Download WHI.04: India, China, and Persia

WHI.04: India, China, and
Persia
Objectives
p. 043
WHI.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the civilizations of Persia, India, and China in
terms of chronology, geography, social structures, government, economy, religion, and contributions
to later civilizations by
a) describing Persia, with emphasis on the development of an imperial bureaucracy;
b) describing India, with emphasis on the Aryan migrations and the caste system;
c) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Hinduism;
d) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Buddhism;
e) describing China, with emphasis on the development of an empire and the construction of the
Great Wall;
f) describing the impact of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Essential Understandings
p. 044
1. Classical Indian civilization began in the Indus River Valley and spread to the Ganges River
Valley, then through the Indian subcontinent. It continued with little interruption because of its
geographic location.
2. The Indo-Aryan people migrated into the area, creating a structured society (caste system) and
blended their beliefs with those of the indigenous people.
3. During the Golden Age of classical Indian culture, Indian people made significant contributions to
world civilization.
4. Hinduism was an important contribution of classical India.
5. Hinduism influenced Indian society and culture and is still practiced in India today.
6. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in a part of India that is in present-day Nepal.
7. Buddhism became a major faith when Asoka sent missionaries throughout Asia.
8. Classical China was centered on the Huang He (Yellow River) and was geographically isolated.
Invaders entered China from the North. The Great Wall was built for China’s protection.
9. Chinese culture began around 1500 B.C. (B.C.E). Of Chinese contributions to civilization,
Confucianism and Taoism are among the most noted.
10.Built on earlier Central Asian and Mesopotamian civilizations, Persia developed the largest
empire in the world.
Essential Questions
p. 044
1. Why were physical geography and location important to the development of Indian
civilization?
2. What impact did the Aryans have on India?
3. Why was the caste system central to Indian culture?
4. What were the accomplishments of the Mauryan and Gupta empires?
5. What are the beliefs of the Hindu religion?
6. How did Hinduism influence Indian society and culture?
7. What are the beliefs of Buddhism?
8. How did Buddhism spread?
9. Why was the Great Wall of China built?
10.What were contributions of classical China to world civilization?
11.Why were Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism important in the formation of
Chinese culture?
12.How did Persia govern its empire?
Why Do I Need To Know This?
p. 044
1.Almost one fifth of the world’s people today practice Hinduism and Buddhism.
2.The diversity of peoples, cultures, beliefs, and languages in India continues to
pose challenges to Indian unity today.
3.The people, events, and ideas that shaped China’s early history continue to
influence China’s role in today’s world.
4.The pattern of a strong central government has remained a permanent part of
Chinese life.
5.Tolerance and wise government are characteristics of the most successful
methods of rule.
India
p. 45-49
India – Hinduism
1. Aryans
p. 056
The Aryans were tall light skinned Indo-European warriors who invaded and
conquered India about 1500 B.C.
a. invaded India through the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush mountains
Aryans
India – Hinduism
2. The Caste System
p. 056
Brahmins – priests
Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors
Vaishyas – peasants and traders
Shudras – laborers
the “untouchables” actually lived outside the caste system
people were born into their caste for life (could not move between castes)
The Four Castes of India
Aryan/ Indian god
known as Brahma
Untouchables
India – Hinduism
3&4 – Founder and Writings
3.
4.
cannot be tracked down to one founder with a single set of ideas
most religious writings are collected in the Vedas and Upanishads
p. 056
India – Hinduism
5. Basic Beliefs
p. 056
a. Hindus see religion as a way of liberating the soul from illusions,
disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence
b. this liberation is called moksha – a state of perfect understanding of all
things
c. usually have to go through the process of reincarnation (the rebirth of the
soul or spirit over and over again) until moksha is achieved
d. dharma – the duty/responsibility of each person within the caste
e. a soul’s karma (good or bad deeds) follows from one reincarnation to
another and determines specific life circumstances
ideas about karma and reincarnation strengthened the caste system
India – Hinduism
6. Hindu Deity
p. 056
The world soul, Brahman, was sometimes seen as having three personalities
a. Brahma – the creator
b. Vishnu – the protector
c. Shiva – the destroyer.
