Chapter5

GeographyandEarlyIndiaChapter5Section1

• LikeMesopotamiaandEgypt,Indiawashometooneoftheworld’sfirstcivilizations• TheoneinIndiaalsogrewinarivervalley.

India:• Huge• Subcontinent• MountainsseparateIndiafromtherestofAsia• NorthernIndia- >Himalayas->highestintheworld• WesternIndia->HinduKushMts.• TharDesert• ManyriversflowfromtheHimalayas• IndusriverisnowlocatedinpresentdayPakistan

• Itflooded,thushelpingthesoil

ClimateofIndia• ClimateofIndia:• HotandHumid• InfluencedbyMonsoons->windpatterns• WetmonsoonsfromtheArabiansea

inthesummer->flooding• DrymonsoonsfromtheHimalayas

inthewinter->warmwintersCheck:HowdoyouthinkmonsoonsaffectedSettlementinIndia?

Harappan Civilization• Harappan:• Agriculture&Irrigation->growthoffarming• Assurplusesgrew- >towns&cities->divisionoflabor• NamedafterHarappaPakistan->moderncity->ruinsdiscovered• Ruinsoftwolargecities:HarappaandMohenjo Daro• ThecitiesareontheIndusriver->300milesapart->verysimilar

Whydon’tweknowmuchaboutHarappan Civilization?

• Harappans createdIndia’sfirstwritingsystem• Scholarscannottranslatethelanguage• WeknowlittleofHarappan society• PerhapstheyhadKingsandCentralGovernment• Harappans endedaround1700BC->notsurewhy->??

AryanMigration

• Aryans:2000BCarrivedinIndia• OriginallyfromareanearCaspianSea• InformationcomefromtheVedas:poems,hymns,mythswrittenbyAryanpriests

• Didnotbuildbigcities– hadsmallvillages• TheVedaswerewritteninSanskrit,themostimportantlanguageofAncientIndia,whichwasonlyspokennotwrittenatfirst• Sanskritisnolongerspoken,butisarootofmanySouthAsianlanguages

ReligionsofIndia

Brahmanism• BecauseAryanpriestwerecalledBrahmins– theirreligionisoftencalledBrahmanism.• AryanreligionwasbasedontheVedas:• FourVedas– sacredhymnsandpoems• VedicTexts– BrahminswrotetheirthoughtsabouttheVedas

HinduismDevelops• TheVedas,theUpanishads,andtheotherVedictextsremainedthebasisofIndianreligionforcenturies.• Eventuallytheideasofthesesacredtextsbegantoblendwithothercultures,creatingareligioncalledHinduism.

HinduBeliefs• 3Majorgods:(therearealsolessergods)1. Brahma:theCreator2. Shiva:theDestroyer3. Vishnu:thePreserver

LifeandRebirth• Soul:atman• UltimateGoal:toreunitetheatman(soul)withBrahman• Theworldweliveinisanillusionandittakesseverallifetimestoseethroughtheillusiontoreality->Brahman• Reincarnation:processofrebirth

OriginsofHinduism• AstheAryansmovedintoIndia,theydevelopedastrictsystemofsocialclasseswhichbecamepartofIndiansociety• Socialclasses(groups)wereorganizedbypeople’soccupations.• Strictrulesdevelopedabouthowpeopleofdifferentgroupscouldinteract.

TheCasteSystem• Intime,eachofthefourvarnas inAryansocietywasfurtherdividedintomanycastes,orgroups.• CastedividedIndiansocietyintogroupsbasedonaperson’sbirth,wealth,oroccupation.• Thecastedeterminedaperson’splaceinsociety.• InearlierAryansociety,womencouldgetaneducationandownproperty.Thatchangedlater.• BythelateAryanperiod,thecaste“untouchables”developed.• Theyheldthelowestjobsofall– cleaningbathrooms,gettinggarbage,etc.

CasteRules• TheAryansdevelopedsutras,orguides,whichlistedalltherulesfortheCastesystem• Peoplewerenotallowedtomarryoutsidetheircaste• Peoplewerenotallowedtoeatwithanyoneoutsidetheircaste• Peoplespentmostoftheirtimewithothersinsidetheircaste

TheVarnas

OtherReligionsfromHinduism• Jainism:StartedbyMahavira 600BC• Emphasizes:nonviolencetowardallthings• Vegetarians

• Sikhism:StartedbyGuruNanakAD1400• BlendofHinduismwithIslam(monotheistic)• Meditation->enlightenment->equalityforall• Reincarnation• Wear5thingsatalltimes:longhair,comb,bracelet,sword,&specialundergarment

BuddhismORIGINS:• SiddharthaGautamawasaprinceborninIndiatothewarriorcaste(Kshatriya).HewasHindu.• Hewasconcernedwithpeople’ssufferings,sohejourneyedabout6-7yearstodiscoverthemeaningoflife.• Hespentmuchtimefasting andmeditatingcomingtotheconclusionthatSufferingcomesfrom3things:

