Transcript India
On a piece of paper, identify the following for Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Holy place Holy texts Founder Supreme being 37: Notes: Classical India 1. 2. 3. 4. Bellringer Quiz: World Religions Notes: Classical India Primary Source HOMEWORK: Read pages 97-100 and 181-187. Ms. Allen World History I – 2015-16 Indian civilization begins in the river valleys ◦ Recap: Why river valleys? Look at map: What rivers are in India? ◦ Indus River ◦ Ganges River First civilizations in India along these two rivers By 2500 B.C.: First major cities in ancient India are being built ◦ Same time as Egyptian pyramids were built Along the Indus River the two largest early Indian cities were: ◦ 1. Harappa ◦ 2. Mohenjo-Daro Large, well-planned cities Key characteristics: ◦ Streets and buildings laid out in a grid ◦ Fortified area called a citadel ◦ Separate residential areas of town ◦ Buildings made of ovenbaked bricks ◦ Sophisticated plumbing and sewage system within the city Around 1500 B.C.: Aryans cross Hindu Kush and migrate into India ◦ Comes at the same time as Indus culture is dying Result of this invasion?: Aryans dominate the people already living in India Who were the Aryans? ◦ Were taller, lighter skinned ◦ Spoke a different language than the people already living in India The Aryans = totally dominate the people already living in India Installed caste system ◦ Purpose of this caste system? To divide people into classes What did the classes look like in Aryan India? ◦ Top classes = made up of Aryans ◦ Bottom “classes” = native Indians Mauryan Empire = first official empire in India ◦ Happens about 1000 years after the first Aryans entered India How does the Mauryan Empire begin? ◦ Chandragupta Maurya defeated a Greek army that had invaded India Chandragupta Maurya = starts Mauryan Empire (named after him) after beating Greeks ◦ By 303 B.C.: Chandragupta Maurya set up the Mauryan Empire across northern India Chandragupta Maurya dies and his son took over ◦ Continues to expand the empire by unifying areas under his control Upon the son’s death, Chandragupta Maurya’s grandson, Ashoka assumed throne. Mauryan Empire united Indian subcontinent ◦ Ganges and Indus Rivers ◦ Up to the Himalaya and Hindu-Kush Mountains Mainly Hinduism Ashoka (a king) spread Buddhism through missionaries About Hinduism: ◦ One of the oldest religions in the world ◦ Almost 1 billion people are Hindus today 80% of India is Hindu Because so many Indians are Hindu, it is an important part of Indian history and culture A major religion founded in India ◦ Hinduism is another Founded around 400s B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama Spread of Buddhism: ◦ Spread from India to China, the rest of the Asia and the world by Asoka’s missionaries Under Chandragupta ◦ United India for the first time ◦ Strong bureaucracy Under Ashoka ◦ Religious tolerance ◦ Built roads, free hospitals, hotels ◦ Outlaws death penalty, animal cruelty Chandragupta conquered the Aryan empire and established a dynasty ◦ Establishes a bureaucracy Ashoka ◦ Became a non-violent Buddhist, used the government to care for his people rather than gain wealth or power People liked Ashoka ◦ Good ruler, but weakened the government ◦ No strong ruler followed him ◦ Empire fell apart Very heavy taxes to pay for army and public works Political centralization opens India to trade with China and Persia See Hinduism (caste system) Politically unified most of India Spread Buddhism (which was founded in India) to other parts of the world (especially China) via missionaries Provided free hospitals to citizens Created veterinary clinics Built good roads Ashoka dies the Mauryan Empire fell apart ◦ No strong leader to take his place! 500 years of invasion and instability in India follow Ashoka’s death After centuries of chaos, in 320 A.D.: Chandra Gupta (not Chandragupta Maurya) forms the GUPTA EMPIRE ◦ Second great classical empire in India Gupta Empire = in NORTHERN India • Located in NORTHERN INDIA • Close to Himalayan Mountains and Indus and Ganges Rivers Hinduism ◦ We will see a return to Hinduism by most people during the Gupta Empire despite Ashoka popularizing Buddhism during the last part of the Mauryan Empire The Golden Age of India ◦ Gupta = Golden! • Develop astronomy, advanced math (the numbers you use), calendar, banking system Indian culture flourished and expanded like never before under Gupta Empire Contributions include: ◦ Math = concept of zero ◦ Medicine = set broken bones, nose surgery ◦ Astronomy = proved Earth round 1000 years before Columbus ◦ Textiles = silk and cloth ◦ Literature = poetry, plays, dances Gupta kings used marriage (and an army) to create an empire Last strong king dies in 415 CE, empire starts to collapse In the 500s CE, invaders “without settled homes” attack India Very rich empire (but only the kings got rich) Invented banking LOTS of trade