Early Civilizations of India and Pakistan

Geography of the Indus Subcontinent

Indus Valley Located in region known as South Asia or

India
Today it includes: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,

Nepal, Bhutan
3 major zones: fertile Gangetic plain in the north, dry

Deccan plateau, coastal plains on both sides called Deccan

Whats a plateau???

Indus valley

Terrain

Monsoons!
Affect climate
In October, winter monsoons blow from the northeast Indians rely on monsoons for the growing of crops

Monsoon

Rise and Fall of Indus Civilization

2600 BCE, Indus civilization comes about and flourishes for

700 years
No real remnants of kings, queens, taxes, etc.just some

remnants of accounts on clay tablets

Government: Cities well-planned, Harappa and Mohenjo-

Daro were thought to have been twin capitals

Cities had complex plumbing systems, baths, drains,

sewers

Harappa

Mohenjo-Daro

The Society
Most people in the region were either farmers, merchants,

or traders
Grew cotton, grain and traded in copper, pearls, and ivory

Religion: Thought to be polytheistic-Mother Goddess was

source of creation

The Decline!
By 1900 BCE quality of life declines
Crude pottery replaces finer work, writing ceases to exist Unsure why the society declineearthquake? Invasion?

Aryan Civilization!
Between 2000 and 1500 BCE a nomadic people called

Aryans arrived in India

Built no cities and left behind little archeological evidence

Most of what we know from them comes from the Vedas,

a collection of hymns, chants, and ritual instructions

Vedas depicted Aryans as warriors who fought in chariots

Vedas

Aryan Society
Eventually, Aryans conquered the Indus region and moved

to farming and settling

Aryan tribes were led by their leaders or rajahs

Society was divided into ranked groups 1. Brahman

(priest), 2. Kshatriyas (warriors), 3. Vaisyas (herders, farmers, merchants)4. Sudras (little or no Aryan heritage)

Aryan Religion
Were polytheistic and worshipped gods and goddesses

that embodied natural forces

Chief deity=Indra, god of war

Aryan religion begins to change.notion of brahman

comes about having to do with spiritual power existing beyond the gods
Mystics come into play, practicing meditation and yoga

Aryan Life
By 500 BCE, Indian civilization had many rival kingdoms
Sanskrit begins to flourish as the written language that

was used
Mahabharata=Indias great epic talks about the origins of

the Indians within the region

Ramayan=Teaches value and behavior, talks about the

deeds of the hero Rama and Sita

Mahabharata

Ramayana

Hinduism and Buddhism

Both religions profoundly shape Indian society
Hinduism has no single founder, grew out of overlapping

beliefs
Hinduism became one of the worlds most complex

religions with gods and goddesses

Hinduism
Hindus believe in an all powerful spiritual force called

brahman
They worship a variety of gods including: Brahma the

Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer

Some Hindus worship various forms of the powerful

goddess Shakti; both a cruel and kind, a creator and destroyer

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Shakti

Sacred Texts
Vedas record Hindu teachings
The Upanishads are a section of the Vedas that address

mystical questions related to Hinduism

These works were used to vividly convey images that

examine complex ideas about the human soul and connectedness in life

Moksha-The Goal in life

Ultimate goal of existence is to achieve Moksha: a union

with brahman
How do you do this? Free yourself of selfish desires!

If you cannot achieve this in one lifetime, no problem, you

can also be reincarnated into another bodily form

Reincarnation allows individuals to work towards moksha

Moksha (cont.)
You can also get closer to moksha by obeying the law of

karma: all actions affect a persons fate in the current or next life
Dharma: religious and moral duties Ahimsa: nonviolence

Jainism
Religion that grew out of Hindu traditions
Emphasis on meditaion, self denial Founded by Mahavira

Caste System
Closely linked to Hindu beliefs, was created to ensure

spiritual purity
Rules included: where people lived, rules that governed

life, how one dresses, how one earns a living

People could not change their caste during their lifetime,

but, they could in a future one

Modern times=thousands of major castes

Teachings of Buddha
Originally known as Siddhartha Guatama, his teachings

spread across Asia

Buddhas quest for answers was based on the idea of

human suffering
Sought out Hindu scholars, one day sat under a tree and

reached enlightenment, from that point on he had become the Buddha

Four Noble Truths

All life is suffering, pain, and sorrow
The cause of suffering is hatred and desire Only cure for suffering is to overcome non-virtue Only way to overcome non-virtue is to follow the Eightfold

path: right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livliehood, right effort, right mindfulness, right contemplation

