Download Early Civilizations of India

Name
Date
REVIEW
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 6.5
Early Civilizations of India
Overall Objective: Analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social
structures of the early civilizations of India.
Read the chart below to answer questions on the next page.
Indian Civilization
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
The Aryans
• Migrated to India in 1500 B.C.
• May have belonged to a longer group
known as the Indo-Aryans.
• Had a class system composed of three
main groups: warriors, priests, and
commoners.
The Caste System
• Regulated contact with non-Aryans.
• Was more complex than the original
class system.
• Determined how people interacted and
the kinds of jobs they held.
• People were born into caste for life.
Achievements
• The literature of Sanskrit, an ancient language
of India, includes Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text
that tells the story of the warrior Prince Arjuna.
• Indian architectural and artistic styles are seen
in portrayals of Buddha.
• Indian mathematicians
— invented the Hindu-Arabic numeral system
— invented the decimal system and zero (also
invented independently by the Maya)
— identified the value of pi, the circumference
of a circle divided by its diameter
• Physicians promoted health by using diet,
exercise, and other methods to maintain
physical energy.
• Artisans advanced metallurgy, or metal-working.
The Rise of Buddhism (528 B.C.)
Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu prince, spent several
years searching for a way to escape suffering in
life. Finally, he meditated for 49 days under a tree
and received insight. He became the Buddha,
enlightened one.
The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths
1. People suffer because their minds are not at
ease.
2. Suffering comes from wanting what one doesn’t
have.
3. People can stop suffering by not wanting.
4. People can stop wanting by following the
Eightfold Path, a path that outlines the right way
to live, leading to nirvana, or the end of suffering.
The Buddha’s Teachings
• Nonviolence.
• Reincarnation, a belief shared by followers of
Hinduism, India’s major religion.
• Rejection of the caste system and worship of
Hindu deities.
After the Buddha’s Death
• Buddhism spread throughout India, supported by
Buddhist rulers.
• In the 7th century, Buddhism in India almost
disappeared.
• Buddhism remained strong in other countries of Asia,
where it was brought by traders and missionaries.
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Name
Date
PRACTICE
CALIFORNIA CONTENT
STANDARD 6.5
Early Civilization of India
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.
Use the diagram to answer questions 1 and 2.
Brahmin
priests,
scholars, teachers
Ksatriya
rulers, nobles, warriors
Vaisya
3 In ancient India, Hindus and
Buddhists both believed in
A
the need for a caste system.
B
many deities
C
nirvana.
D
reincarnation.
bankers, merchants, farmers
Untouchables
1 Why are the Untouchables placed
where they are on the pyramid
diagram?
A
They are considered too low to be part
of the caste system.
B
They are foreigners who do not belong
to the caste system.
C
They belong to another caste system.
D
They are Indians who have rebelled
against the caste system.
2 Which conclusion is supported by the
diagram?
A
Only the bankers, merchants, and
farmers had any wealth.
B
The Aryans put those with knowledge
at the top of the system.
C
To the Aryans, trade was the highest
position.
D
Military skill was most highly prized
in Aryan society.
4 According to the Four Noble Truths,
people’s suffering will end when they
A
accept the caste system.
B
take untouchables into their families.
C
stop desiring what they cannot have.
D
accept the Hindu deities.
5 Which of the following is an
achievement associated with the
Indian civilization?
A
the decimal system
B
representative government
C
birth of democracy
D
the Bible
Copyright © McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Company
Sudra
artisans and laborers
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