Transcript of The Next Great Indian Empire Achievements of the Gupta.
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- The Next Great Indian Empire Achievements of the Gupta
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- Something to think about When is a civilization more
successful? In times of war or in times of peace?
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- The Indian Subcontinent Surrounded by water on 3 sides Bordered
in north by Himalaya Mountains & Hindu Kush Various river
valleys offering fertile soil Indus Brahmaputra Ganges Deccan
Plateau limits farming potential in central area Ghats mountain
chains form V along coasts Thar Desert creates barrier in
northwest
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- Earliest Settlements Ancient Peoples settled along rivers in
northwestern region above the Thar Desert Rivers were used for
travel, trade, and farming Walled settlements formed as early as
2500 BC Mohenjodaro in Indus River Valley and Harappan in Sarasvati
Citadel and city living area Streets lined with houses Developed
storage facilities for trade Systems of weights and measurements
Great public baths with drains Statues, beads, seals, toys, games
represent developed culture Believed to be destroyed by massive
flooding
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- A Regional Religion: Hinduism Shaped Indian life since before
recorded history Caste System Brahmins priests and religious
scholars Kshatriyas rulers and warriors Vaishyas herders and
merchants Shudras - servants Untouchables held jobs considered
dirty or lowly Dharma law, obligation, duty Ramayana story of Rama
who lives life of dharma Vedas collections of works written in
Sanskrit Brahman supreme power that exists in many forms Karma good
or evil that comes back around to you in next life Samsara cycle of
birth, death, rebirth
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- A New Belief: Buddhism Based on the teachings of Buddha
(Awakened One) Comes about by Prince Siddharthas Path to
Enlightenment Ascetic life giving up worldly pleasures Giving alms
charity to the poor Finding Nirvana ideal state of peace through
truth Eightfold Path: RightUnderstanding, purpose, speech, action,
living, effort, mindfulness, concentration Four Noble Truths
Suffering is present in all things, and nothing lasts forever
Suffering is caused by cravings (desires and wants) The way to end
suffering is to end all cravings The way to give up cravings is to
live according to Eightfold Path
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- Vedic and Epic Ages Most of preclassical Indian history comes
from oral history from the Aryans. Later this history is written in
SANSKRIT; first literary language of the new culture. Veda-
knowledge hence Vedic Age Rig Veda first epic consisting of 1028
hymns dedicated to the Aryan gods written by the priests 1500-500
BCE Epic Age- later part of Vedic 1000-500 BCE Mahabharata, Indias
greatest epic poem Ramayana, dealing with mythical and real battles
Upanishads, epic poems with mystical religious flavor
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- After the Vedic and Epic Ages 600-500 BCE- 16 major regional
states exist in Northern India, and warfare between them is not
uncommon Magahda, regional state, establishes dominance over a
considerable area 327 BCE, Alexander the Great, conquers Greece,
Middle East, and Northern India
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- In response. Young Soldier- Chandragupta seizes power along the
Ganges River. Becomes first of Mauryan dynasty of Indian Rulers.
This is the first dynasty to unite much of India Rise of Buddhism
under Mauryas Chandragupta passes rule to his son, who later passes
it to his son, Ashoka.
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- First Unification: Mauryan Empire Founded by King Ashoka of
Maurya family Based rule on Buddhist principals Unified region
Established rule through passing edicts Encouraged all people to
follow Buddhist path
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- Ashoka Chandraguptas grandson 269-232 BCE Gained control of all
but Southern tip of India through intense fighting Described as
Bloodthirsty yet compassionate. Thoughts? Ultimately converts to
Buddhism and spreads throughout India Dharma- law of moral
consequences
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- Post Ashoka Buddhism lives on, his political legacy/empire does
not Empire begins to fall apart Enter the Kushans- invaders from
northwest Greatest King- Kanishka
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- Era of War Fall of Mauryan led to India breaking into different
kingdoms Kingdoms fought for land and power Chandrgupta conquered
and united the kingdoms in 320 AD through warfare and marriage Set
up a central government Established provinces with independence
Encouraged growth in arts and science
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- Kushans Fall- Enter Gupta New line of Kings after Kushans
Establish large Empire- 320 C.E.
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- Golden Age of India: Gupta Line of rulers from 320 B.C.E. to
550 C.E. Time of prosperity and achievement Achievements allowed
due to times of peace Significant contributions in Literature
Palm-Leaf Books to record Gupta history and beliefs
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- Class Activity Directions Visit the 8 centers on Gupta
Achievements Record the significant information onto a palm leaf
Illustrate the significant meaning on the palm Complete the center
activity tasks to experience the Gupta ways of life Attach your
palm-leaf booklet in order of significant contributions
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- What were the achievements of the Gupta? Territorial gain
Universities Literature Painting Sculpture Metalwork Mathematics
Roads What were the greatest achievements of the Gupta? Which
achievements impacted future societies? Which achievements are
isolated to the Gupta? How would the world look without the Guptan
contributions?
