Transcript India: Mauryan and Gupta - Appoquinimink High School


What do you remember about the Indus River
Valley Civilizations? Be ready to share and
take out your class notes.
 Crash Course Video Clip:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ndRwqJYDM
Today’s LEQ: After the first wave civilizations, what
stayed the same and what changed?



Indus River Valley,
Harappan Society
Major society built c.
3000-2500 BCE,
mysterious decline by
1500BCE
Major cities: Harrapa
(Punjab region and
Mohenjo-Daro
(mouth of Indus
River)
Harappan society and its neighbors
ca. 2000 B.C.E.
Aryans, lighter-skinned
invaders from the north
 Arrived in waves and
mixed with local people,
Dravidians (darkerskinned sedentary
inhabitants of Harappa)
 Moved eastward towards
Ganges River by
1000BCE
 Difficulty of theory: no
evidence of large-scale
military conquest



Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses,
cattle
Religious and Literary works: The Vedas
 Sanskrit: sacred tongue
 Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into
Hindi, Urdu, Bengali
 Four Vedas, most important Rigveda
▪ 1,028 hymns to gods
▪ Lays out India’s caste system




Soon after Aryan invasion,
India began dividing
everyone into one of five
groups, or castes - Complex
system of social division
Origins in Aryan domination
of Dravidians
Resulted in cultural stability
in India for thousands of
years, but restricted social
mobility
Jati – subsystem of castes
6


Also, you need a page
for the Untouchables
And, for Jati
Go to www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com
Username & Password: midtownstaff
Switch to ancient database
 Type “caste system” into the search field
 In your foldable, provide a description
and visual for each social class; Keep in
mind, this will serve as your study
guide for the upcoming unit test.



Turn in your caste system foldable (is your name on
it?!)
 Use the terms below to write 3-4 sentences that
show your understanding of what we covered
yesterday. Be ready to share!!!



Unified northern India.
Extremely centralized –
Maurya Empire!
Divided empire into
provinces and districts for
taxation and law
enforcement
 Feared assassination 
food tasters, slept in
different rooms, etc.
 301 BCE  gave up his
throne and became a Jain
(religion focusing on
complete non-violence)
10



Chandragupta’s advisor
Wrote the Arthashastra:
A guide for his king and his ministers
 Supports royal power
 The great evil in society is anarchy
 Therefore, a single authority is needed to
employ force when necessary





Ashoka = most important
ruler of Mauryan Empire
Religious conversion after
gruesome battle of Kalinga
Religiously tolerant
Patronized Buddhist art,
architecture and culture.
Buddhism expanded.
Put up pillars all over India,
declaring the peaceful intent
of his empire
12



Written mostly in
Sanskrit (some in
Greek and Aramaic)
Cosmopolitan (diverse)
empire!
Buddhist principles
dominate his laws.



Economic crisis
follows death of
Ashoka
Results in power
vacuum 
Regions begin to
abandon Mauryan
Empire
 Disappears by 185 CE
14




Next to unify India
Profitable trade of
cotton and pepper
Guptas were Hindu, not
Buddhist (although
tolerant)
Politics = indirect rule
 Large amount of
freedom given to
administrators
throughout empire

“Golden Age” of Indian
culture
Extensive Trade:
4c
spices
gold & ivory
500 healing
plants identified
1000 diseases
classified
Gupta
Achievements
Printed
medicinal guides
Plastic
Surgery
Medicine
Inoculations
Gupta
India
C-sections
performed
Decimal
System
Mathematics
Concept
of Zero
PI = 3.1416
Solar
Calendar
Astronomy
The earth
is round

Invasion by pastoralists called White Huns in the
500s = end of Gupta Golden Age

Decline of Gupta – north India broke into many
separate Hindu kingdoms ruled by rajputs
(Hindu princes)

Not really unified again until the coming of the
Muslims in the 7c.

Indian history marked by big debate: unity vs.
disunity


Create a multiple choice test item for the AP
exam that assesses the Maurya and/or the
Gupta. Create a problem with four answer
choices, one that is correct and three that are
incorrect. Make sure your question is
challenging! For example, don’t do this:
What were the names of the two Classical Age
empires of India?




A: Wynnland & Appotopia
B: Europe & Asia
C: Maurya and Gupta
D: None of the above