Early Civilization in India

and
New Empires in India
Glencoe World History pages 71-86

Standards
SSWH2 The student will identify the major
achievements of Chinese and Indian societies
from 1100 BCE to 500 CE.
a. Describe the development of Indian civilization;
include the rise and fall of the Maurya Empire, the
Golden Age under Gupta, and the emperor Asoka.
b. Explain the development and impact of Hinduism
and Buddhism on India and subsequent diffusion of
Buddhism.
e. Explain how the geography of the Indian
Subcontinent contributed to the movement of people
and ideas.

Key Terms

Sanskrit
Caste system
Hinduism
Karma
Buddhism

Aristocracy
Mandate of
Heaven
Silk Road
Nirvana

Places to Locate

Indian Subcontinent
Himalaya
Ganges Rivers
Deccan
Persian Gulf
Hindu Kush
pictures for Unit 2\hindu
kush.gif
Indus River

Indias First Civilization

Between 3000 and 1500 BCE, the valleys of the Indus River
supported a flourishing civilization that extended hundreds
of miles from the Himalayas to the coast of the Arabian
Sea.
Archaeologists have found remains of more than 1000
settlements in this region.
Two of the ruins about 400 miles apart were sites of what
once were the major cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
An advanced civilization flourished in these cities for
hundreds of years.
Historians call it Harappa or Indus civilization.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

At its height Harappa had 35,000 inhabitants and Mohenjo-Daro
had between 35-40,000.
Both cities were carefully planned.
Main, broad streets ran north to south.
They were crossed by smaller east to west roads.
Houses were different sizes but all had a square courtyard,
surrounded by rooms.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Most buildings were
constructed of square,
oven baked mud
bricks.
Advanced drainage
system for bathrooms
carrying waste to
drainage pits beyond
city walls.

Rulers and the Economy

As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, Harappan rulers based
their power on a belief in divine assistance.
Religion & political power were closely linked.
Harappan economy was based primarily on farming.
Indus River flooded every year, providing rich soil for
the growing of wheat, barley, and peas.
This Indus valley civilization carried on extensive trade
with city-states in Mesopotamia.
Much of this trade was carried by ship via the Persian
Gulf, although some undoubtedly went by land.

Mauryan Empire
In 324 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya came to power.
He drove out the foreign forces and established his
capital in Northern India.
The government was highly centralized. He had a
large army and a secret police that followed his
orders.
It is rumored that he was always afraid of
assassination; ordering all food to be tasted in his
sight and never sleeping in the same bed two nights
in a row.

The Reign of Asoka

Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya
Considered to be the greatest ruler in the
history of India
After his conversion to Buddhism, he used
these ideals to govern his rule.
The empire flourished during Asokas reign
After his death in 232 BCE, the Mauryan
Empire began to decline.

The Golden Age under Gupta

320 AD, a local prince Chandragupta (no relation to the
earlier Chandragupta Maurya) created a new state in the
Central Ganges Valley.
Eventually the new kingdom became the dominant political
force throughout northern India.
It established loose control over Central India as well, thus
becoming the greatest state in India since the Mauryan
Empire.
Under a series of efficient monarchs- especially
Chandragupta II, who reigned from 375-415- the Gupta empire
created a new age of Indian civilization.

Golden Age under Gupta Empire

A Chinese travel Faxian admired the Gupta leaders,
their tolerance of Buddhism,
Actively engaged in trade with China, Southeast
Asia, and the Mediterranean and encouraged
domestic trade.
Cities famous for their temples as well as for their
prosperity rose along the main trade routes.
The Gupta rulers lived in luxury and earned large
profits from the trade.

Hinduism
Originated with the Aryan people who settled
in India after 1500 BC
Believed in the existence of a single force in
the universe, a form of ultimate reality or God,
called Brahman.
By the sixth century BC, the idea of
reincarnation had appeared in Hinduism.
Reincarnation is the belief that the individual
soul is reborn in a different form after death.

Hinduism Continued
After a number of existences in the earthly world,
the soul reaches its final goal in a union with the
Brahman.
Important to this process is the idea of karma, the
force generated by a persons actions that
determines how the person will be reborn in the
next life.
The concept of karma is ruled by the dharma or
divine law. The law requires all people to do their
duty.

Hinduism Continued
Hindus developed yoga, a method of
training designed to lead to union with God
There are hundreds of deities in the Hindu
religion, including three chief ones: Brahma
the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Siva
the Destroyer
Hinduism is still the religion of the vast
majority of Indian people today.

Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha

The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha
Gautama, known as the Buddha, or Enlightened
One.
Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 BC and
was the son of a ruling family.
He was raised in a wealthy family, married and had
a child.
He became aware of suffering and gave up his
royal clothes, shaved his head, and abandoned his
family to find the true meaning of life.

Buddhism
Appeared in the sixth century BC
The pain, poverty, and sorrow that afflict human
beings are caused by their attachment to things of
this world. Once people let go of their worldly
cares, pain and sorrow can be forgotten.
Then comes bodhi, or wisdom.
Achieving wisdom is the key step to achieving
nirvana, or ultimate reality- the end of self or a
reunion with the Great World Soul.

Four Noble Truths

1. Ordinary life is full of suffering.
2. This suffering is caused by our
desire to satisfy ourselves.
3. The way to end suffering is to end
desire for selfish goals and to see
others as extensions of ourselves.
4. The way to end desire is to follow
the Middle Path.

The Middle Path or Eightfold Path

Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right Action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration

Siddhartha Gautama
Rejected Hindu division of human beings
into rigidly defined castes
Buddhism appealed to the downtrodden
peoples at the lower end of the social
scale
Forbade his followers to worship either his
person or his image
Many Buddhists therefore see it as a
philosophy rather than a religion