follow rituals, which are prescribed for
conduct of every day life.
Neglecting ritual demonstrates moral
anarchy.
Confucianism’s Basic Tenets
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Confucius’ teachings have been followed
by more people for more generations than
any other human being.
Confucianism has influenced the
development of Chinese and other East
Asian civilizations: Japan, Korea,
Southeast Asia, etc.
What is the chief goal of
Confucianism?
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An orderly society
Hierarchy
Patriarchy
The Emperor is the father of his people
The past is the model for the present
The Shi
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An educated gentleman
Kindly to those beneath him
Obedient and respectful to those above
him
Criticism of those above is acceptable if
done politely
Shi-Bureaucrats
Jen
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Humaneness
Humanity, benevolence, goodness, virtue
Always follow the highest concepts of
behavior, even if impractical or foolish.
Te
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Moral virtue
All people are basically good
The Second Sage
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Mencius (Mong Ka)
372-289 BCE
The foremost student
of Confucius
Righteousness (i)
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The humaneness (jen) you show to others
is influenced by the type of personal
relationship you have to that person.
Jen is displayed according to your
positions and to the obligations you owe
to the other.
Mencius and Confucius compared
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Both believed rulers were divinely placed
to guarantee peace and order within their
realms.
Mencius believed that a ruler who failed to
bring about peace and order could be
replaced, and the people absolved of
loyalty to him.
People are basically good (te)
Xunzi (fl 298-238 BCE)
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The third great
Confucian scholar
Xunzi’s teachings are
called “Legalism”
People are
fundamentally
depraved, selfish,
greedy, and lustful
How can people be “made” to be
good?
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people could be made
good through
acculturation and
education
Xunzi’s pupil Han Fei
Tzu believed people
are made good by
state laws
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Laws should punish all actions that harm
others or the state and reward actions
that benefit others or the state.
Confucianism and Legalism
Compared
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To Confucius, power is to be wielded for
the benefit of the people.
To the Legalists, power was to control
individual selfishness
Legalism’s Influence
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Utilitarianism: people should have
occupations that materially benefit others.
“Rule of Law”: Law is supreme over every
individual, including rulers
Law must be uniformly applied, regardless
of social standings (equality before the
law)
Daoism
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Laozi 606-530 BCE
“The Teachings of the
Yellow Emperor and
Laozi”
Tao te ching
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The teachings of
Laozi
Daoism
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Behind all material things and all change
in the world lies one fundamental,
universal principle:
The Dao (The Way)
Characteristics of Daoism
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Passivity
Calm
Non-striving (wu wei)
Humility
Lack of Planning
A Daoist Government Would:
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Not wage war
Not be complex
Not interfere in people’s lives
Serve as a guide, not a governor
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Later Daoists
enocouraged
mysticism and magic
Many Chinese doctors
were Daoists
Feng Shui is a version
of Daoism popular
today.
Qin Dynasty China 256-206 BCE
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Shi Huangdi became
“First Emperor”
Conquered most of
northern China by
221 BCE
Qin Developments
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Centralized government under Legalist
principles
Standardized weights and measures
Public works and building programs
Great Wall constructed to prevent
invasions by Hsiung-nu
The Great Wall
Qin Cavalryman and horse
Bronze Chariot and Horses of Shi
Huangdi
Tomb of Shi Huangdi
Diagram showing tomb as originally
constructed
Fall of the Qin Dynasty
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“Ruthless efficiency” led to harsh,
Legalistic rule
Peasant Revolts over heavy taxation,
forced labor
Qin collapsed in 206 BC, four years after
the death of the First Emperor
Han Dynasty 202 BCE-220 CE
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The Classical Period in Chinese history
Legalism replaced by Confucianism
“Shi-Bureaucrats” ran centralized
government
Standardization of coinage, weights and
measures
Han Wudi 141-85 BCE
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Greatest and most
powerful Han
Emperor
Defeated Hsiung-nu
Expanded Chinese
territory
Increased Chinese
influence in Central
Asia
Helped lead to
establishment of the
Silk Road
Classical Age India
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Culturally, linguistically, and ethnically
diverse
14 major languages (most Indo-European)
Indian culture synthesis of Harappan,
Aryan, and other influences
We owe a lot to the Indians, who
taught us how to count, without
which no worthwhile scientific
discovery could have been made.
Albert Einstein.
India is the cradle of the human race,
the birthplace of human speech, the
mother of history, the grandmother of
legend and the great grand mother of
tradition.
Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of
earth where all dreams of living men
have found a home from the very
earliest days when man began the
dream of existence, it is India .
French scholar Romain Rolland.
Religions of South Asia
Hinduism
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Early Aryan history
known as the
“Rig-Vedic” Period
(1700-1000 BCE)
Rig-Vedas are the
earliest religious texts
of Hinduism
Written in Sanskrit
Monotheism or Polytheism?
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Over 3000 gods and goddesses
All considered aspects of Brahma, the
overall
Shiva
Vishnu
Kali
The Hindu Caste System
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Brahmin (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors
and rulers)
Vaisyas (merchants)
Sudras (peasants and
laborers)
Untouchables (people
without caste,
Chandala)
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The four varnas (castes) originated in the
sacrifice of the macrocosmic, primeval
man, according to the Rig Veda.
