where is the indus valley located?
in South Asia, or the Indian subcontinent
what is a subcontinent?
It is a large landmass that juts out from a continent.
What mark the northern border of the subcontinent?
snow-covered mountains
although there is barely anything turned up about the Indus Valley, the written remains of civilizations are found where?
on small clay seals that do not include any longer passages
The Indus citys' rivaled those of what?
Sumer
What Indus cities have been considered possible twin capitals that ruled the area one after the other?
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
What did Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro include?
dominated by a massive hilltop structure and a huge warehouse for storage
What is remarkable about these sites?
How carefully planned they were (organized pattern with long main streets and large rectangular blocks)
What were common building materials in Harappa and Mhenjo-Daro?
Mohenjo-Daro: baked clay bricks of standard size
Harappa: mud and unbaked bricks
What did Indus housing have?
plumbing systems
what did merchants use?
a uniform system of weights and meausures-organized government
most people in Indus civilizations were what?
farmers
What things did farmers grow/cultivate?
wheat,barley,melons,dates,cotton (possibly first to cultivate and weave into cloth)
merchants and traders did what?
their ships carried cargoes to cities of Sumer
What is the Indus writing system like?
It is unique, showing no relationship to Sumerian cuneiform.
What are possibilities of Indus religion?
Possibly polytheistic, a mother goddess was widely honored, animals were sacred (buffalo and bull)
there was veneration (special regard) for what?
cattle
how did the Indus civilization decline?
crude pottery, use of writing halted, mohenjo-daro abandoned.
What could have explained the decline?
invaders attacked, damage to environment, a major flood, or an earthquake.
aryan civilization developed during what?
vedic age
Indian subcontinent is divided into what three major zones?
fertile gangetic plain, dry Deccan plateau, and coastal plaines on either side of Deccan
Gangetic Plain?
South of Himalayas and fertile, watered by rivers
Deccan?
a plateau, or raised area of level land, parts are arid, agriculturally unproductive, and not very populated
coastal plains?
separated by low-lying mountain ranges, rivers and rains provide water for farmers, used for fishing and highways for trade
what are monsoons?
seasonal winds that regularly blow from a certain direction for part of the year
How has geography affected where people live in the Indian subcontinent?
In October, winter brings hot, dry air that withers crops. In mid-June, summer monsoons blow that pick up moisture and drench land with downpours. Each year, people welcome rains to water crops-if rains are late, famine and starvation occurs, if they are
What evidence shows that Indus civilization included a well-organized government?
plumbing system, uniform system of weights and measures mainly.
Who traveled from Central Asia to northwestern India?
nomadic peoples with herds of cattle and horses
What did these nomads speak?
Indo-European languages
How did Aryans form?
nomads intermarried with local peoples
What is acculturation?
the blending of two or more cultures
What does most info about Aryans come from?
The Vedas
What is the Vedas?
A collection of hymns, chants, ritual instructions, and other religious teachings.(vedic age)
how did families measure wealth?
in cows and bulls
What happened when Aryans gave up nomadic ways and settled?
made villages and cultivated crops and bred cattle, they also took up skilled crafts
What did the Aryans do in the Ganges basin?
They learned to make tools out of iron and could carve farms and villages out of rain forests
What are rajahs?
Chiefs who led Aryan tribes
How were the Aryans divided or ranked?
They were ranked based on occupation.
What were the ranks?
Brahmins/priests, then Kshatryas/warriors, then Vaisyas/herders, farmers, artisans, and merchants, then the Sudras/farmworkers, servants, laborers, then last the dalits/ outside of the caste system, did things such as make leather
What did Aryans worship
Gods and goddesses who embodies natural forces such as sky, sun, sotrm, and fire.
Who was the cheif Aryan deity?
Indra, the god of war.
What did Aryans also honor?
Animal deities, such as monkey and snake gods.
Brahmins offered sacrifices of what to the Gods?
food and drink
What belief were religious thinkers moving toward?
Brahman, a single spiritual power that existed beyond Gods in the Vedas and resided in all things.
What was there a movement toward?
Mysitcism, mystics are people who seek direct communion with divine forces (practiced meditation and yoga)
* How were Aryan society and government structured?
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Indian civilization consisted of what?
many rival kingdoms
What language that priests used to write sacred texts began to flourish in literary usage?
Sanskrit
Aryans had strong oral tradition, how so?