1. Wantingwhatwelikebutdonothave2. Wantingtokeepwhatyoulike3. NotwantingwhatweDOhave

TeachingsofBuddhism• Siddharthawas35yearsoldwhenhereceived“enlightenment”• FromthenonhewouldbecalledTheBuddhaorthe“EnlightenedOne”• ThefirstbelieversinBuddhismweremerchants,artisans,&Kings• FourNobleTruths:1. Noonecanescapesuffering2. Sufferingcomesfromourowndesires3. Peoplecanovercomedesire&reachNirvana(perfectpeace)4. PeoplecanovercomebyfollowingtheEightfoldPath

ChallengingHinduIdeas• ChallengedVedas• ChallengedAnimalSacrifice• ChallengedPriests&Rituals• OpposedCasteSystem• AnyonecouldachieveNirvanawhofollowedtheEight-foldpath• BelievedinreincarnationliketheHindus

• Buddhismmadepeoplefeelliketheyhadpowertochangetheirlives.

TheEightfoldPath

1. RightView:youwillsuffer;FourNobleTruths2. RightIntent:inclinetowardgoodness3. RightSpeech:AvoidliesandGossip4. RightAction:Don’tstealfromorharmothers5. RightLivelihood:rejectworkthathurtsothers6. RightEffort:Preventevilanddogood7. RightMindfulness:Controlyourfeelings&thoughts8. RightConcentration:Practicemeditation

BuddhismSpreads• Within200yearsafterBuddha’sdeath– BuddhismhadspreadthroughmostofIndia• Asoka – powerfulkinginIndia200BC• Asoka – becameBuddhistandbuilttemplesandschoolsthroughoutIndia• SpreadBuddhismintoareasoutsideofIndiabysendingmissionariesthroughoutAsia

BuddhismSplits• EventuallydisagreementsbetweenBuddhistsledtoasplitwithinthereligion• TwomajorbranchesofBuddhism:1.Theravada

2.Mahayana• Theravada:followtheBuddha’steachingsexactlyashestated• Mahayana: OtherpeoplecaninterpretBuddha’steachingstohelppeoplereachNirvanaBothbrancheshavemillionsofbelieverstoday–Mahayanaisthelargerbranch

IndianEmpires• AfterAryans– Indiadividedintosmallstateswiththeirownruler• 300sBC– AlexandertheGreat(Greek)ConqueredNWIndia• Alexanderdidnotstaylong• 320sBCChandraguptaMaurya foundedtheMauryanEmpirethatlastedfor150years• Hugearmy,WarElephants,Chariots,• Farmerspaidheavytaxesinreturnforprotection.• ChandraguptabecameaJainist monkandpassedthronetohisson.

Ashoka• 270BCCandragupta’s grandsonAshoka becameking.• StrongestofalltheMauryanrulers• ConqueredotherkingdomsextendingruleovermostofIndia• HeconvertedtoBuddhism andsworeagainstWar• Hededicatedhimselftohelpinghispeople:wellsdug,roadsbuilt,shadetreesplanted,resthouses.• SentmissionariestospreadBuddhism

EndofMauryanEmpire• AfterAsoka’sdeath- hissonsfoughtforpower– empirefellapart – lastMauryankingwaskilledbyhisowngeneral.• Indiadividedintosmallerstatesonceagain• Remaineddividedfor500yearswhileBuddhismspread&Hinduismdeclined

ANewHinduEmpire• AD320– GuptadynastyestablishedinIndia• Indiaunitedandprospered• GuptarulerswereHinduandmadeHinduthemajorreligion• ManyHindutempleswerebuiltandwritingswererevived• TheyallowedfreedomofreligionforBuddhism&Jainism

GuptaSociety• GuptaKingsstrengthenedIndia’seconomyandprosperity• TheybelievedthesocialorderofHinducastesystemwouldstrengthentheirrule• Castewouldkeepstability

• ENDED!!!• GuptarulecontinuedtilltheAD400swhenHunsinvaded• ByAD500sGuptaruleended.• Indiadividedintosmallkingdomsyetagain

IndianAchievements• ART:HinduandBuddhisttemples

Hindupaintingsofgods;BuddhistpaintingsofSiddharthaSculptureandColumnswereintricatelycarved

IndianAchievement• LITERATURE:ØMahabharata:oneoftheworld’slongestliteraryworks.Itisthestoryoftwofamiliesstrugglingforcontrolofakingdom.

ØRamayana:aboutaprince,Rama(Vishnuinhumanform)cametoridtheworldofdemonsandsavehiswife,Sita.Seenasmodelsfortheidealmarriage.

IndianAchievement• SCIENCE:• Metalworking–– highqualitytoolsandweapons• Alloys – mixingmetals-metallurgy• Hindu-Arabicnumerals– createdbyIndians&broughttoEuropebyArabs• CreatedZero• MedicinefromPlants– inoculation• Astronomy:knewthatoursunwasastarwithplanetsrevolvingaroundit.Predictedeclipses

EssentialQuestion• WhatimpactdidAsoka’slifehaveonAsiainthepastandfortoday?

SayWhat?HUH???

• http://archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/aryan-harappan-myth

https://www.quora.com/Who-are-the-actual-Aryans-Europeans-Iranians-or-Indians