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- Political Structure and Territorial Growth The Gupta emperors
set up an efficient system of administration both at the center and
in the provinces. The central government consisted of the king and
a council of ministers which included civil and military officers
such as the commander in chief of the army, the generals in command
of elephantry, cavalry and infantry. The Gupta Empire was divided
into a number of provinces known as the Desas and were led by
governors. The province was divided into bhuktis which were further
subdivided into districts called Vishyas. The lowest unit of
administration was the village called Grama. It seems that the
Gupta rulers did not interfere with the autonomy of the village
community. Town administration was carried out by a Pusapala who
generally belong to the class of high officers called Kumaramatyas.
The Shrenis or guilds of traders and artisans also participated in
the management of urban administration.Vishyas
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- Universities The Guptas built many colleges and universities
throughout the empire. Some universities were Hindu, and some were
Buddhist. The schools were open primarily to males, but teachers
daughters were allowed to attend. Hindu universities provided the
upper classes with religious training. Students attended classes in
religion, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, and Sanskrit. They
could also attend classes of the arts. The most famous school was
at Nalanda. It had 8 colleges and 3 libraries. It also had a
monastery and a hospital. Students of medicine learned the
practices of the day and were trained to question patients about
their physical problems. They learns how to make cures from roots,
leaves, and minerals. They also used animal claws to stitch up
wounds and were especially skilled at surgery.
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- Literature Gupta writers created a variety of literary works.
They wrote poetry, fables, folktales, and plays on political
subjects. Scholars also wrote about Hindu law and religion. Some of
the greatest Sanskrit literature came from this time, describing
Hindu legends. The sacred stories had been orally passed down for
generations. The Mahabharata (Great Work) was a great poem composed
over hundreds of years to relate the Hindu values on good versus
evil. Many of the writings from the Gupta empire went beyond their
borders to be told in other lands, including the story of Aladdin
and his magic lamp.
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- Painting The Gupta Empire is famous for its beautiful
paintings. For noble families, painting was an important part of
life and no home was complete without a painting board or easel.
Popular subjects included the gods with scenes to tell the
religious stories. Nobles hired artists to capture the images of
their families onto long scrolls. In addition to private paintings,
murals were painted to cover the walls of the 30 caves that was an
ancient Buddhist monastery. Paints made from minerals and class
created bold colors for definition. Buddhas life and times were
depicted on the walls as well as images of kings, queens,
musicians, dancers, animals, and hunters.
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- Sculpture In the Gupta Empire, a great area of achievement in
the arts was sculpture. Using stone, wood, bronze, and terra-cotta
clay, the Gupta created pieces to portray the Hindu gods, Buddha,
and many other figures. Sculptures were free- standing or were
carved into walls of caves or temples. Human form was always
displayed gracefully with beautiful detail in appearance and
expression.
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- Metalwork Metalwork was one of the most detailed and skillful
achievements of the Gupta. Since Gupta kings controlled large mines
of gold, copper, and iron, they had the materials to create coins
and other metal products. Most of these items would be engraved to
honor the kings or the gods for blessings in art, politics, and
war. Metalworking skills were also used to create great pillars
which are still standing today without rust or extreme wear.
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- Mathematics With the advances in mathematics made by earlier
Indian peoples, the Gupta went further to create a number system
using zero. Their works allowed for understanding of decimals and
fractions, and set the stage for more complete math systems
developed in the Arab world. In addition to using mathematics as a
counting system, Aryabhata combined math with astronomy to
calculate the number of days in a year and the size of the Earth.
Lastly, the Guptas used math to develop a more complex building
style with symmetry and design.
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- Roads To encourage trade throughout the Empire, the Gupta rules
had built an entire system of roads. Engineers worked to clear
land, fill in holes and remedy imperfections, and then smoothed the
land to create a level path. The hand- packed dirt roads were
designed for safety and comfort. Alongside the roads were canals or
ditches into which monsoon rains could drain to prevent flooding
the roads. Signs along the roadways informed travelers on their
whereabouts and provided directions with marked distances. Rest
houses allowed travelers a stopping point where they could sleep,
restock food and water, and relax from their trip. These roads
greatly benefited trade in the empire allowing goods to be
transported quickly to other regions, including connecting the
Empire to China and the Mediterranean regions.