Download Mohamad Adada Mr. Tavernia AP World/P.5 Packet C Social: The

Mohamad Adada
Mr. Tavernia
AP World/P.5
Packet C
Social: The Five Classes of the Caste System
The Caste System, a central belief of the Hindu religion and consists of five stages. First
comes the “mouth” or the Brahmin, the priests, next the “arms” or the Kshatriya, the warriors,
then the “legs”, the Vaishya, or the merchants and businesspeople, after which are the “feet”, the
Shudra, or the unskilled laborers. The shadow of this figure represents the untouchables, or the
lowest people in the hierarchy. People couldn't marry in different castes, and couldn't move up
within their lifetime. The goal of hinduism was to be reborn in a higher caste, depending on the
person’s karma, and after they died as a Brahmin, they would be “enlightened”. King Siddartha
disapproved of the caste system and created Buddhism, in which anyone could be enlightened as
long as the follow the four noble truths and the eightfold path. Castes still exist today, although
they are not as rigid as they once were.
Anam Ahmed
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History Period 5
Packet C
Social: Brahmin
The caste system is also called the Varna system. It depends on certain
characteristics and attributes but is very strict and people are born into classes. The
Brahmin are the highest of the Hindu caste and are made up of priest and scholars of
the Vedic religion. They play an important part of society. They give spiritual guidance
for people, which influences man decisions. In ancient times, the Brahmin was strictly
separate from any other class. Now, there is some blending between Brahmin and the
Kshatriya, the warrior and ruler class.
The Brahmin are said to be
originating from Brahma’s, the
creator’s, mouth.The priests are
responsible for teaching and
maintaining the sacred
knowledge. Nowadays, the caste
system seems to be more flexible
because more Brahmin’s are
pursuing other occupations as
well.
The word Brahmin means
“Supreme self”. The least amount
of
the people are in this class, but it
is
considered the highest. The
Brahmin is associated with achieving moksha, a way of enlightenment.
Alex Andreozzi
Mr. Tavernia
Ap World History P.5
Packet C
Theme 5: Untouchables
The Untouchables were the lowest social caste in India. These
people were subject to have the worst jobs, while doing the most menial
tasks. Members of the Untouchables were not aloud to speak with people
outside of their caste, let alone marry them. Untouchables are also not
even aloud to walk on the same side of the street as any of the higher
caste members. The way to break out of being Untouchable is through
living and helping the most people possible; however this is nearly
impossible because the Untouchables are poor, and need to help
themselves before they can even think of helping others. Being
untouchable was not based on race or orientation; it was simply based off
of birth.
William Block
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History
Packet C
Social Packet C
In this time period classes were the main social separations between
people. In Rome there were two different classes. One for the higher
people and one for the lower. The higher class was the patrician class and
the lower was the Plebeian class. Hinduism had its own system also. It was
called the caste system. This consisted of 5 classes that all were based
around the jobs each person had. At the top were the priests or Brahmins,
then were the warriors or Kshatriyas, third were the merchants and farmers
(Vaishya), and last were the Peasants or Shudras. There was a class that
was below all others and they were barely acknowledged in society called
the untouchables. This all surrounded around the idea of reincarnation and
reincarnating into a higher caste through good karma.
Yasmine Charles-Harris
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History / Period 5
Packet: C
[Social]: (Brahmin)
Brahmin
specialising
protectors
is
a
as
of
class
priests,
in
​Hinduism
teachers and
sacred learning
across
generations. Brahmins were traditionally
responsible for religious rituals in temples,
as intermediaries between temple deities
and devotees, as well as rite of passage rituals such as solemnising
a wedding with hymns and prayers. However, Indian texts suggest
that Brahmins were often agriculturalists and warriors in ancient
and medieval India. The Brahmin people are a prominent
community spread across the whole of India. The Brahmin are the highest of the four Hindu
castes, made up of priests and scholars of Vedic literature and their traditional occupation is to
concern themselves with the spiritual guidance of the people, conduct rites at marriages, births,
deaths and other auspicious occasions. In practice the caste and the profession are not to be
treated as one. All Brahmin are not priests. In fact, a majority of them are not and there is a
striking range of diversities in terms of status and occupation among the Brahmin all over the
country. The Brahmin’s traditional occupation is that of a priest. Brahmins have a variety of
occupations. In Orissa, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, many Brahmin own land and practice
agriculture, but an increasing number are also in white-collar jobs, government service, business,
household industry and astrology. In Rajasthan, agriculture forms their primary occupation but a
few are traders, bankers, sculptors of idols and makers of wooden seats for the idols. In
Chandigarh the Brahmin are gradually diversifying into administration, teaching, business, and
the legal profession.
