Empires of IndiaUnit 2

Ms. HuntRMS IB Middle School

2012-2013

Geography of India• Located in Southern Asia• Hindu Kush Mountain

Range• Ganges River (East)• Indus River (West)– Flooding of rivers

• Deccan plateau– Dry area

• Monsoons- heavy rainfall and winds

Early Societies

• Harappa and Mohenjo Daro– Located in Indus Valley

• Carefully planned cities• Economy- Agriculture– Used silt from annual flooding

• Advanced plumbing system • Well organized government– Ruled by divine guidance-

Theocracy

Aryan Civilization• Society who moved into the Indus River Valley

following the collapse of Harrappa and Mohenjo Daro

• Sanskrit- ancient writing language– Vedas (Collection of hymns and prayers)

• Created the iron plow- allowed farmers to move into dense jungle areas• Used irrigation in farming

• Families– Extended family all lived together

Social Classes• Caste system- rigid social structure, can not move

between classes• Varnas- 4 sections of society• Higher the caste the greater religious purity (Based off of

Hinduism)– Priests– Warriors– Merchants/ farmers– Peasants/ servants

*Untouchables- so impure not in the caste system, demeaning jobs

Mauryan EmpireMauryan Empire • Great trading empire, provinces ruled

by governors• Bureaucratic Government

– Hand chose rulers and officials– 4 provinces- 4 princes– Capital- Pataliputra

• Chandragupta Maurya- founder 321 B.C.– Fear of assassination- food always tasted

for poison, never slept in the same place 2 nights in a row, secret police

Mauryan Empire Continued• Asoka- Considered greatest

Indian ruler – Converted Empire to

Buddhism- Tolerance of non-Buddhist

– No warfare• Creation of road system

– “pit stops” over all care for the people

• Declined following Asoka’s death– 500 years of war and

problems to follow– Very weak rulers

Gupta Empire• Candragupta- founder 320 A.D.

• Placed the capital were the palace of the Mauryan empire was (Pataliputra)

• “Empire of Luxury”- Golden Age of India

• Use of The Silk Road in trading– Salt, cloth, and iron

trade• Decline- Invaded by

the Huns, 5th Century

Accomplishments of the Gupta

• Literature– Shakuntala

• Astronomy- use of a calendar, developed weeks and hours

• Architecture- stupa – housed relics of Buddha,

domed shaped

• Medicine– Catalog of diseases and

more than 500 plants

• Performing of surgery– Including plastic surgery

• Mathematics- Decimal point system and the concept of 0

Mughal Empire• 1526- Mughals Invaded– Akbar- greatest ruler of

the Muhgals (Fair and Just ruler)

– Shah Jahan- ruler who built the Taj Mahal• Tomb for his wife• Took 22 years to

build• Walls and floors are

inlayed with precious stones

*Overthrown by his own son