GROUP 1

SOUTH ASIA
Members: Becky, Harry, and Alice
 South Asia

• The first people who inhabited India were the Aryans.

• They were known for praising their gods in the form of hymns.
• The hymns were called the Rig Veda.
• Their Hindu beliefs became the foundation of other Indian
religions that emerged later on.
• The emergence of Magadha marked the start of kingdoms
among the Aryan groups.
• The rise of the Chandragupta Maurya extended the kingdom,
guided by Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
• The Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, and the Mughal Empire
made a headway and contributed much to the formation of the
present Indian civilization .
 The Aryan Period
• Historical data on the peopling of the Indian subcontinent trace
to the origin of the people to the Aryans.
• The word Aryan does not refer to any distinct group of people
• The Aryans were a loosely – knit network of tribes who shared
a common culture.
• They are collectively called Indo-Europeans based on the
language they used, the sanskirt language.
• Around 1800 BCE, a number of Indo-Europeans moved beyond
the Iranian Plateau in to the Indian Subcontinent though
mountains passes in the Hindu Kush Mountain.
• Most of the evidence of the early presence of the Aryans in
India could be gleaned from Vedas.
• Vedas is a general term covering a vast body of hymns, prayers,
charms, and special formulas as well as prose passages of
explication and philosophical speculation.
• The hymns composed by the Brahmin priests of the Aryans
were carefully memorized and handed down by word of
mouth to succeeding generations for centuries.
• Those were considered very sacred.
• The Rig Veda is the oldest among the Vedic literature.
• It’s estimated to have been written in the Sanskirt language
between 1500 and 800 BCE, making it the oldest text in the
world!
• It includes 1208 hymns for various Aryan Gods
 Sociopolitical Organization
• The early Vedic tribes were patriarchal groupings of related
families.
• The tribal leaders or chief was called raja was elected by the
tribe
• He was assisted by two tribal assemblies, the sabha and the
samiti
• The sabha could have been the council of elders
• While samiti was the general assembly of all free people
• The raja was primarily a war leader and responsible for the
defence of the tribe
• The tribal leaders became the kings
 Religion
• The Aryans worshipped several deities who were chiefly
embodiments of natural elements such as air, sky, earth, and
water
• The priests preformed rituals in honor of the gods
• Indra was the war and weather god.
• Varuna is the guardian of the cosmic order
• Rudra is identified with Shiva, the destroyer god of Hindus
• At the center of the Aryan cult is sacrifices, sacrifices involved
complex rites that required much preparation
 Economy
• The cattle played an important part in the economy, the farmer
Prays for the cattle, the warrior expects cattle for food, and the
priest was rewarded with cattle.
• The cattle were good as money and were used for medium
exchange.
• The horse was as important as the cow but mainly used in the
military.
• Other specialized trades and occupations were engaged.
• Some of the people became jewellers, goldsmiths,
metalworkers, carpenters, rope makers, weavers, dyers, and
potters.
 Arts and Technology
• Archaeological findings reveal the use of a number of musical
instruments such as flute, lute, and harp.
• The Vedas also pointed to activities such as singing and
dancing.
• Bronzesmiths were highly skilled in their art.
• They produced tools and weapons superior to those in the
Harappan civilization.
• By about 1000 BCE, the Aryans had conquered much of India
north of the Vindhya Range.
• By the 7th century, the Aryans shifted eastwards and many of
kingdoms emerged during that period.
The Kingdom of Magadha
• At around 550 BCE, one of the kingdoms in the northern part
began to expand and rule over the other kingdoms.
• It was led by an aggressive king, by the name of Bimsiara
Magadha.
• The kingdom started in the Ganges River Valley which is now
the Bihar State.
• The location enabled Magadha to control trade and
communication along the river that provided the links to the
rich ports in the Ganges Delta.
• The two major religions, Jainism and Buddhism came from
Magadha
• Both encouraged ascetism and subscribed to smasara and karma
 Mauryan Empire
• Alexander the Great didn’t say long in India.
• By the 322 BCE, a new empire took over.
• Chandragupta Maurya emerged as the head of an empire that
included the whole northern and most of the northwest region
in Indian subcontinent
• Accounts of the Mauyan Empire cam from the Greek envoy,
Megasthenes, who resided in Pataliputra during the empire.
• Megasthenas described the city as a city of magnificent palaces,
temples, gardens, and parks.
• In it was a famous university and a library where scholars from
all over the civilized world attended
• Megasthenes describe the life of ‘’splendor and luxury” at the
kings palace
 The Kushana Kingdom
• The Kushan people came from a loose confederation of five
Iranian speaking nomadic tribes from the northwest of China
• Vima Kadphises, was the first leader of the Kushans
• It was a period of great wealth marked by extensive mercantile
activities
• The political power and economic prosperity allowed the
Kushanas to developed a tradition of courtly and speclar art
• Notable was the development of buddhist painting and
sculpturual style.
• This later led to the development of the Gandhara School of
Buddhist art in Asia after Mahayana Buddhism spreadin this
region