Early India

AP World History

The Indus River Valley (India)

India began along the Indus River,

which flooded & left behind fertile soil

Seasonal monsoons caused summer rains & floods

The people were well protected on the Indian “subcontinent” by the oceans, mountains, &

deserts that surrounded the Indus River Valley

Lasting Contributions• Advanced cities:

–Indus cities were laid out in a grid system with high walls & citadel of major buildings

Lasting Contributions• Specialized Workers:

–Indian society was divided by the “caste system” which divided people based on their purity in Hinduism

Lasting Contributions• Government:

–Little is known about Indus government other than they were ruled by kings

Lasting Contributions• Religion:

–Believed in a polytheistic religion called Hinduism

–Hindus believe that one’s soul is reborn until moksha is achieved (reincarnation)

–Moksha (enlightenment or nirvana) is the spiritual release from human form

–A soul’s karma (good or bad deeds) effect reincarnation

Lasting Contributions• Writing:

–Indus writing has not been fully translated so much of Indus life is still a mystery

–Writing contained about 400 symbols that were both pictograms & phonetic characters

Lasting Contributions• Technology:

–Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets & private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems

–Standard, oven-baked bricks

Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BCE)

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BCE) Born in NE India

(Nepal). Raised in great luxury

to be a king. At 29 he rejected

his luxurious life toseek enlightenmentand the source ofsuffering.

Lived a strict,ascetic life for 6 yrs.

Rejecting this extreme, sat in meditation, and found nirvana.

Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.

The essence of Buddhism

The essence of Buddhism

The “middle way of wisdom and compassion.”

2,500 year old tradition. The 3 jewels of Buddhism:

Buddha, the teacher. Dharma, the teachings. Sangha, the community.

What is the fundamental cause of

all suffering?

What is the fundamental cause of

all suffering?

Desire!Desire! Therefore, extinguish the

self, don’t obsess about oneself.

Four Noble TruthsFour Noble Truths

1. There is suffering in the world. To live is to suffer. (Dukkha) The Buddha found this out

when he was young and experienced suffering and death in others.

Four Noble TruthsFour Noble Truths2. The cause of

suffering is self-centered desire and attachments. (Tanha)

3. The solution is to eliminate desire and attachments. (Nirvana = “extinction”)

Four Noble TruthsFour Noble Truths4. To reach nirvana, one must

follow the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold PathEightfold Path

NirvanaNirvana The union with the ultimate spiritual reality.

Escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Religions of South AsiaReligions of South Asia

Buddhism in the Subcontinent

Buddhism in the Subcontinent

Theravada BuddhismTheravada Buddhism

Appeal of Buddhism

• Less dependence on Brahmins for ritual activities

• No recognition of caste, jati status• Philosophy of moderate consumption• Public service through lay teaching• Use of vernacular, not Sanskrit

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A Buddhist Monastery

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Ashoka’s Support of Buddhism

• Personal conversion to Buddhism• Disillusioned after violent war with Kalinga• Banned animal sacrifices, mandated

vegetarianism in court• Material support for Buddhist institutions,

missionary activities

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Changes in Buddhist thought

• 3rd c. BCE – 1st c. CE– Buddha considered divine– Institution of Boddhisatvas (“saints”)– Charitable donations to monasteries regarded as

pious activity

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Spread of Mahayana Buddhism

• Mahayana (“greater vehicle”), newer development– India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia

• Hinayana (“lesser vehicle,” also Theravada), earlier version– Ceylon, Burma, Thailand

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Emergence of Popular Hinduism

• Composition of epics from older oral traditions– Mahabharata– Ramayana

• Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations• The Bhagavad Gita:• “Song of the Lord”• Centuries of revisions, final form c. 400 CE• Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during civil

war

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Hindu Ethics

• Emphasis on meeting class obligations (dharma)

• Pursuit of economic well-being and honesty (artha)

• Enjoyment of social, physical and sexual pleasure (kama)

• Salvation of the soul (moksha)

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Popularity of Hinduism

• Gradually replaced Buddhism in India• Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable

support

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Classical India

Indian Empires: Mauryan & Gupta

The Mauryan Empire of India

Indus River Valley

After the river valley era, India transitioned into the Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta Maurya became king of India in 321 BC,

created a vast army, & conquered new lands

Chandragupta’s empire controlled most of the Indian subcontinent

India: The Mauryan Empire • Chandragupta used tactics to control

his empire: –Like the

Persians, Chandragupta divided his empire into provinces each ruled by a local prince

The Mauryan Empire of India

Indus River Valley

In 269 B.C., King Asoka took over & expanded the Mauryan

Empire to its greatest extent

During his wars of expansion, Asoka converted to Buddhism

Asoka developed new policies of tolerance &

nonviolence for his empire

Buddhism spread as a result of Asoka’s influence

The Gupta EmpireAfter Asoka’s death, the

Mauryan Empire declined & was replaced by the Gupta Empire

Chandra Gupta formed the Gupta Empire in 320 A.D. & expanded the empire

Classical India• India experienced a “golden age” during the

Gupta Empire & became a “classical empire”–Indian astronomers were the first to

discover that the earth was round –Mathematicians invented modern

numerals, zero, pi, & the decimal system

Merchants sold exotic spices & silks to people in the Mediterranean world

Cross-cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads

Long-Distance Travel in the Ancient World

• Lack of police enforcement outsied of established settlements

• Changed in classical period– Improvement of infrastructure– Development of empires

Trade Networks Develop

• Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek colonization

• Maintenance of roads, bridges• Discovery of Monsoon wind patterns• Increased tariff revenues used to maintain

open routes

Trade in the Hellenistic World

• Bactria/India– Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, pearls

• Persia, Egypt– Grain

• Mediterranean– Wine, oil, jewelry, art

• Development of professional merchant class

The Silk Roads

• Named for principal commodity from China• Dependent on imperial stability• Overland trade routes from China to Roman

Empire• Sea Lanes and Maritime trade as well

The Silk Roads, 200 BCE-300 CE

Organization of Long-Distance Trade

• Divided into small segments• Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision• Tax income incentives to maintain safety,

maintenance of passage

Cultural Trade: Buddhism and Hinduism

• Merchants carry religious ideas along silk routes

• India through central Asia to east Asia• Cosmopolitan centers promote development

of monasteries to shelter traveling merchants• Buddhism becomes dominant faith of silk

roads, 200 BCE-700 CE

The Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE