Early India

Early IndiaChapter 6Sections 1-3

Indias First CivilizationsIndia is a subcontinent. Even though it is part of Asia, the Himalayan Mountains, the largest mountains in the world, create a barrier between India and the AsiaIndia has 2 fertile river valleys, both fed by the mountains in the north. When the snow melts in the Himalayas, the water flows into the Ganges and Indus Rivers.

When the water flow is controlled it can be used for farming. What term is used that refers to that method of water control?irrigationThe Indus River empties into the Arabian Sea.The Ganges River empties into the Indian Ocean.

Winter monsoon winds bring cold, dry air from the mountains.Summer monsoon winds bring warm, wet air from the Arabian Sea which bring heavy rains. If the summer monsoon is delayed, drought occurs, and people starve to death.

Indias 1st civilization began the fertile Indus River Valley. What other civilization do we know began around a fertile river valley?Because they had a good food supply what do you think occurred?

Harappa- well planned city, up to 35,000 people may have lived there, fortress built on a brick platform to keep guard over the residents, wide main streets, narrow side streets, walls surrounded neighborhoods, lanes separated housesMost houses had flat roofs, built with mud bricks.Royal palace & temple were inside the fortress, which means?Wells supplied water, indoor baths, wastewater flowed underground through pipes to pits outside the fortress, which tells us what?

DeclineCity found buriedPossible reasons:EarthquakeToo many trees cut down caused erosionVolcanoResult: Aryans migrated in and conquered

What? No weapons left behind with the other artifacts? What does this tell us?Aryans (nomadic hunters) from south central and central Asia invade by around 1500 B.C.Settled down & became farmers, but contd to raise cattle. Later declare cattle sacred & forbid them to be used as food.Invented the iron plow to help convert Indias jungles into farmland

17 years later.

Aryans create the caste system in order to control the larger population of conquered, darker skinned people.

You are born into the caste system and never leave it. It determines your vocation, your social group and who you are allowed to marry.

Brahman priestSWBAT describe how geography effected where people settled in India.Language Objective: SWBAT define terms:

UntouchablesSudras /unskilled laborVaisyas/skilled traders, merchants

Dalits=oppressedBrahmans-PriestsKshatriyas-govt or militaryVaisyas-farmers/merchants/tradersSudras-manual laborers/servantsPariahs or Untouchables-jobs no one else wants, collecting trash, handling dead bodies, cleaning out ears, cleaning public toliets,etc.Role of Men & WomenOnly men could inherit propertyMen could go to school to become priestsUpper caste boys had a guru until they went to a city school.Girls married at 13 into arranged marriagesDivorce was not allowed, but if a wife could not bear children, the husband could marry a 2nd wife.When a upper caste husband died, the wife was expected to throw herself in the flames when he was being cremated. This practice is called suttee.

Hinduism and BuddhismChapter 6 section 23rd largest religion in the worldCreated as a merger between Aryan pagan beliefs and religious beliefs of the people they conquered in India

Siva-god of destruction

Saraswathi/ goddess of knowledge and art

Krishna/god of love and joyThousands of gods and goddesses who are parts of one universal spirit.The universal spirit is Brahman.The search for Brahman is found in the religious writings called Upanishads.A person does not unite with Brahman until they have passed through many lives. If they lived a good life, they may pass on to a higher caste, if a bad life, a lower caste. What is this idea called?Reincarnation

Reincarnation is very important to Hindus and influences every part of their lives. Because Hindus believe all life is sacred and even effects how they treat animals.

How important is religion?

Dharma=divine law. People are required to follow the duties of their caste.The idea of doing a good job in this life in hopes of a better life when reincarnated, encouraged people to do the duty of their caste.Karma=consequences of how a person lives. Good life=good karma, will result in a better life the next time you are reincarnated.Bad life=?Comparing Civil Law With Divine LawLocal, state and federal laws dictate how we behave and are held accountable if we dont. Divine law dictates how a person is to live their life. A person considers themselves Hindu first, Indian citizen second. Who was Siddhartha Gautama?Better known as The Buddha or Enlightened One.By 600s B.C. Indians begin questioning Hinduism, felt priests only cared about their temple ceremonies & not about the people.At the same time, Prince Siddhartha from Nepal wanders outside his palace walls to see how the average person was living. (contd to next slide)Gautama tried to find an answer to why people suffered and how their suffering could be cured.Gautama sat under a tree for 49 days to meditate.He believed everything around us is an illusion. Only way to find truth is give up worldly desires. Pain & suffering would vanish. A person would reach nirvana, not a place, but a state of wisdom.

Four Noble Truths:Life is full of suffering.People suffer b/c they desire worldly things & self satisfaction.The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things.The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold Path.P. 206 shows the Eighfold Path

Why do you think Buddhas teachings were so popular?

It rejects the caste system.

Chapter 6 section 3 Indias First Empires

AsokaPersian & Greek invasions caused the Indians to set up their own empire to guard against future invasions.1st empire established by Chandragupta Maury in 321 B.C., established a centralized govt. and set up the capital in Pataliputra.

Chandragupta Maurya was an Indian prince who conquered a large area in the Ganges River Valley soon after Alexander invaded western India.

Chandraguptas grandson, Asoka is considered the empires greatest king. Asoka followed the teachings of Buddha after walking across a battlefield and witnessing the aftermath.

He built hospitals for people and animals, built new roads to enhance trade, shade trees along planted along roads where travelers could rest. Laborers built thousands of stupas or Buddhist shrines that have the shape of a mound or dome.Asoka sent Buddhist teachers throughout India and Asia. He allowed Hindus to keep practicing their religion. With good leadership and roads, India became the center of a huge trade network that stretched to the Mediterranean SeaBy 232 B.C. Asoka died the, kings who followed him increased taxes for merchants and seized peasants crops for themselves. The Mauryan dynasty ended when the last ruler was killed by one of his own generals.500 years of bad rulers and unrest, finally in 320 A.D. the Gupta empire began with another Chandragupta dynasty ruling for about 200 years. Trade increased with stability in the empire. This time becomes Indias golden age of learning and culture.Indian Literature & ScienceIndian literature stressed the importance of dharma, which is? Vedas: Ancient hymns & prayers for religious ceremoniesThe best known section of Mahabharata,is the Bhagavad Gita when Krishna (teacher of the world) preached a sermon before a battle of how noble it is to do ones duty, even when it is difficult or painful.Ancient Indians understood the Earth is round and revolves around the sun.Advanced in the area of medicine as well, were setting broken bones & performing operations, as well as invented many medical tools.Mathematicians came up with 0 and the figure to represent it that was later adopted by Arab traders. Also created symbols for the numbers 1-9 and the idea of infinity (something without end).

THE END OF CHAPTER 6!!!!!!!!