Ajanta
Place where Buddhist artists painted rich murals in cave temples in Western India Give evidence along with Ellora to the religious ferment that could be found in India during the Classical Period. Also a testament to religious blending (Hindu, Jain, Buddh
Ellora
One of India's( along with Ajanta) most important holy sites in the Deccan Plateau. It is a series of caves carved into a huge cliff
Ramayana
One of two classical Hindu epics written in Sanskrit telling of the banishment of Rama from his kingdom and the abduction of his wife by a demon and Rama's restoration to the throne.
Gangetic Plains
Most populated area of India; Place where the Aryans searched for Iron ore for axes, tools, and new land.
Aryans
Indo-European speaking nomads who entered India from the Central Asian steppes between 1500 and 1000 BC after the fall of Harappan Culture, vedas from this time show the subjugation of the the existing inhabitants and institution of the caste system
Brahmans
One of the varnas in the Hindu caste system; the priestly class (in charge of the religious ceremonies that were so important in Indian society), also called Vedic Preists, were the dominant force in Indian Society during the Classical Era.
varnas
The social divisions of the Aryan Society that included from top to bottom: 1)priests (Brahmins), 2) rulers or warriors; 3) farmers, craftspeople, traders; 4) workers and servants (Sudras)
Buddha
An Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who renounced his wealth and social position. After becoming an 'enlightened' ascetic under a bo tree (the meaning of Buddha) he enunciated the principles of Buddhism.
Buddhism
The teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth, pr
Alexander the Great
Successor of Philip II; successfully conquered Persian Empire prior to his death in 323 BCE; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures, Spread Hellenistic Culture.
Hellenistic Culture
It began from Philips conquest of Greece to the beginning of the Roman Empire. During this time the laws, calendar, money, and language of Greece was used by millions of people. Homes and public buildings were very elaborate.
Himalayas
The highest mountains in the world, which stretch along northern India, separating it from the rest of Asia. Is the main example of how topography helped shape vital features of its civilization in the classical period. Made political unity very difficult
Indus River
A river in South Asia that flows from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea., the location of the first river valley civilization of India
Ganges River
India's most important river, flows across northern India into Bangladesh. this river is considered sacred to Hindus and is used for spiritual cleansing, funeral rites, and other Hindu rituals.
Monsoons
Seasonal reversals of wind patterns caused by the differential heating and cooling rates of the ocean's and continents. During the summer it can bring massive rain throughout India, and if it comes too late induce drought.
Sanskrit
a sacred Indo-European, Indic language, in use since c1200 b.c. as the religious and classical literary language of India.
Vedic Age
A period in the history of India; It was a period of transition from nomadic pastoralism to settled village communities, with cattle the major form of wealth. When the Vedas were first composed.
Veda
(from the Sanskrit word for 'knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit
Rig- Veda
A collection of 1,028 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier; Hinduism's oldest sacred text.
Epic Age
A period of time in India that followed the Vedic Age and lasted from 1000-500 B.C.E. in India. The important epics of the time were Mahabharata, Upanishads and Ramayana.
Mahabharata
Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries BCE; previously handed down in oral form
Upanishads
Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority; religion/mysticism, also stressed the very shallowness of wordly concerns
Untouchables
the name of the group of people in the caste system that were the outcasts of society; were not considered a part of Indian society or the caste system, also called pariahs
Indra
Chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior. Also known as the God of Thunder and strength
Kshatriyas
The second level of the varnas in the Hindu caste system; Warriors and the governing class.
Caste System
A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life, a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society
Sudras
Caste that made up most of the Indian population; most were peasants and manual laborers; they had limited rights in society
Jati
sub castes; were groups of people within each caste that worked together for one economic function
Vaisyas
Third level of the varnas in the Hindu caste system; identifies merchants who engaged in commerce; COMMONERS
Bactria
The ancient region stretching from the Hindu Kush mountain range to the ancient Ganhara region of the Indian subcontinent. and ruled by Greek-speaking descendants of Alexander's campaigns
Magadha
A kingdom that emerged as a result of strife for land and power among minor kings; occupied almost all of the Indian subcontinent in the second century BC, most significant remaining kingdom after Alexander's departure located on the Central Ganges plian.
Chandragupta Maurya
King and founder of the Mauryan Empire, he seized power along the Ganges River following Alexander the Great's Incursion. Was the first of the Mauryan Rulers to unify the entire subcontinent, he was highly autocratic. His grandson was Ashoka
Ashoka
Third ruler of the Mauryan Empire in India.He converted to Buddhism and broadcast his precepts on inscribed stones and pillars, the earliest surviving Indian writing. Believed in Dharma. After his death the empire began to disentigrate and new invaders( K
Ashoka's Edicts
A collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 272 to 231 BC.
Dharma
in Hinduism, the duties and obligations of each caste, In Hinduism, it stands for law, obligation and duty. To follow this, it means to perform and live life as one should.
Kushans
Dynasty that succeeded the Mauryas in northwestern India; sponsors of Buddhism; empire did not extend to Ganges River valley., came into central India from northwest; greatest king: Kanishka, converted to Buddhism but hurt religions population;
Kanishka
Leader of the Kushan Empire in Classical India, 120-162 CE, Created Therarvists and Mahayanists, Considered "Second Ashoka" Warrior before converting to Buddhism Had deep support of Buddhism. Actually hurt Buddhism in India because it was associated with
Hindu-Kush
A mountain range Northwest of the Indus River. The Khyber Pass is a pass through this mountain range. South of Tajikistan, North of Pakistan, Northeast of Afghanistan. Himalayas are to the east.
Guptas
The dynasty the succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century CE in classical era India; built empire that extended to all but the southern regions of Indian subcontinent; less centralized(and smaller) than Mauryan Empire; claimed divine rule; demanding system
Kautilya
Political adviser to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra( a political treatise ; believed in scientific application of warfare.
Arthashastra
Ancient Indian political treatise from the time of Chandragupta Maurya; its authorship was traditionally ascribed to Kautalya, and it stressed that war was inevitable and thus advocated use of spies and assassins, bribery, and scientific forms of warfare
Hinduism
A body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by
Gurus
Brahmans who served as teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas.
Vishnu
The Brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice; widely worshipped, who, in the trinity of gods, is the Preserver
Shiva
The Brahman, later Hindu, god of destruction and reproduction; worshipped as the personification of cosmic forces of change.
Varuna
In Vedism, god of the night sky( who changed to the guardian of right and wrong) who with his thousand eyes watches over human conduct and judges good and evil and punishes evildoers.
Reincarnation
The Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings (god or human or animal or hungry ghost or denizen of hell) depending on the person's own actions
Kamasutra
Written by Vatsayana during Gupta dynasty offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and instruction on lovemaking
Nirvana
in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude
Stupas
Stone shrines built to house pieces of bone and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms.
Aryabhatta
Famous classical mathematician, wrote a book that summarized Hindu mathematics, discovered pi, calculated the length of the solar system, and the circumference of the earth during India's Classical Era.
Nalanda
A Buddhist monastery which was university where they studied Buddhism, Hindu text, philosophy, astronomy, and medicine. Peaked at the end of the Gupta dynasty.
Panchatantra
The "Five Books" of fables, or moral stories, from the Gupta period in India, advocates proper behavior and high moral standards, including "Sinbad the Sailor" and "Jack the Giant Killer." Best-known Indian stories around the world. The Epics final writte
Scholar gentry
Chinese class created by the marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi; superseded shi as governors of China. (Don't really know why they put it in this chapter but whatever)
Analects
The collected saying of Confucius, laid the foundation for China's enduring civilization. It idealized a strong rulers, the consolidation and centralization of power, a highly educated , EXCLUSIVELY male elite, that was responsible for the well being of a
Syncretism
The fusion of cultural elements from more than one tradition. In colonial Latin America religious this was common, with both Amerindians and Africans blending their existing beliefs and rituals with Catholicism. There was a small amount of this developing
Kong Fuzi
Also known in the West as Confucius, was an opinated middle aged scholar in the late 6th century BCE, went on a search for an "ideal ruler".` Attracted a number of disciples and published the "Analects". Never found an ideal ruler. He stressed respect for
Shi
The emerging social scholar gentry that was developing in the classical period.; transformed into corps of professional bureaucrats because of knowledge of writing during Zhou dynasty.
Confucianism
A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.
Zhou Dynasty
The dynasty that displaced Shang Dynasty, Lasted from (1029 - 258 BCE); alliances with regional princes and families, overtook Yangtze River Valley (Middle Kingdom); invoked the "Mandate of Heaven" rationality in goverment; and beginnings of Mandarin Chin
Yangtze River Valley
A valley that the Zhou dynasty seized in order to expand territorial boundaries, also called middle earth.
Mandate of Heaven
Chinese religious and political ideology developed by the Zhou dynasty, was the prerogative of Heaven, the chief deity, to grant power to the ruler of China.
Shi Haungdi
The Chinese ruler(First Emperor) who came to power in 221 B.C. and unified and expanded China by ending internal battles and conquering rival states, established the brief Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE, which only lasted for 14 years. Name means the "the tiger".
Qin Dynasty
The Chinese dynasty (221 BC to 204 BC) that established the first centralized imperial government and built much of the Great Wall, Replaced the Zhou dynasty and employed Legalist ideas in order to control warring states and unify the country. Burned a lo
Han Dynasty
Imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) 400 YEARS and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization, succeeded the Qin Dynasty. Expanded into Korea, In
Shang Dynasty
Second Chinese dynasty (about 1750-1122 B.C.) which was mostly a farming society ruled by an aristocracy mostly concerned with war. They're best remembered for their art of bronze casting.Succeeded the Xia . Rulers and their relatives gave orders through
Sons of Heaven
The Zhou called themselves the __________, because they supposedly derived their lineages from the old Shang Rulers and heavens Mandate.
Mandarin Chinese
The main language of (ancient) China, had the most people speak it, with other languages spread out over China aswell. Mainly established by the Zhou rulers.
Era of Warring States
The period of Chinese history between c. 402 and 220 B.C.E. characterized by the breakdown of the central government and feudal war.; regional rulers made their own armies and fought for control; during this time Zhou Dynasty disentigrated.
Great Wall of China
One of the biggest building projects in history that was started by Shi Huangdi and took thousands of forced workers and hundreds of years to complete/built to protect the empire from northern invaders
Wu Ti
Han "Warrior Emperor" who greatly expanded the empire, (140-87 BCE); promoted peace; supported Confucianism; Conducted trade with the Parthian Empire in the Middle East. He also conducted the FIRST Civil service examinations in the world.
P'an Ku
Mythic ancestor whcih ancient chinese said was their creation myth, he created the world after breaking out of an egg.
Legalism
In China, a political philosophy that emphasized the unruliness of human nature and justified state coercion and control. The Qin rulers and early Han rulers invoked it to validate the authoritarian nature of their regime. Not as popular as Confucianism,
Daoism
Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Laozi; taught that people should turn to nature and give up their worldly concerns, emphasized harmony and was largely a spiritual alternative to Confucianism, which actually developed at the same time in the l
Laozi
Also known as Lao Tsu; major Chinese philosopher; recommended retreat from society into nature; individual should seek to become attuned with Dao. Established Daoism
Dao
the central idea of Daoism also called "The Way
Mencius
Confucius's greatest disciple; he has been called the second sage; , Also known as Meng Ko; stressed the consent of the common people.Said that humans were essentially GOOD and that governments required the consent of their subjects.
Xunzi
A Confucian follower, suggested humans are lazy(and naturally EVIL) and required a totalitarian government to make them good
Became an advocate of Legalism, or more accurately a mesh of legalism and Confucianism.
Five Classics
A corpus of texts considered authoritative by the early Confucians. They include poetry, historical, speeches, chronicles, ritual, and divination, Texts used to train scholars and civil servants in ancient China
Calligraphy
A style of beautiful or elegant handwriting that became a very important art form in early classical Chinese culture.
Religion
The lack of this(or at least the abundance) is the main reason that the Chinese classical period was not marked by a large amount of monuments( excluding the Great Wall of China/ Terracotta)
Terracotta Army
Soldiers and horses of the first Chinese emperor ( Shi Huangdi). The soldiers dated back to 210 B.C. discovered by a farmer. Vary in height and are usually 6 feet. They are all different and have different characteristics. Their purpose was to help rule a
Seismographs
An instrument that records vibrations in the ground and determines the location and strength of an earthquake, first developed in classical period , specifically the Han Dynasty.
Patriarchalism
Ideas that social organization should be ordered with the male as the head of the family and institutions.
Mandarins
Member of the elite class of civil servants in Chinese government and the aristocracy during the classical period. (Highest Class), picture is a joke, couldn't find a better one.
Laboring Masses
The 2nd highest group in China's classical Era, included the peasants and the urban artisans who manufactured goods.
Mean People
The lowest and 3rd group in China's Classical Era, Were people without "meaningful skills". Performing artists and household slaves were included, this group was punished more harshly than any others and required to wear green scarves. <(Again the Picture
Paper
Was developed by the Chinese classical society in the Han Dynasty, far before it was created in Europe, it was an example of a large amount of technological innovation( like Pulleys, Ox drawn Plows, water powered mills etc etc)>