Ancient Eastern CivilizationsUnit 3

Unit 3Indus River Valley

Gave rise to the earliest Indian Civilization

GeographyTo the North: Himalayan Mountains Hindu Kush Mountains

Two Rivers south of the mountains:

Ganges RiverIndus River

Interior: high plateau called the Deccan

ClimateIndia’s climate is dominated by monsoons. Monsoons are strong, often violent winds that change direction with the season.

Additionally, most of India lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, so the sun’s rays shine directly on the land. The temperature can reach as high as 120oF.

Indus River Valley Civilization(2500 B.C. -1500 B.C.)

Much information comes from the ruins of two ancient cities, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.

The Cities of Harappan Civilization:• Large and carefully planned• Wide streets• Water system with public baths and

brick sewers• Some lived in two-story brick homes

that had bathrooms and garbage chutes.

• Strong central fortress, or citadel, built on a brick platform

• Storehouses for grain—could hold enough to feed 35,000 people.

Shows the brick-lined drain pipes used in Harappa.

What is left over of Mohenjo-Daro today, with its perfectly uniform bricks.

Harappan Farmers grew cotton, wheat, barley, and rice.They raised cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats.

Irrigation of fields allowed farmers to raise surplus crops for storage and trade.

WritingThe script of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa is called Proto-Indian. The script appears to be phonetic and has ideographic origin.

ReligionNo Harappan temples, shrines, or religious writings have been found. However. . .

Mother goddess

Decline of the Harappan Culture

Scholars are Not Certain:

a. Ecological changes

b. Economic problems caused by population increase, decline in agriculture, and/or deforestation

c. Change in river flow patterns or flooding could have disrupted agriculture.

d. Invasion by intruders ( Indo-Aryans)

Around 1750 B.C.

The Indo-AryansNomadic sheep and cattle herders as well

as skilled warriors

Most of what we know of these people comes from the Vedas.

• Oldest written scriptures in India----1500 B.C. circa

• The term Veda literally means “knowledge”• The Vedas are comprised of:

• Sacred hymns• Poetic descriptions of the gods and nature• Rituals• and Blessings Recorded in Sanskrit, the Indo-Aryan language

Indo-Aryan religion

• Earliest gods drawn from nature: earth, fire, light, sky, storms, sun, & water

• Sky = father; earth= mother • Gods were portrayed as having particular

characteristics• No temples in early Vedic religion—ceremonies

performed in open spaces• Foods offered as ritual sacrifices• Juice of soma plant poured into sacred fire—the drink

of immortality.

Brahmins special priests who performed the religious ceremonies

Characteristics of Indo-Aryan Society

Government

• Tribes formed small city-states

• Each state ruled by raja and his council

Social Life

• Complex system of social orders

• Elaborate rules governed marriage among the different orders

• Parent-arranged marriage favored

• Marriage by purchase, by capture, and by mutual consent recognized

Economy

• Mostly farmers

• Wheat and barley major crops

• Poor transportation and trading methods sometimes limited trade

• System of barter for goods

By 700 B.C. several Indian religious thinkers began to question the authority of the Brahmins.

(Special priests who knew the proper forms and rules of their religious rituals.)

• Began to teach their messages in the forests.• Became known as Vedanta, or “end of the

Vedas.”• Teachings collected in the Upanishads.

Advanced the religious belief that there is one eternal spirit called Brahman Nerguna

The two epics—became known as:Mahabharata & Ramayana

Most famous of Hindu scriptures

Tells the story of a great battle in a kingdom in what is now northern India.

Part of this epic is known as the Bhagavad Gita

Tells the story of Rama, a great prince and an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his wife Sita.

Sita is kidnapped by a demon.

Rama rescued Sita and became king.

Rama and Sita became role models for men and women in Indian society.

Vishnu

The Caste System developed between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 500

Rulers and warriors

Brahmins

Merchants,Traders, and’

Farmers

Peasants

Pariahs, or “untouchables”

Founder: Siddhartha GautamaBuddha or “Enlightened One”

Born 563 BCE

Son of a wealthy prince

Vowed at the age of 29 to discover the reasons for human suffering.

Great Renunciation: left palace and family in search of truth and meaning

6 years later, while meditating under a tree, he felt that he understood the truth that forms the basis of life. In that moment, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha.

Spent the remainder of his life teaching his followers to pursue the way of enlightenment, the way of life.

The meaning of life according to Buddha

Four Noble Truths:

First, all people suffer and know sorrow.Second, people suffer because of their

desires.Third, they can end their suffering by

eliminating their desires.And fourth, to eliminate those desires, people

should follow the Buddha’s Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path:Knowing the truthResisting evilSaying nothing to hurt othersRespecting life Working for the good of othersFreeing the mind from evilControlling thoughtsPracticing meditation

200 B.C. and A.D. 200, Buddhism split into two branches

Theravada Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism Regards Buddha to be a

great teacher to be read and understood.

Follows the traditional beliefs of Buddhism

Accepted in Burma (now Myanmar), Siam (now Thailand), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Laos, and other countries.

Worships Buddha as a savior of the people and believes he is a god.

More elaborate ceremonies than Theravada

Accepted in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan

Rise of the Mauryan Empire

Ruler: Chandragupta MauryaEstablished: the Mauryan Empire (lasted 150 years)

Accomplishments: Built a grand palace on the Ganges RiverArmy of 600,000 soldiers (equipped with thousands of chariots and elephants)Conquered all of northwestern IndiaStrong kingdomGreat administrative structures

Asoka----3rd ruler of Mauryan Empire came to power in 270 B.C.

The strongest ruler of the Empire

Enlarged the Mauryan Empire until it included all of India except the southern tip of the subcontinent

First Imperial dynasty to hold nearly all of India

•Eventually became a pacifist and a Buddhist•Sent Buddhist missionaries to other countries•Laws carved into stone pillars•Improved living conditions•Cultural and political advances

The Gupta RulersThis new dynasty contributed to the decline of Buddhism and the growth of Hinduism•Early years of Gupta rule called a Golden Age (lasted 200 years)•Society prospered •Hinduism—dominant religion•Learning and education (algebra, the concept of zero, and the numerals 1-9 were identified)

•Astronomy-knew the world was round

By 600 C.E., empire dissolved into many small kingdoms.