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Ancient Indian Civilizations. 2500 B.C. – 500 A.D. Indus River Valley. South of the Himalayas Difficult to enter valley Ganges River flows through fertile valley Indus River flows across drier plain. Indus River Valley (cont). Monsoons are winds that mark the seasons - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Ancient Indian Civilizations
2500 B.C. – 500 A.D.
Indus River Valley
South of the HimalayasDifficult to enter valley
Ganges River flows through fertile valleyIndus River flows across drier plain
Indus River Valley (cont)
Monsoons are winds that mark the seasonsFall/Winter = little rainSpring/Summer
heavy rainsToo little/late = crops fail
Early Civilizations
Harappa and Mohenjo DaroLarge cities, carefully plannedWater systems, public baths, and brick sewersStrong central fortress or citadel
Early Civilizations (cont)
Indo-AryansFrom central Asia Written language, SanskritCaste System
Class structure that determines a person’s occupation, economic potential, and social statusIn part, based on skin color
Early Civilizations (cont)
Mauryan EmpireStrong army equipped with elephants and chariotsRigid bureaucracyAśoka
Greatest ruler, converted to BuddhismSet up hospitals for people and animalsOrdered a system of shade trees and shelters for travelers
Early Civilizations (cont)
Gupta RulersEra of prosperity/tradeHinduism becomes dominant religion
Religious tolerance of Buddhism
Later extravagance by rulers led to decline
232 B.C.Chandragupta II
Chandragupta Maurya becomes founder of Mauryan Empire
Hinduism
Appears polytheistic, but it is monistic
God is one, but goes by many names
Hinduism (cont)
Believe in reincarnationSouls are reborn into another bodyDharma – person’s moral duty in this lifeKarma – good/bad force created by actionsLive until you get it right, Nirvana
Practice yoga, mental/physical exercises that bring the body and soul together
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha or “Enlightened One”Led privileged life until he became aware of human sufferingTaught ethics and selflessnessReincarnation and nirvana were available to everyone
Siddhartha Gautama’s
eight not carrying out harsh or mean thoughts
Cultural Achievements
EducationHigher castes = formal educationLower castes = crafts and trades
AlgebraAstronomyMedicine – inoculations from diseases