Transcript India_and_China_-_Class_Lecture

Ancient Civilizations
of India and China
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Ancient Civilizations
of India and China
Indian Civilization
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The Indus River Valley Civilization
– Two large centers of Indus Valley:
• Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (about 3,000 BCE)
– Interested with the figure of the bull – art or religious,
similar to the Minoan Greeks.
– Written language; not deciphered yet.
– Agriculture-based society (cotton)
– Centralization – standards for weights and
measurements
– Ecological disasters –flood and overuse of land
– Aryan invasions from the Northwest
Torso of man –
3000 BCE
The Aryans
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Indus Valley settlements c. 1500 B.C.E.
No main city centers; more tribal
Migrated from North to South.
Uncertain origins
Sanskrit - writing
Caste System – Varnas – four social classes
– Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and
warriors), the Vaishyas (traders), and Shudras (agriculturists, service
providers, and some artisan groups). Offspring of different varnas belong
to different Jātis. Another group excluded from the main society was called
Parjanya or Antyaja. This group of former "untouchables" (now called
Dalits) was considered either the lower section of Shudras or outside the
caste system altogether
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Agricultural / Pastoral Culture
Tribal structure
Epics: Ramayana, Mahabharata – written centuries after portrayed
events. Contain complex story lines of gods, heroes and battles and
how they subdued the Indus Valley dwellers. Still are dramatized in
Indian TV
Aryan Religion
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Complex, precise ceremonies and rituals
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Rituals for the fertility of the soil
The Arrival of rain
Ceremonies accompanied with hymns and gestures
Oral form
The Vedas – written rituals and prayers-(Rig Veda)
– Core text of Hindu temple worship
– Still chanted today in ceremonies; birth, sickness, death, etc.
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Upanishads
– Existentialist thoughts – What caused the cosmos to be? How did human beings
arise?
– Philosophical focus
– The ultimate reality is impersonal
– Brahman – ultimate realty
– Atman - The individual reality of a person and Atman: “Tat tvam asi.”
– “You, are that” – You are the eternal essence of Brahman.
Hinduism
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Priest and temple + meditation and study
– Puja – altar for worshiping gods.
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Path to ultimate reality, Brahman
– Path of Asceticism – fasting; non-possession
– Path of Karma –one does one’s duty, according to the
caste system. Priests sacrifice; warriors fight).
– Path of Devotion (bhakti) – One should do deeds out of
devotion to someone else; not the self. This checks the
balance of one’s greed.
Buddha – “The Enlightened One”
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Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)
– Inescapability of suffering and death
– “Enlightened One”
– Story written years after his death – myths
– He was born to a a King.
– Warrior caste
– Born in the foothills of the Himalayas – present day Nepal
– Married young; had a son.
– Travelled outside of his palatial headquarters and saw suffering.
– Left his family – wandering life
– Practiced meditation, self-depravation, fasting
– He decided to sit under the shade of a tree and meditate until he found the truth about
existence.
– He received the illumination
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Fourfold Noble Path
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– Eightfold Path
– Emphasis on ethical, moderate living
Liberation through knowledge
– Truth lies within. Existence is suffering; Cessation of suffering NIRVANA
Emperor Ashoka
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Many religious traditions when Buddha died.
Ruthless ruler Unified all of India
Appalled by suffering and bloodshed he caused.
Remorse – converted to Buddhism.
Established non-violence.
Established Buddhism as official religion of India. Stupa in Myanmar
Founded Buddhist monasteries – Sanghas
Erected towers – Stupas or monuments that represent Buddah’s
enlightenment.
Buddhist monks as missionaries – to share Buddhist wisdom
everywhere.
[Image 5.2]
Lion capital
Lion Capital of a Column
Erected by King Ashoka 242 BCE.
Wheel represents the Wheel of the Law
and small animals represent
the four corners of the earth.
Hindu and Buddhist Art
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Hindu Art
Religious in spirit
Eroticism – Sexual
union represents
unions with the Gods
Naturalism
Unity in all life forms
– Avatars
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Buddhist Art
Focus on spirituality
Calm, transcendent
images
– Buddha, Bodhisattvas
– Renunciation of
worldly pleasures
Khajuraho – northern India
Wooden figures representing three avatars or incarnations:
Vishnu-preserve and protect the divine. Three of his many forms.
Krishna and the Maiden in a Garden.
Scene from Mahabharata. Regarded as a God - Blue
Buddha surrounded by followers from Gandharan – northwest India – were exposed to Greek art.
The Gupta Empire and Its Aftermath
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After Ashoka died, invaders
Some independent regions emerged
Good economy; trade
Chandra Gupta I (C.E. 320) – new large-scale kingdom
Chandra Gupta II - grandson (ruled 380-415)
– “The Sun of Power” (Chandra Gupta known as)
– Was a Buddhist monk
– Decline of Buddhism, rise of Hinduism
Gupta Literature – Sanskrit – written; but not spoken by population
– Kalidasa’s Sakuntala marriage that collapsed due to a curse.
– Sudraka’s The Little Clay Cart – cross-section of society;
• Nobleman, prostitute, thief – who teaches housebreaking techniques.
The Gupta Empire and Its Aftermath
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Gupta Science/Universities
– Foundation of large universities – 5,000 students, from
everywhere in Asia.
– Mechanics, medicine, mathematics
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Collapse of Gupta Rule
– The White Huns 480 CE – White Huns invaded, as well as
other Central Asia tribes, the same tribes that moved on to sack
Rom in 476 CE, creating the absolute Roman empire fall .
– When a new united Indian Empire developed – 15th and 16th
century, rulers were Muslim, not Hindu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jUBEBbhowE
Aishwarya Rai Hindi Bollywood Dance (Nimbooda-Hum Dil De Chu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8dVvzG7djU
Ancient Chinese Music
Origins of Civilization in China
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Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 B.C.E.)
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Urban life developed later than Mesopotamia and Egypt
Bronze craftsmanship
Trade, commerce
System of writing – similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs
representing sounds and ideas.
Chou Dynasty (1100-221 B.C.E.)
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No central government
Emperors coordinated separate kingdoms
Period of the Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.)
This is the period of time when Chinese thought and
culture were laid.
Origins of Civilization in China
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Confucianism – religion/philosophy
– Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)
– Creating a new, virtuous social order
– The morally superior person should posses:
• Five inner virtues, two outer virtues
– Purpose of the State
– Authority and discipline
– Loyalty, integrity love of humanity, charity, education,
unconcerned with material rewards.
Origins of Civilization in China
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Taoism – Lao Tzu (570 B.C.E.) – obscure figure. Supposed to
have lived around Confucius time. But Lao-tzu’s book
was written about 200 years after Confucius’ death.
– Emphasized the limitations of human perceptions
– “the Way” (tao)
– Accept your own nature; follow it; do not distinguish
good from bad, accept it as part of your “way.”
– Tao te ching
– Passivity and resignation – don’t change things!
– “the soft yield of water cleaves the obstinate stone”
– Ideas expressed in contradictory language
The Unification of China
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Ch’in Dynasty (221 B.C.E.) – emerged due to power
struggles.
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Shih Huang-ti, “First Emperor”
Brutal Emperor
Centralization, tight grip on people
Burning of the Books – destroy all philosophical
accounts/schools of thoughts.
– The Great Wall – connected pre-existing fragmented walls.
Built by prisoners and peasants. Dangerous. Many deaths.
– The Emperor’s tomb – 3rd Century BCE. MORE THAN
6,000 Warriors. Clay. Used limited number of molds, but
soldiers put together with different combination of these
molds.
The Unification of China
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The Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E. - C.E. 202)
– Kao-tsu (256-195 B.C.E.)
– Elaborate central bureaucracy
– Reconstruction of philosophical texts
Aristocratic feuds / civil war
 T’ang Dynasty (C.E. 618-906)
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– China’s Golden Age
The Arts in Classical China:
Literature
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The Five Classics – History, Politics, Actual
Speeches, Poetry.
Popularity of poetry
Short Story
– Li Po (C.E. 701-762) – Court Poet.
– Own style.
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Philosophical writing
– Mahayana, Hinayana Buddhism
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Short story
The Arts in Classical China:
Visual Arts
Blend of new and traditional styles
 Direct impressions of daily life
 Shrines, monumental carvings
 Emphasis on craftsmanship
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– Precision and clarity of design
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Calligraphy
– Emphasis on beauty of line
403-221 CE
800 CE