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Early India
AP World History
The Indus River
Valley (India)
India began along
the Indus River,
which flooded & left
behind fertile soil
Seasonal monsoons
caused summer
rains & floods
The people were well
protected on the Indian
“subcontinent” by the
oceans, mountains, &
deserts that surrounded
the Indus River Valley
Lasting Contributions
• Advanced cities:
–Indus cities were laid out in
a grid system with high walls
& citadel of major buildings
Lasting Contributions
• Specialized Workers:
–Indian society was divided
by the “caste system” which
divided people based on
their purity in Hinduism
Lasting Contributions
• Government:
–Little is known about Indus
government other than
they were ruled by kings
Lasting Contributions
• Religion:
–Believed in a polytheistic
religion called Hinduism
–Hindus believe that one’s
soul is reborn until moksha
is achieved (reincarnation)
–Moksha (enlightenment or
nirvana) is the spiritual
release from human form
–A soul’s karma (good or bad
deeds) effect reincarnation
Lasting Contributions
• Writing:
–Indus writing has not been
fully translated so much of
Indus life is still a mystery
–Writing contained about
400 symbols that were
both pictograms &
phonetic characters
Lasting Contributions
• Technology:
–Advanced plumbing; Most
houses had toilets & private
bathrooms connected to
underground sewer systems
–Standard, oven-baked bricks
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BCE)
 Born in NE India





(Nepal).
Raised in great luxury
to be a king.
At 29 he rejected
his luxurious life to
seek enlightenment
and the source of
suffering.
Lived a strict,
ascetic life for 6 yrs.
Rejecting this extreme, sat in
meditation, and found nirvana.
Became “The Enlightened One,” at 35.
The essence of Buddhism
 The “middle way of wisdom and
compassion.”
 2,500 year old tradition.
 The 3 jewels of Buddhism:
 Buddha, the teacher.
 Dharma, the teachings.
 Sangha, the community.
What is the fundamental
cause of all suffering?
Desire!
 Therefore, extinguish the self,
don’t obsess about oneself.
Four Noble Truths
1. There is suffering in the world.
To live is to suffer. (Dukkha)
 The Buddha found this out
when he was young and
experienced suffering and
death in others.
Four Noble Truths
2. The cause of
suffering is selfcentered desire and
attachments. (Tanha)
3. The solution is to
eliminate desire
and attachments.
(Nirvana =
“extinction”)
Four Noble Truths
4. To reach nirvana, one must follow
the Eightfold Path.
Eightfold Path
Nirvana
 The union with the ultimate spiritual
reality.
 Escape from the cycle of rebirth.
Religions of South Asia
Buddhism in the Subcontinent
Theravada Buddhism
Appeal of Buddhism
• Less dependence on Brahmins for ritual
activities
• No recognition of caste, jati status
• Philosophy of moderate consumption
• Public service through lay teaching
• Use of vernacular, not Sanskrit
23
A Buddhist Monastery
24
Ashoka’s Support of Buddhism
• Personal conversion to Buddhism
• Disillusioned after violent war with Kalinga
• Banned animal sacrifices, mandated
vegetarianism in court
• Material support for Buddhist institutions,
missionary activities
25
Changes in Buddhist thought
• 3rd c. BCE – 1st c. CE
– Buddha considered divine
– Institution of Boddhisatvas (“saints”)
– Charitable donations to monasteries regarded as
pious activity
26
Spread of Mahayana Buddhism
• Mahayana (“greater vehicle”), newer
development
– India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia
• Hinayana (“lesser vehicle,” also Theravada),
earlier version
– Ceylon, Burma, Thailand
27
Emergence of Popular Hinduism
• Composition of epics from older oral traditions
– Mahabharata
– Ramayana
•
•
•
•
•
Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations
The Bhagavad Gita:
“Song of the Lord”
Centuries of revisions, final form c. 400 CE
Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during
civil war
28
Hindu Ethics
• Emphasis on meeting class obligations
(dharma)
• Pursuit of economic well-being and honesty
(artha)
• Enjoyment of social, physical and sexual
pleasure (kama)
• Salvation of the soul (moksha)
29
Popularity of Hinduism
• Gradually replaced Buddhism in India
• Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable
support
30
Classical India
Indian Empires:
Mauryan & Gupta
Chandragupta
The Mauryan
Empire ofMaurya
India
became king of India in 321 BC,
After the
river
valley
created
a vast
army,
& era,
India transitioned
conquered
new landsinto
the Mauryan Empire
Chandragupta’s empire controlled
Indus River most
Valley
of the Indian subcontinent
India: The Mauryan Empire
• Chandragupta used tactics to control
his empire:
–Like the
Persians,
Chandragupta
divided his
empire into
provinces
each ruled
by a local
prince
DuringEmpire
his wars of
The Mauryan
ofexpansion,
India
Asoka converted to Buddhism
In 269 B.C., King Asoka took
Asoka
developed
new
over &
expanded
the Mauryan
policies
of
tolerance
&
Empire to its greatest extent
nonviolence for his empire
Buddhism spread as a
Indus River Valleyresult of Asoka’s influence
The Gupta Empire
After Asoka’s death, the
Mauryan Empire declined & was
replaced by the Gupta Empire
Chandra Gupta formed the
Gupta Empire in 320 A.D.
& expanded the empire
Classical India
• India experienced a “golden age” during the
Gupta Empire & became a “classical empire”
–Indian astronomers were the first to
discover that the earth was round
–Mathematicians invented modern
numerals, zero, pi, & the decimal system
Merchants sold exotic spices & silks to
people in the Mediterranean world
Cross-cultural Exchanges on the Silk
Roads
Long-Distance Travel in the Ancient World
• Lack of police enforcement outsied of
established settlements
• Changed in classical period
– Improvement of infrastructure
– Development of empires
Trade Networks Develop
• Dramatic increase in trade due to Greek
colonization
• Maintenance of roads, bridges
• Discovery of Monsoon wind patterns
• Increased tariff revenues used to maintain
open routes
Trade in the Hellenistic World
• Bactria/India
– Spices, pepper, cosmetics, gems, pearls
• Persia, Egypt
– Grain
• Mediterranean
– Wine, oil, jewelry, art
• Development of professional merchant class
The Silk Roads
• Named for principal commodity from China
• Dependent on imperial stability
• Overland trade routes from China to Roman
Empire
• Sea Lanes and Maritime trade as well
The Silk Roads, 200 BCE-300 CE
Organization of Long-Distance Trade
• Divided into small segments
• Tariffs and tolls finance local supervision
• Tax income incentives to maintain safety,
maintenance of passage
Cultural Trade: Buddhism and Hinduism
• Merchants carry religious ideas along silk
routes
• India through central Asia to east Asia
• Cosmopolitan centers promote development
of monasteries to shelter traveling merchants
• Buddhism becomes dominant faith of silk
roads, 200 BCE-700 CE
The Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism and
Christianity, 200 BCE – 400 CE