Buddhism (cont.)
Final goal of Buddhism is to achieve Nirvana, or union with

the universe
Buddhas teachings were collected in the Tripitaka, or

Three Baskets of Wisdom

Buddhism breaks off into two sects: Theraveda (follow the

closest teachings of Buddha) and Mahayana (easier following for ordinary people); spread to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan

Powerful Empires of India

Northern India was often a battleground among the rajahs
321 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya created the 1st Indian

Empire
Capitol was known as Pataliputra, was a walled city was

530 towers and 64 gates

Pataliputra

Chandragupta
Gained power in the Ganges Valley, then conquered

northern India
From 321 BCE to 185 BCE, Maurya dynasty ruled a vast

and united empire

Chandraguptas government was highly organized but

brutal, trained women warriors as guards for his palace

Asoka
Most honored Maurya emperor, turned to Buddhism as his

religion and rejected further conquest

Asoka adhered to Buddhist beliefs, sent missionaries on

religious missions, promoted tolerance for other religions

Asokas rule brought peace and prosperity to the region

and helped a diverse set of peoples within the empire

Division and Disunity

After Asokas death, Maurya power declined
By 185 BCE, unity was shattered as rival princes battled

over control
Distance and cultural differences always seemed to

separate the north from the south

Also, foreigners would frequently use the mountain passes

into northern India..

Map
www.phschool.com
Nap-0331

Kingdoms cross the Deccan

After decline of Maurya power, Deccans in the south

divided into many kingdoms

Deccans were Dravidians with very different languages

and customs
They generally tolerated all religions

Guptas and the Golden Age

500 years after the Maurya dynasty, the Gupta dynasty

united much of India (320ad-540ad), this was their Golden Age

Much power was left in the hands of the villages Trade and farming flourished across the empire, farmers

harvested wheat, rice, sugar cane

Artisans made cotton cloth, pottery, metalware for export

Gupta Society
Students educated in religious schools
Learning not limited to religion and philosophy, also

taught mathematics, medicine, physics, languages

Indian mathematics discovered the idea of zero and the

decimal system
During this time, simple surgeries were performed and

doctors even vaccinated

The Gupta Empire (cont.)

Many writers wrote poems and stories in Sanskrit
Greatest write of the time, Kalidasa wrote Shakuntala, a

famous Indian play

Ultimately, Gupta Empire declined due to civil unrest,

foreign invaders, and weak rulers. India once again split into many kingdoms

Family and Village Life

Vast majority of Indians were peasants, everything

revolved around the rules of the caste

Joint Family Structure= Parents, children, offspring shared

a common dwelling, families were patriarchal, fathers were thought to have wisdom but made decisions after consulting with wife (note to all guysthis is ALWAYS a good idea)

Family/Village Life (cont.)

Family trained children in traditions and duties of their caste
For parents, duty was to arrange good marriages base on caste and

family interest

In northern India, a dowry was not uncommon

Role of women=During Gupta times, upper-class women restricted to

the home, lower-class labored in the field lacked

Women were thought to have shakti a creative energy that men Rebirth into a higher existence was gained through devotion of the

husband

Family/Village (cont.)
Village is the heart of daily life
Each village included people of different castes A village headman or council made decisions, they were in

charge of ensuring cooperation on village projects

Farming was based on the rains brought by the monsoons Landlords owned much of the land, as a result, many farmers

had to give part of the harvest to the owner

Family/Village (cont.)

The Rise of China

Geography: Long distances and physical barriers separated

China from the other civilizations

Chinese believed they were the center of the earth, leading

them to be called jahng gwoh, or the Middle Kingdom

West and southwest= brutal deserts and high mountain ranges
Southeast=thick rain forests East= Pacific Ocean

Geography
China did trade despite being isolated
They reached the Middle East and beyond Most people they encountered were nomadic invaders

who were absorbed into their society

www.phschool.com Nap-0341

Varied Regions
Along the east coast, supported the largest populations

because of the Yellow River (provided fertile land)

Beyond the heartland are outlying regions of Xinjiang and

Mongolia. Had harsh climates and rugged terrain

Chinese history began in the Yellow River Valley, the need

to control the water led to a large central government

Yellow River

The Shang Dynasty

The first dynasty took place under the Shang in 1766 BCE
Archeologists have uncovered large palaces and tombs

within a walled city

Loyal princes and nobles governed most of the land
Shang society included royal family and a class of noble

warriors

Society (cont.)
Early Chinese cities supported artisans and merchants,

majority of people in Shang China were peasants

Family members worked in fields using stone tools, when

not in the fields, peasants worked to repair dikes and fought in wars with their lords

Zhou Dynasty
1122 BCE-256 BCE, Zhou come into power after defeating

Shang
Mandate of Heaven justifies rebellionwhat is this?

Dynastic cycle is what drives the overthrow of power

Dynastic Cyle

Feudal State and Economy

Under Zhou, China developed a feudal system
After the 800s BCE, feudal lords had the real power During Zhou period, economy of China grew Iron axes and iron plows replaced stone, peasants began

to grow new crops like soybeans

Feudalism

Economy (cont.)
Commerce expands, Chinese begin to use money for the

first time
Merchants benefited from new roads and canals that

feudal lords constructed

Economic expansion led to people moving closer to inner

China and began to farm in the Change River Basin

Zhou Dynasty Ends

By 256BCE, China was large and prosperous
Zhou were unable to control feudal lords who ignored the

emperor
Battles broke out between the feudal lords
Out of these wars rose a new leader and began the Qin

dynastyto be continued..

Religious Beliefs
By Shang times, complex religious beliefs had been

developed
Shang Di was known as the supreme god

Prayers of rulers and nobles to their ancestors were

thought to serve the community as a whole

Confucius
Born in 551BCE to a noble but poor family
Studied ancient texts to learn the rules of conduct that

guided his ancestors

Was known for his wisdom, his pupils wrote down his

knowledge in the Analects

Developed a philosophy on worldly goals, social order, and

good government

Confucius (cont).
Believed harmony occurred when people accepted their

place in society
Confucius put respect for parents (filial piety), above all

other duties
Other values included hard work, concern for others and

the golden rule

He believed that rulers should be virtuous and should lead

by good example

Confucius (cont.)
Confucianism introduced a long-lasting belief that the

universe was a delicate balance of good/bad or yin/yang

Yin was linked to Earth, darkness and female forces while

yang stood for heaven, light , and male forces

Daoism
Teaches harmony with nature, developed my Laozi or Old

Master
Daoism not concerned much with human affairs, rather, they

were concerned with harmony with nature

Daoists turned from the unnatural ways of society, they viewed

government as the cause of many problems

In the end, many people blended both Confucianism and

Daoism

Achievements
Movements of the planets were studied
Bronze was introduced and great weapons were created Learned how to make silk- led to great amounts of trade in later

dynasties
Through Oracle bones, a complex writing system was

developed
Under the Zhou, the 1st books were made, Book of Songs was

one of the great books of the time

Strong Rulers
Classical age enters China under the Qin Dynasty
Shi Huangdi (Qin) unifies China with the help of legalism-

imposed harsh punishments

He tortured, killed, or enslaved many who opposed his rule To end dissent, Huangdi would often order book burnings Huangdi also abolished feudalism and replaced it with 36

military districts

Strong Rulers (cont.)

Huangdi redistributed noble lands to peasants, but they

still paid high taxes

His most remarkable feat was the construction of the

Great Wall
Its main purpose was to demonstrate the emperors

ability to mobilize Chinas vast resources

Qin Collapse and the Han

Huangdi dies in 210 BCE, Quin power officially collapses in

206 BCE, Gao Zu defeated rival armies and founded the Han dynasty
Gao Zu cpolicies created strong foundations for the Han

dynasty which lasted from 202 BC to 220 AD

Emperor Wudi takes China to new heights, reorganized

the government economically, took complete control of iron and salt

Han Dynasty (cont.)

In 220 AD, the last Han emperor was overthrown
Achievements of the Han included: advances in science,

medicine, measurement of earthquakes, and acupuncture

Invented a method to make paper out of wood pulp, were

advanced shipbuilders, used fishing reels and wheelbarrows for the 1st time
Han architecture included temples, palaces, and elegant

parks

Acceptance of Buddhism
By 100 AD, missionaries had spread Mahayana Buddhism

from India to China

Chinese saw this as appealing because it was a religion of

escape from suffering

By AD 400, Buddhism spread all throughout China with

monastaries, they also absorbed many daoist and Confuciun traditions

Ridiculous Video of the Day