They memorized and recited hymns, as well as two long epic poems.
What were the two epic poems the Aryans/Indians had?
Mahabharata and Ramayana
What is the Mahabharata about?
It is India's greatest epic. There are echoes of battles that Aryans fought to get control of Ganges region. It shows importance of duty over personal desires and ambitions.
What is the Ramayana about?
It is much shorter, it is about the hero Rama and his bride, Sita.
* Describe two ways in which geography and climate have influenced the people of the Indian subcontinent.
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What two major religions emerged in ancient India?
Hinduism and Buddhism
What is Hinduism about?
It has no single founder or sacred text, it grew out of overlapping beliefs of groups in India, it is one of world's most complex religions. It has countless gods and goddesses, but all Hindus share basic beliefs.
What is the major Hindu belief?
That everything is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force of Brahman. Some also worship the goddess Shakti. (each can take many forms)
What teacher founded what religion from Hinduism?
Mahavira founded Jainism
What does Jainism have beliefs of?
It emphasizes meditation, self-denial, and ahimsa. (to avoid killing a thing, carry brooms in front of feet)
What shaped India?
Caste system
What group held lowest jobs in India?
non-aryans
What are castes?
Social groups into which people are born and can rarely be changed
Caste was closely linked to what beliefs?
Hindu beliefs
What type of rules did the caste system create?
affected where people ate, how they dressed, where they lived, and how earned living. couldn't marry outside of a caste...
Some people were so impure that they were called what?
untouchables, today called dalits
What did untouchables go through?
They lived apart and sounded a wooden instrument, a clapper, to warn of their approach.
What did caste system give people?
A stable social order, the law of karma, thought they could reach higher state by fulfilling duties of present caste, gave identity and independence. (each caste depended on another for basic needs)
Did castes grow?
Yes, by modern times, there were thousands of castes and subcastes.
*How did caste provide a sense of order in society?
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Whose teachings spread to become what influential religion?
Gautama created Buddhism
What changed Gautama's life?
human suffering
When did he become Buddha, or "Enlightened One?
Sat under tree and evil spirits tempted him, but he fended them off...
Buddha explained what lie at heart of Buddhism?
the Four Noble Truths (have to know them??)
What did the Eightfold Path include?
First two steps are understanding Four Noble Truths and committing oneself to Eightfold Path, then to live a moral life, the final goal is nirvana.
What is nirvana?
union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth
How did Buddhism and Hinduism differ and become similar?
Both stressed nonviolence and believed in karma, dharma, and rebirth, but buddhists rejected priests and many gods but seeked enlightenment through meditation and also rejected caste system, offering hope of nirvana to all regardless of birth.
*What did Gautama hope to learn when he left home?
the realm of life where there is neither suffering nor death
What happened to Buddhism?
It grew and got many followers, monasteries and convents were set up
When Buddha died from eating spoiled food, what book was made?
Tripitaka of three baskets of wisdom
What two sects (subgroups) did Buddhism split into?
Theravada
-followed original teachings, devoted to spiritual work, only monks and nuns could reach nirvana
Mahayana
-easier for ordinary people, compassionate gods, turned to gods for daily problems, nirvana had afterlife with many heavens and hells
Where did Buddhism decline?
India
*How do you think the collecting of Buddha's teachings spread the religion beyond India?
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*In what ways were religion and society intertwined in ancient India?
caste system, etc...
*Explain the roles of karma, dharma, and reincarnation in achieving moksha.
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*What aspects of caste system relate to basic Hindu beliefs?
...
*According to Buddha, how can people escape wordly suffering?
by achieving moksha
What is atman?
an essential self, some view it as brahman or a form of brahman
What is moksha?
It is the union with brahman, and the ultimate goal of existence that Hindus believe
What is reincarnation?
What Hindus believe is rebirth of soul in another bodily form, it allows people to work toward moksha
What is karma?
refers to all actions of a life that affect fate in next life, you can come closer to moksha by obeying law of karma
In Indian art, how is cycle of death and rebirth symbolized?
wheel
What is dharma?
The religious and moral duties of an individual, which vary upon class, occupation, gender, and age.
What is ahimsa?
A key moral principle of Hinduism, it is nonviolence.
Who made the first Indian empire?
Chandragupta Maurya
What did Maurya capital have?
schools, library and palaces and temples
What happened to the Maurya dynasty?
it grew and ruled over vast, united empire
How did Maurya maintain order?
He had bureaucracy, he was very harsh. He had a secret police system that reported corruption, crime, and dissent-ideas that opposed government, trained women warriors
Who was most honored Maurya emporer?
His grandson, asoka
What happened to Asoka?
Converted to Buddhism, limited animal eating and sent missionaries, or people sent on a religious mission, to spread Buddhism
What did Asoka's rule bring?
peace and prosperity, united peoples, hospitals and shirnes, roads and rest houses
After Asoka's death, what happened?
Maurya power declined and empire shattered
*How did Chandragupta organize Maurya government?
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When kingdom arised in Deccan after collapse of Maurya government, how were leaders?
rulers tolerated all religions and foreigners, there were different languages and traditions
What kingdom had a great importance in trade?
Tamil kingdoms
What did Tamil kingdoms leave?
Rich and diverse literature, poets describing wars, heroic deeds, festive occasions, and ordinary routines
*How do you think trade helped link separate kingdoms of Deccan?
...
After Maurya, what dynasty united India?
The Gupta dynasty
What happened during Gupta dynasty?
Strong central government with peace and prosperity, and India enjoyed a golden age ( a perioud of cultural achievement) Rule was looser and trade flourished
In Gupta dynasty, advances were made in what?
learning and religious schools, education, also expanded literature( Sanskrit language had fables and folk tales)
In Gupta dynasty what happened with Indian advances in mathematics?
made system of numbers "arabic", made concept of zero and made decimal system
What is the decimal system?
numbers based on ten digits, still used today
In Gupta times, how were Indian physicians?
surgeons were skilled and doctors vaccinated
Why did Gupta empire decline?
pressure of weak rulers, civil war, foreign invaders. India split into many kingdoms and the White Huns overran weakened Gupta empire
*How did religion influence learning and the arts in Gupta empire?
many building were covered with carvings of religious subjects, religious myths were in sculptures, murals
In Indian society, most people were what?
peasants
The ideal family was a joint family, which was what?
parents, children, and offspring shared common dwelling. father had great authority
what was family's main function?
trained children of castes/arranging good marriages
What is a dowry?
payment to the bridegroom
In early Aryan society, what was the status of women?
Higher status than later times
Women had what that men didn't?
shakti-creative energy
How did a women gain rebirth into higher existence?
devotion to husband
What were the villages like?
varied in size, had fields, different castes, council and headman made decisions,
What did farming depend on?
rains brought by summer monsoons
Villages and food and goods?
produced most food but traded for some essentials
*Describe structure of a typical Indian family?
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*In what ways did Maurya and gupta rulers achieve peace and order in ancient India?
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*Compare Chandragupta and Asoka in ruling Maurya empire...
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*Describe three achievements of Gupta period that made it a golden age...
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*How did the roles played by family and village in Indian life reveal the value of placing the needs of community or group above individuals?
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What does the legend of Yu show?
dependence on rivers for irrigation and transportation, Chinese devotion to duty
What beliefs made Chinese call their land the Middle Kingdom?
Their isolation made it seem China was center of earth
When China expanded...?
Included varied regions
Where did Chinese history begin?
In Huang River valley, where Neolithic people learned to farm
What led to rise of a strong central government or the Yellow River civilization?
the need to control the flow of the river through large water projects
How did Huang River "River of Sorrows" get its name?
the loess, or fine windblown yellow soil
*In what different ways did people live in ancient China?
...
What is the first Chinese dynasty?
The Shang dynasty
What are clans?
groups of families who claim a common ancestor
What about the Shang dynasty?
large palaces and rich tombs, capital is Anyang, princes and nobles, women had good status
What were the social classes of the Shang dynasty?
top level is royal family and warriors, then merchants and artisans, the majority were peasants, they led grueling lives and worked in the fields and repaired dikes
*How was China governed during the Shang dynasty?
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What dynasty overthrew Shang?
Zhou
What justified the rebellion by the Zhou?
mandate of heaven, or the divine right to rule (by the gods)
What did Chinese use for first time in Zhou dynasty?
money, copper coins with holes in the center, China's population increased
How did the Zhou dynasty end?
Qin dynasty took over by ruthless leader in a savage war
What god was chief by Shang times?
Shang Di
What did Chinese believe about Shang Di?
only spirits of greatest people could reach them
What did Chinese do to bring good fortune to family?
call on spirits of ancestors, "ancestor worship
*What did early Chinese communities do to ensure good harvests?
praying of rulers and nobles to ancestors
Who made two major belief systems in Zhou China?
Confucious and Laozi
What about Confucious?
was a teacher and had many students, he developed philosophy, or system of ideas that was concerned with wordly goals, especially those ensuring social order and good government
What did he stress?
five key relationships, younger and men superior, all have duties and responsibilities,
What did Confucious put above all other duties?
filial piety, or respect for parents
What was Confucious' lasting impression?
chinese rulers relied on it, introduced yin and yang, the beliefs spread greatly
Laozi "old master" founded what?
Daoism
What was daoism concerned with?
living in harmony with nature
People blended Confucianism and Daoism how?
confucianism showed how to behave, daoism showed how to view natural world
*Explain the different ways in which Confucianism and Daoism taught that people should live their lives...
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What did Shang astronomers do?
studied movement of planets and recorded eclipses of sun
What discovery did Chinese make with a big impact?
make silk thread from cocoons of silkworms-silk became china's most valuable export (kept secret)
What are oracle bones?
animal bones or turtle shells that priests wrote questions on to the gods or spirits of ancestors, heated until cracked
What writing system evolved?
included tens of thousands of characters, or written symbols, represented a word or idea
What did these written languages do?
unified China and offered communication, same system of writing with different language
Calligraphy?
elegant art form using brush and ink
What happened under Zhou dynasty?
first books
*For what purpose did writing begin in China?
...
What is the dynastic cycle?
the rise and fall of dynasties
What were signs that a dynasty lost favor of heaven?
floods, famine, catastrophes...
Under the Zhou, what system was developed?
Feudalism
What is feudalism?
system of government where local lords governed lands but owed military service and other support to ruler-during feudalism in Zhou dynasty economy grew, farming more productive, etc.
Who rose to unify China?
Qin (overthrew feudal lords)
Who was ruler of Qin?
Huangdi "first emporer"-brutal
What did Huangdi usher in?
China's classical age- a term used when a civilization sets up government, philosophy, religion, science, and arts that are framework for later cultures
What about Huangdi?
determined to unify China, built authoritarian Qin government
Huangdi centralized power with help of who?
legalist advisors
What was leaglism based on?
teachings of Hanfeizi ( to achieve order is to have strit laws and impose harsh punishments)
What was important to Legalists?
strength, not goodness
What did Huangdi do to people?
people who were against Legalism, he tortured, killed or enslaved. )hardest hit were feudal nobles and Confucuian scholars
Huangdi approved campaign of what?
burning books and destruciton of all writings ther than manuals on certain things
What did Huangdi abolish?
feudalism
What were diverse coins replaced with?
Qin coins
What was Huangdi's greatest achievement?
Great Wall, ordered individual wall to be joined (divided civilized world from nomadic bands north of wall)
How did Qin dynasty collapse?
Huangdi died, anger arose
Who arose after Qin dynasty fell?
Zu, an illiterate peasant leader
What did Zu found?
Han dynasty
*What type of government did legalists favor?
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What did Zu do?
Restored order and justice, lowered taxes and eased Legalists policies, appointed Confucian scholars
Who was most famous Han emporer?
Wudi
What did Wudi do?
set up universities for officials from Confucian, improved canals and roads, grainaries, monopoly on iron and salt
What is a monopoly?
complete control of product of business by one person or group
Wudi followed what policy?
expansionism, or expanding country's territory by increasing land under chinese rule (fought many battles)
Wudi opened up trade routes or what?
the Silk Road, linked China to West
Han emperors made what official belief system?
Confucianism
Civil servants?
officials in the government ( hans beleived should win by merit, rather than family ties)
What was the guide to conduct?
Five Classics
What did the Sui dynasty do?
set up formal system of civil service exams, if passed the exams his people moved up in society (women excluded from gov jobs)
Warlords?
local military leaders
Why was Hans empire overthrown?
roads/canals in disrepair, heavy taxes and debt made peasants revolt, bandits with colorful names revolted----warlords overthrew last hans empire
What happened after Hans dynasty?
China broke up into several kingdoms
Hans period was what?
golden age
What achievements did Hans perioud have?
scientists, astronomers, physicians, acupuncture (needles into skin to relieve pain or treat illnesses) , techonology, expanded arts,
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