Brahmans: Head
Kshatriyas: Shoulders
Vaisyas: Thighs
Sudras: Feet
Traditional Functions of the Castes
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Brahman: priests, thinkers, intellectuals
Kshatriyas: rule, protect, maintain order
Vaisyas: commerce and agriculture
Sudras: more menial tasks
Untouchables: work with polluting
substances: leather, excrement, filth
Castes and Hierarchy
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Hierarchical rank according to purity and
pollution
Rituals and ceremonies in each caste
serve as caste identifiers
Ultimate punishment: excommunication
from your caste
Consequences of the Caste System
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Individuals are judged by their caste, not by
their abilities. Caste interaction discouraged
Benefits the top castes to the detriment of the
lower castes
Some caste mobility through Sanskritization:
groups within castes can gradually raise their
status by emulating higher castes over several
generations
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The system has survived for centuries,
meaning Hindu society remains stable
Modern India has legal equality for all and
guarantees basic human rights, but
cultural discrimination against lower castes
and untouchables continues
Hindu Religious texts
Ramayana
 Mahabarata
 Upanishads
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Sanskrit
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Dharma: Life Path
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Karma : Fate
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Reincarnation
Siddhartha Gautama ca 563-483
BCE
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Born the son of a
Kshatriya chief
At age 29 assumed an
ascetic lifestyle in
search of Nirvana
(Enlightenment)
Known as Buddha
“The Enlightened
One”
The Four Noble Truths
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1. All human life is suffering
2. All suffering is caused by
desire
End suffering by ending desire
End desire by following the
Eightfold Noble Path: right
understanding, right thought,
right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right
concentration.
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Selflessness
Disapproval of
violence, meat eating,
animal sacrifice, and
war
Four Cardinal Virtues:
friendliness,
compassion, joy, and
equanimity
Buddhism and Hinduism Compared
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Belief in reincarnation, the Brahma or
“Universal Soul”
Buddhism more egalitarian, no caste
system
Buddhism less patriarchal, women have
equal chance to achieve Nirvana
Two Types of Buddhism
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Theravada Buddhism: philosophy rather
than religion. Buddha a man, not god,
practiced primarily in Sri Lanka
Mahayana Buddhism: salvation religion.
Buddha became a god, good and devout
people can become bhoddisatvas:
potential future Buddhas.
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Mahayana Buddhism
spread through India
to China, East Asia
Emphasis on
repetition of prayers
and devotions: prayer
flags, prayer wheels,
printing.
Buddhism in the
Subcontinent
Buddha
’s head
:
2c
Pakista
n
Mandala: Wheel of Life
Motif
Indian Contact with outside World
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Hinduism encouraged
pilgrimages
Mixing of Aryans with
indigenous cultures
encouraged
syncretism
331 BCE Alexander
the Great marched to
the edge of India
Greek and Indian
culture began to
intermix
Chandragupta Maurya 321-297 BCE
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Conquered Northern
India, Indus Valley
Established Mauryan
Dynasty
Ashoka 272-232 BCE
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Last of the great
Mauryan Emperors
Aggressive, cruel
conqueror in early life
After the bloody
conquest of Kalinga,
Ashoka converted to
Buddhism
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Ashoka became a vegetarian and
renounced warfare
State would rule by right or law, not might
Religious toleration
Better treatment of women and lower
castes
Encouaged Buddhist expansion throughout
India and Asia
Asoka’s law code
 Edicts scattered in
more than 30 places
in India, Nepal,
Pakistan, & Afghanistan.
 Written mostly in
Sanskrit, but one was in
Greek and Aramaic.
 10 rock edicts.
 Each pillar [stupa] is 40’-50’ high.
 Buddhist principles dominate his laws.
One
of
Asoka
’s
Stupa
s
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During Ashoka’s reign Buddhism became
dominant in India and threatened to wipe
out Hinduism
After Ashoka’s death, Hinduism revived
and Buddhism declined
Reasons for India’s Religious Shift
After Ashoka
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Hindu syncretism: Brahmins accepted
Buddha as god, encouraged devotional
cults and small sacrifices (personal
worship and prayer), loosened caste
restrictions and enhanced the role of
women
Buddhist withdrawal to monasteries, less
active lives within India
Fa-Hsien: Life in Gupta
India
 Chinese Buddhist monk traveled along the
Silk Road and visited India in the 5c.
 He was following the path
of the Buddha.
 He reported the people to
be happy, relatively free of
government oppression, and
inclined towards courtesy and
charity. Other references in
the journal, however, indicate
that the caste system was
rapidly assuming its basic features, including
"untouchability," the social isolation of a lowest
class that is doomed to menial labor.
India Under The Gupta Dynasty
320-550 CE
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Hinduism dominant
Heavy rice cultivation in Ganges valley
Economic expansion due to Silk Road and
Indian Ocean trade
Cultural Flowering
Indian cultural influence on Southeast Asia
International Trade Routes
during the Guptas
Extensive Trade:
4c
spices
gold & ivory
Gupta
Art
Greatly influenced
Southeast Asian art & architecture.
500 healing
plants identified
1000 diseases
classified
Printed
medicinal guides
Plastic
Surgery
Gupta
Achievement
s
Kalidasa
Literature
Medicine
Inoculations
C-sections
performed
Decimal
System
Gupta
India
Mathematics
Concept
of Zero
PI = 3.1416
Solar
Calendar
Astronomy
The earth
is round
Ajanta Cave
Ajanta Cave
Cave temple at Elephanta
Kalidasa, Gupta India’s greatest
writer
The Classical Civilizations
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Han China
Mauryan-Gupta India
Greco-Rome