d. Hindus are free to choose the deity they worship, or even none at all
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Ganesh
Shakti
Murugan
India – Jainism
1. Jainism
p. 057
believe that everything in the universe has a soul and should not be harmed
India – Buddhism
1-3. Founder, writing, meaning
p. 057
1. founded by Siddhartha Gautama
achieved enlightenment after fasting and meditating under a fig tree for
49 days
2. The Tripitaka is the earliest collection of Buddhist writings.
3. became known as the Buddha “the enlightened one”
India – Buddhism
4. Four Noble Truths
p. 057
a. first – everything in life is suffering and sorrow
b. second – the cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for the
temporary pleasures of this world
c. third – the way to end suffering is take away desire
d. fourth – the way to overcome such desires and attain enlightenment is to
follow the Eightfold Path – 1)Right View, 2) Right Intention, 3) Right Speech,
4) Right Action, 5) Right Livelihood, 6)Right Effort, 7) Right Mindfulness, 8)
Right Concentration
India – Buddhism
5. Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path – the path to enlightenment
1)Right View, 2) Right Intention, 3) Right Speech, 4) Right Action, 5) Right
Livelihood, 6)Right Effort, 7) Right Mindfulness, 8) Right Concentration
p. 057
India – Buddhism
6. Basic Beliefs
p. 057
a. by following the Eightfold Path, anyone could reach nirvana – the Buddha’s
word for release from selfishness and pain
b. accepted the idea reincarnation
c. accepted the idea karma
d. rejected the caste system
e. rejected the many gods of Hinduism
the final goals of moksha and nirvana are similar(p.65)
India – Buddhism
7. Theravada Buddhism
p. 057
those who held to the Buddha’s stricter, original teachings belonged to the
Theravada sect
a religion that emphasized individual discipline
Theravada Buddhism
India – Buddhism
8. Mahayana Buddhism
p. 057
although Buddha had forbidden people to worship, some began to teach he
was a god
some even believed they could become Buddhas called bodhisattyas
they made Buddhism a religion that offered salvation to all and allowed
worship
India – Buddhism
9. Spread
Buddhist missionaries went to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and China
Buddhism never gained a significant foothold in India
India – Mauryan Empire
1. Spread
Spread into South and East India
p. 059
India – Mauryan Empire
2. Mauryan Leader who took power in 320 BCE
Chandragupta Maurya
a. What did he do?
Unified all of northern India for the 1st time
created a bureaucratic government
p. 059
India – Mauryan Empire
3. Ashoka is the Greatest.
p. 059
a. brought the Mauryan Empire to its greatest heights
b. was Buddhist, but urged religious toleration; turned away from war, helped
spread Buddhism to China
c. built extensive roads so he could visit the far corners of India
d. also built free hospitals and veterinary clinics
India – Gupta Empire
1. Founding
Chandra Gupta I
a. How is he different from Ashoka?
Chandra Gupta I was Hindu
p. 059
India – Gupta Empire
2. Prospering
It prospered through trade and conquest.
a. Advantageous about location?
Located on the Indian Ocean and the Silk Roads
p. 059
India – Gupta Empire
3. Achievements during the Golden Age.
p. 059
a. Math
Created the concept of zero and the decimal system. Calculate the value of
pi to within four decimal places -3.1415
b. Medicine
Compiled medical guides that classified more than 1000 diseases and
more than 500 medical plants. learned how to perform surgery (including
cosmetic surgery) and possibly gave inoculations
Pi
India – Gupta Empire
3. Achievements during the Golden Age.
p. 059
c. Astronomy
created a calendar based on the cycles of the moon, adopted a seven-day
week, and divided the day into hours proved the earth was round by
observing a lunar eclipse
d. Literature
Kalidasa was one of India’s greatest writers of this time; wrote many plays
India – Gupta Empire
4. Traded products.
Spices, gems, woods, silk
Also spread Buddhism to other regions, especially China
p. 060
China
p. 51-55
China – Warring States Period (475-221 BCE)
1. Dynasties so far.
Xia (2100-1600 BC)
Shang (1600-1046 BC)
Zhou (1045-256 BC)
p. 060
China – Warring States Period (475-221 BCE)
2. Zhou’s importance
Roads to improve trade
Coined money
Iron works
p. 060
China – Warring States Period (475-221 BCE)
3. Warring States Period
p. 060
Period when seven powerful states were fighting for control of all of China
Took place during the last two
centuries of the Zhou Dynasty
many philosophical ideas
emerged as a way to end the
fighting
China – Confucianism
1. Key to order.
p. 060
Good government could be restored if China if society was organized around
five basic relationships.