Sofia del Rio
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/Period 5
Packet: C
Varna
In ancient India society was based upon a class system in which people were divided into
four varna depending on what they did. These four groups were the Brahmins, the priests; the
Kshatriya, the nobility; the Vaishya, the merchants and farmers; and the Shudras or servants.
Each caste level or varna represented a body part of Brahman, and they higher a person was on
the scale, the closer they were to achieving
moksha. The Brahmins were the mouth, the
Kshatriyas were his arms, the Vaishyas were
his legs, and the Shudras were his feet. At the
very bottom where the untouchables, and
those people were without caste. The caste
system was very rigid, meaning it had no
mobility. Each varna was further divided into
jati, which are groups typically associated
with jobs. People only associated with people
in the same varna and jati as them, so they
didn’t marry into a different caste or jati. A person’s level on the caste system is determined by
their previous life, so karma plays a vital role. If a person is good in their life, they will be reborn
in a higher caste, so they are one step closer to attaining moksha; if a person was bad in their life,
they would be reborn in a lower caste as punishment.
Jose Duran
Mr. Tavernia
Social: Plebeian
During the Classical Period, Rome had a unique social structure that made
its civilization one of the greatest in history. In this system, there were
plebeians and patricians. Patricians were the highest class of all in Rome
and they made up the Roman Senate. These rich families mostly used their
money to buy the goods that the plebeians made, and this was a
patron/client relationship where the rich had lots of money to use but didn't
know how to make goods so they bought them from the general public.
Plebeians were required to follow the patricians’ orders and make the goods
that were most popular on the market. There were aqueducts that flowed all
throughout Rome, and they led either to the patrician houses or to the
communal fountains. Patricians were fortunate enough to have water flowing
to their homes, but plebeians had to go to the communal fountains and get
water from the same place that everyone else got it from. Many plebeians
died from diseases that were spread through the communal fountains and
onto them. Society basically used plebeians as a source for taxes, and for
their knowledge in making essential products to the Roman Empire.
Plebeians were accustomed to the unsanitary conditions of Rome.
Sofia Godoy
Mr. Tavernia
Period 5
Packet C: Classical Civilizations
Development and Transformation of Social Structures: Patrician
Leading a life filled with many luxuries, Patricians were the wealthy elites, mainly
landowners, of Roman society. Generally speaking, they were regarded as the political, religious,
and military leaders, second only to the emperor himself. Actually, the name Patricians is
derived from the Latin word for fathers, “patres”. Besides enjoying plentiful banquets, enjoying
musical entertainment, and living in lavish townhouses, Patrician privileges also excused them
from the responsibilities of a typical Roman, such as military duty. In addition, all Patrician
children had their own toys, bedroom, and private tutor. Specifically, boys born into a Patrician
family enjoyed a comprehensive education, which included lessons in literature, languages,
geography, public speaking, and the law. Easy to spot, Patricians could be recognized by their
unique tunics and their shoes, which were decorated with an ivory crescent. Perhaps the most
significant benefit to life as a Patrician, holding public office was something that was highly
coveted. Sometimes, Patricians even engaged in dangerous power struggles and rivalries, which
were marked by treachery and murder.
Plebeian
In ancient Rome, the plebs was the general body of free Roman citizens who were not
patricians, as determined by the census. From the 4th century BC or earlier, they were known as
commoners (part of the lower social status). Literary references to the plebs, however, usually
mean the ordinary citizens of Rome as a whole, as distinguished from the elite—a sense retained
by "plebeian" in English. In the very earliest days of Rome, plebeians were any tribe without
advisers to the King. In time, the word – which is related to the Greek word for crowd, plethos –
came to mean the common people.The origin of the separation into orders is unclear, and it is
disputed when the Romans were divided under the
early kings into patricians and plebeians, or whether
the dependents of the patricians formed a third
group. Certain clans were patrician, as identified by
the family name, but a gens might have both
patrician and plebeian branches that shared a nomen
but were distinguished by a cognomen, as was the
case with the gens Claudia. The 19th-century historian Barthold Georg Niebuhr held that
plebeians began to appear at Rome during the reign of Ancus Marcius and were possibly
foreigners settling in Rome as naturalized citizens. In any case, at the outset of the Roman
Republic, the patricians had a near monopoly on political and social institutions. Plebeians were
excluded from magistracies and religious colleges, and they were not permitted to know the laws
by which they were governed. Plebeians served in the army, but rarely became military leaders.
Sydni Josowitz
Mr Tavernia
World History AP P5
9 November 2016
Social: Patricians
The Patricians were an elite social class in the classical Roman Empire. They
had a very high status in Roman society and received many privileges and more
representation than Plebeians, the common class. Although it is not certain, it is
commonly thought that the first Patricians were the first 100 senators that were
appointed by Romulus and all of their descendants from thereon. It was important to
keep the Patricians loyal and satisfied. To do this, the Roman government frequently
gave Patrician’s money for their continued support. This eventually caused a rift
between the Plebeians and Patricians when the government began to transfer too much
power into the hands of the Patricians.
Mark Kava
Tavernia
World History AP/Period 5
Packet C
Social- Plebeian
Plebeians were commoners in ancient Rome. They were the general body of free
citizens in Rome who were not patricians. It is considered more of the lower class in
Roman times. The plebeians consisted of farmers who were free landowners but still
were in the lower levels in terms of social class. They were not nearly as wealthy nor did
they have the same power as patricians. However, they still were considered citizens of
the Roman empire.
The plebeians were the working class of the Roman empire and were the
backbone of the Roman economy. They consisted of farmers, bakers, builders,
craftsmen, etc.
Thomas Lovegren
Mr.Tavernia
AP Human Geography
Packet C
AP theme: Social and Economic Classes
Rome was divided into two different subsets of social groupings: Plebeians and
Patricians. The plebeians made up Rome’s working class and helped with most of the
menial labor-intensive jobs and tasks. The Patricians were Rome’s wealthier families
who held a more political position in regards to wealth and affluence. The two social
classes did not have a lot of mobility seeing as those born plebeians were most likely to
die plebeians.
Elizabeth Matei
Mr. Tavernia
World History AP/ Period 5
Packet: C
Development and Transformation of Social Structure: Plebeians
In the ancient Roman Empire, Plebeians made up the lower of the two social classes.
Patricians were on top, and the Plebeians were below them. They were often known as the
“commoners” or “ordinary citizens” of Rome. Plebeians included some of the more skilled
commoners, all the way down to the slaves who performed intensive labor. There was no
distinction. Plebeians fought in the army, but rarely became military leaders. It was often for
them to not be of Roman descent. Many were looking for some some sort of “naturalization”
process in order to become Roman. They were not allowed to know about any of the laws of the
government, so they just had to follow everyone else and play daily life by year. This means that
they had very poor/insignificant political and economic abilities. Regarding the relationship
between the patricians and the plebeians, it is virtually non-existent. The patricians rarely ever
interacted with the plebeians (politically, economically, or socially) even though a patrician may
sometimes marry a plebeian. However it is against the law for a Plebeian to initiate a relationship
with a Patrician. Ultimately, Plebeians are a significant aspect of Roman Life because they were
a very populated social class, they helped Rome militarily, and they helped Roman people and
patricians complete everyday life chores.
Alba Minxha
Mr. Travernia
AP World History Period 5
Packet C
Theme 5 Social and Economic Classes: Patrician
Patrician was the term given to the ruling class families in Ancient Rome. The
distinction between patricians and plebeians, the commoners, was purely based off of family
lineage. The origin of the patrician class came from the original appointed Roman Senate. The
sons of the first Roman senators made up the patrician class.
Historically, patricians were afforded more privileges than
the plebeians. While the patricians held every political position in
Rome, even nonpolitical positions, such as priesthood, were closed
off to the public. The belief was that patricians communicated
better with the gods, giving them the ability to perform sacred
rites.
However, while the patricians did have
more political and religious power over the
plebeians, the economic difference between the
two was not large. The title of a patrician gave
only the ability to become a senator or
priesthood, it gave no economic promises, and
being a plebeian did not mean poverty.
Plebeians could be as rich, even richer, than
some of the patricians depending on their job. In specific cases, the two classes had families
equal in wealth during the early years of the Roman Republic. Toward the later years, many
patricians lost their wealth and fell into poverty as the plebeians succeeded.
Emily Namm
Michael Tavernia
AP World History/Period 5
Packet C
[Social]: Patrician
Like most societies of the Classical Era, Rome had a social hierarchy. The
highest class of Roman society, or the elites, during the Roman Republic was made
up of Patricians.
Though the origins of this class are somewhat uncertain,
it probably started with the heads of each family which was a
part of the Roman Senate, during the Roman Republic, and
possibly some of the higher-ranked people in the Roman
cavalry. Like most cases of nobility, the sons and daughters of
these people maintain the same status.
Servius Tullius, one of the kings of Rome, had every citizen register and
ordered everyone according to their wealth. This
ranking helped to definitively say who was a part
of the upper society, the patricians, and who was
the lower society, plebians, as opposed to the
rather blurry line there was between the classes
prior to Servius Tullius’s act. This established,
many more legal distinctions were made
between the patricians and the plebians, such as
a law against intermarriage in the Twelve
Tables.
During the beginning of the Roman Empire, patricians held almost complete
control politically and religiously. In the Conflict of Orders, though, plebians
fought for political equality, and were fairly successful by about 100 BCE.
Alexander Rabin
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.5
Packet C
Social: Patrician
The patricians were the elites in Roman civilization. They were given more privileges than the
plebeians, such as political power. This often led to the patron/client relationship in which lower
classes voted for someone in exchange for financial protection. Patricians were in family units
and had more slaves than the plebeians. This led to social unrest in which the plebeians imposed
strikes on work in order for patricians to make concessions. This was known as the conflict of
Orders. Concentration of wealth in the hands of the patricians also contributed to the fall of
Rome as it left the plebeians disenfranchised.
Scott Robins
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History, Period 5
Packet C
Social: Untouchables
Caste systems in India have been around since the very beginning.
In Hinduism, Varnas are the classes that are the social groups, not
including the untouchables. Untouchables are those who are the lowest
“class”, if you would even consider them to be a class. They do jobs
nobody would willingly do, and are forced to not to interact with any of
the higher castes; as if they would interact with untouchables anyway.
Untouchables are known as dirty people, unworthy of moksha.
Sean Robins
Mr. Tavernia
AP World
Packet C
Social: Varna
Varna is the primary social division of Indian history. The classes are supposed to
represent the Purusha, a primordial creature. Brahmin is the priest class represents
the mouth of the gods. This consists of the elite class. Kshatriya is the warriors and
administrator class they represent the arms that fight. Vaishya is the merchant and
farmer class. They represent the thighs that work and the masses. The last division
are the Shudra who are the laborer class. They represent the feet because everyone
stands on them. Shudra is also known as Dasa which means slave. There is a
subdivision of Varna called Jati which is the birth groups. The untouchables are
excluded from the class system. They are avoided because of their jobs such as
leather tanning and touching dead animals.
Alejandro Sosa
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.5
Packet: C
Portfolio Social: Patrician
Patrician is a term that originally referred to a group of ruling class families in
ancient rome. Although the distinction was highly significant in the early republic, its
relevance decreased after the Struggle of the Orders and other conflicts between the
plebeians or lower classes of Rome and the patricians. The origin of the word patrician
is quite interesting. According to Livy, the first 100 senators of Romulus, the founder of
Rome, were referred to as “fathers” or “patres” in Latin. The descendants of those men
would then create the patrician class. Historically, patricians received more privileges
than plebeians. At the dawn of the Republic, patricians were better represented, they
could hold political office, and they could “communicate with the gods better. The
difference between patricians and plebeians was completely based on birth. In the early
Roman Empire, the patrician status still carried a heavy degree of prestige. Roman
emperors also had the ability to elevate their supporters to the patrician caste at will,
which later degraded the meaning and prestige of the patrician class. Constantine the
Great later reintroduced the term as a senior honorific title, not tied to any specific
administrative position, limited to a very small number of people. In the Western Roman
Empire, the title was sparingly used and continued to retain a high prestige. It was later
also degraded in ranking when the Emperors opened the caste to many other social
groups. The title later split to give way to to “protopatrikios” or “first patrician”, which held
a higher ranking and held a high prestige until the end of the Byzantine Empire. The
feminine variant “patrikia” denoted the spouses of the patricians. The title finally
recovered its value when it was revived in medieval Italian city-states.
Saaketh Vedantam
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/Period 5
Packet: C
Social: Varna
Varna was a term used in Indian society because skin color was a concern for people. In
fact, differentiations in skin color were reasons for many internal conflicts and divisions in
Classical India. Varna literally means “color”, because of these connections to skin color, but it
is synonymous to class, or each social division in Indian society. Since Hinduism included many
social hierarchies, this idea of Varna was central to Indian society. Humans were born into a
rigid caste, and they had to follow specific rules about their caste. Also, they couldn’t change
caste during one lifetime; one could only advance by accepting ones duty in society. Varna
specifies four major castes, or classes, which are the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and
the Shudras.
The Brahmins were the highest part of Indian society, as they were the priests and thus
the closest to god. These were the only people who could advance to moksha, and other classes
had to wait multiple lifetimes before they could reach this step. Also, they were strictly
vegetarian, as the cow was a sacred animal in Hinduism.
The Kshatriyas were the next Varna in India, and they consisted of warriors and
administrators. This class was in the service of princes or people from royal families. The
Kshatriyas are set apart from Brahmins because they ate meat freely.
The Vaisyas were the third Varna in the Indian caste system, and they were merchants
and farmers. Finally, the lowest Varna was the Shudra, which was the laborer class. These
people were given the menial jobs in society, and Shudra was even associated with the word
Dasa, which meant slave.
These castes in the social hierarchy marked the Varna of Classical India, and they
continued for many years as a major part of Indian life.
Daniela Velez
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/ 5
Packet: C
Social: Conflict of Orders
Throughout history, conflict has arisen when there is an imbalance between the
power given to the elite and to the other members of society. The conflict of orders in
early Rome is an example of this. In early Rome, the aristocratic class of Roman
citizens were named the patricians and the common people were named the plebeians.
During the early years of the Roman Republic, the patricians controlled all the religious
and political offices. Since laws were not codified to be shown to the rest of the people,
the plebeians could not appeal against any decisions of the patrician government.
Subsequently, the conflict of orders began as a non-violent struggle of the plebeians to
gain rights and opportunity to advance upwards in Roman society.
In 494 BCE, the plebeians took their first step towards more rights and
established their own assembly with elected magistrates, the Tribunes and the Plebeian
Aediles. This led to the first codification of Roman law so that all members of Roman
society could see the laws. This was called the Law of the Twelve Tables. Five years
later, patricians and plebeians were allowed to intermarry which means there was now
possibility of movement from one order to another. Gradually, plebeians started to earn
positions in the Roman government and finally gained power and a voice in society.
Isabella Whiting
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P5
Packet C
Theme 5- Social
The last main theme of AP Human geography is the development and
transformation of social structures. This includes gender roles and relations, family and
kinship, racial and ethnic constructions, and social and economic classes. In Indian
society they had varna which was the four major divisions of society. The classes were
supposed to be represented by the body of Purusha who was a religious creature. The
Brahmin were the priest class and represented the mouth of the gods since they were
considered to speak to the people in the name of the Gods. Kshatriya were the
warrior/administrative class who represented the arms since they were the ones that
fought. Vaishya were the merchant and farmer class and they were the thighs of the
creature since they were the masses and the ones that worked to support society.
Lastly the laborer/slave class were called the shudra and they were considered to be
the feet since everyone stands on them and they are at the very bottom of society. The
Indian civilization was very strict in the way it organized society and their social divisions
directed what types of lives people led from the types of jobs they could have to the
people they were allowed to marry.
Kevin Yeung
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History Period 5
Packet C
Theme 5 – Social: Varna
Existing since the creation of the Rig Vedas, the system of varna consists of the four traditional
social classes of India. Each individual was automatically put into a certain caste once he was born, and
would stay in that caste until his next cycle of rebirth. The major social divisions were the Brahmin, the
priests and scholars; the Kshatriya, the nobles, warriors, and officials; the Vaishya, the merchants, artisans,
and landowners; and the Shudra, the laborers. A fifth class was also implemented later on, which was
named the “untouchable” class, since the untouchables were given the dirtiest jobs. In the varna system,
each class also had a different set of obligations: the Brahmin’s task is to study and advise, the Kshatriya
to protect and maintain order, the Vaishya to cultivate, and the Shudra to serve others.
While the varna system seems to promote inequality and give the Brahmins a reason to have
power over the other castes, the central motive of varna was actually to create social harmony and
cooperation. Originally, the creators believed that society would be at its best with no competition and
rivalry among individuals. Therefore, varnas were assigned based on the ability of each person, and as a
result, four different social classes emerged. Religious, political, economic, and physical powers were all
separated into these classes, hoping that the fair separation of powers would prevent the Indian society
from corrupting into an autocratic society. However, due to misinterpretation of the ancient texts and
power-hungry individuals, an entirely dissimilar caste system was established in India instead.
The actual system of varna found in the subcontinent of India thousands of years ago, and even
today, favored those at the top of the social pyramid. In fact, one creation myth claimed that Brahmins
were formed from the mouth of god, the Kshatriya and the Vaishya from the arms and thighs respectively,
and Shudra from its feet. Furthermore, only the
Brahmins could reach moksha, or the release
from the endless cycle of rebirths. Moksha is a
sense of enlightenment that all Vedic believers
hope to achieve. This means that those at the
bottom of the social pyramid had to rely on
reincarnation to be reassigned into a higher
class in order to reach moksha. The system of
varna gave the Brahmins an advantage over
the other castes.
Still, the caste system could
sometimes be flexible, allowing an individual to change varnas based on his skill and aptitude. With
enough goodness, people of lower castes could achieve moksha as well. Therefore, while the system of
varna seems rigid and strict, it can be flexible. It was created simply to ensure the well-being of a society
and maintain order at its time.