Download india`s ancient history

Aryans (1500BC-324BC)
 They were an Indo-European nomadic people who created a new
Indian society.
 They developed the caste system. This is a ridged social structure
that determined a person’s occupation and economic potential. In
the past it was based on skin color.
 Five divisions of the caste system: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas,
Sudras, and Untouchables.
 Brahmans are the priestly class.
Mauryans Dynasty (324BC-183BC)
 First Indian Empire that was highly centralized.
 By setting up hospitals, converting to Buddhism, and building up
India’s role in regional trade the Mauryans flourished under
Asoka.
 Asoka is considered to be the greatest ruler in the history of India.
Kushan Kingdom (20BC-260AD)
 The Kushans prospered from the trade that passed through their
land on its way between the Mediterranean Sea and countries
bordering the Pacific Ocean.
 In the first century A.D. Bactria also thrived from trade along the
silk road.
 The silk road was a trading route between the Roman Empire and
China that ran through India’s Kushan Kingdom.
 Chinese merchants traded luxury goods for woolen and linen
cloth, glass, and precious stones.
Guptas Kingdom (320AD-528AD)
 The Gupta Empire actively engaged in trade with China,
Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean and also encouraged
domestic trade in cloth, salt, and iron.
 Aryabhata the most famous mathematician of the Gupta Empire,
was one of the first scientists known to have used algebra.
 By the late 5th century A.D. invasions by nomadic Huns reduced
the power of the Guptas.
 North India would not be reunited for hundreds of years.