1) ruler and subject, 2) father and son, 3) husband and wife, 4) older
brother and younger brother, and 5) friend and friend
Ancestor worship
China – Confucianism
2. Filial Piety.
Respect for parents and elders
p. 060
China – Confucianism
3. Key to career advancement.
Education is the key to career advancement.
p. 060
Annual Income by Level of Education
China – Daoism (Taoism)
1. Founder.
Laozi
p. 060
China – Daoism (Taoism)
2. Key to order.
Stressed the natural order was more important than the social order.
p. 060
China – Daoism (Taoism)
3. Basic philosophy.
p. 060
Humans should live simply and in harmony with nature.
A universal force called the Dao guides all things; everything in nature
follows the Dao except humans
China – Legalism
1-2. Founders and Main Beliefs
p. 061
1. founders were Hanfeizi and Li Si
2. believed a highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social
order
a ruler should provide rich rewards for people who carried out their
duties well and the disobedient should be harshly punished
Legalists stressed punishment more than rewards
rulers should burn all writings that might encourage people to think
critically about government
China – Yin and Yang
1-3.Philosophy, Representation
p. 061
1. represent the natural rhythms of life; the two opposing forces of nature
2. yin – cool, dark, female and submissive
3. yang – warm, light, male and aggressive
China – Q’in Dynasty
1. First Ruler, Philosophy, Autocracy
p. 061
1a. the first ruler was Shi Huangdi, a Legalist (the first emperor of a united
China)
b. established an autocracy – a government in which the ruler has unlimited
power and uses it in an arbitrary manner
China – Q’in Dynasty
2. Shi Huangdi’s Setbacks
p. 061
commanded all the noble families to live at the capital city
a. seized their land and carved China up into 36 administrative districts
murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars and ordered “useless” books
burned
China – Q’in Dynasty
3. Shi Huangdi’s Achievements
build a highway network of over 4,000 miles
set uniform standards for Chinese writing
built/connected the Great Wall of China to defend against attacks by
nomadic invaders
1,400 miles long, built along the tops of hills and mountains
p. 061
Great Wall from Space
China – Han Dynasty
1-2. Government and Civil Service System
p. 061
1. The Han Dynasty followed Shi Huangdi’s policy of establishing a
centralized government
reached its height under emperor Wudi
2. Series of exams that people had to take and pass in order to work for the
government.
worked so well it continued in China until 1912
highly valued all Confucian teachings
China – Han Dynasty
3. Accomplishments
p. 061
paper was invented in 105 AD
to unify the empire, the Chinese government encouraged assimilation, or the
process of making conquered peoples part of the Chinese culture
established the Silk Road which linked China to Rome, Europe and the
Middle East
Persia – Cyrus the Great
1. Location
p. 062
1. from 550 to 539 B.C., Cyrus conquered the entire Fertile Crescent and most
of Anatolia
• Persians were descendents of the Indo-Europeans
Persia – Cyrus the Great
2. Cyrus’s Governing Style
p. 062
It’s what the Persians will be famous for
a. he was kind towards conquered people
b. honored local customs and traditions - would kneel and pray at local
temples instead of destroying them
c. Conquered peoples enjoyed remarkable freedoms
d. in 538 B.C. he allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem
Persia – Darius the Great
1. Extent of Empire
p. 062
Cyrus’s son Cambyses, extended the Persian Empire to include Egypt; publicly scorned the Egyptian
religion
Darius took over after Cambyses died
1. expanded the Persian empire to include everything from Egypt to India
(2,500 miles wide) (the US is 2,680 miles wide)
a. his only failure was his inability to conquer Greece
Persia – Darius the Great
2-3. Legacy of Governing
p. 062
2. Darius’s greatest genius lay in administration
3. How did he govern?
a. divided the empire into 20 provinces called satrapies
b. each was governed by a satrap
c. an excellent road system; the Royal Road ran from Susa to Sardis
(1,677 miles)
d. the use of standard money, which helped promote trade
Persia – Zoroastrianism
1. Main Beliefs
1. the world was divided between good (truth) and evil (darkness)
a. Ahura Mazda (good) followers would be lifted into paradise
b. Ahriman would (evil) followers would suffer forever in a fiery pit
p. 062
Persia – Zoroastrianism
2-3. Holy Books and Links
p. 062
2. the holy writings of Zoroastrianism were collected in books called the
Avesta
3. developed the ideas about heaven, hell and a final judgment
a. similar concepts in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam