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Hum1020
Inter American Campus Ref # 439850
Wednesday 8:20 pm to 10:50 pm
Room 1301
Chapter 5
 Ancient
Civilization of
India and China.
Indian Civilization
The Indus Valley
Civilization
Hindu & Buddhist art
The Aryans
The Gupta Empire
and its Aftermath
Buddha
Gupta Literature and
Science
The Emperor Ashoka
The Collapse of Gupta
Rule
The Indus Valley Civilization
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Existed 3000 (B.C.E) in present Pakistan. In the vicinity of great
River Systems.
Possessed written language based on picture signs yet to be
deciphered.
were an agriculture- based society its believe they were the first
people to cultivate cotton.
Evidence of highly religious life. based on the stone and other
remained) though no specifications of to what religion they belong.
Archeological discovers shown they used the standard measure for
trading purpose, communal drain system what describe them as
very centralized society. build city with straight street ,planned cities
with enormous bath
Were called Harappan after its
Chief City.
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They were unable to
survive natural
catastrophe and nomadic
invasion (The Aryans)
and around 1700 B.C.E
began to disappear till
the point that
archeologist have fail to
find any significant
artworks from that
period. This until the
emergence of the
Buddhist culture.
A street sign, a bath and pottery
remained of Indus Valley
The Aryans
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Penetrated India from the
North West settling first
in the Indus Valley by
around 15000 B.C.E
Tribal and nomadic
people who called them
self “ The Noble Ones” to
distinguish from the
people they conquered,
creating a culture of class
distinction between
nobility and the common
people.
This distinction developed into a caste system
dividing society into priesthood,warriors,the laborers
and the serfs.
 Today the caste system
 They epic poem Ramayana
recognize the priest, warrior
and laborers with a subgroup
know as outcast (the
unclean ones).
 Aryans mixed agricultural
and pastoral culture with
cattle
 Horses were important.
 There is indications they
were very skills on working
the bronze.
and The Mahabharata are
central to Indian Culture
(describe the conquest of the
Indus Valley)
 Aryan religion emphasizes
on ritual sacrifices to the
pantheon of gods.
 Ceremonies, Hymn traditions
were passed over the
centuries from one
generation to other in oral
form.
1000 B.C.E this chants were put
on writing know as the rig Veda.
From Oral to writing
know
As Vedas
Rig Veda. Still chanted Interest on Humanities
On all the important
And philosophical issue
Indus Ceremonies
Creating the Upanishads
“Sessions” all the
incognitos'
were learn from one
Person to other.
From the Upanishads
emerge the Brahman. Its
said that everything else
is a manifestation of the
underlying reality.
Each individual has with it
a Atman or self Brahman
or ultimate reality.
Indian religion is called
Hindu derived for an
Arabic word meaning
“those who lived in the
Indus Valley”
Buddha or “The enlightened
one”
Born563 B.C.E life full of myth.
His doctrine is called the
fourfold noble path. This teach
about asceticism and self
indulgence:
1)Existence itself is suffering
2)Suffering come from graving
and attachment
3) There exist a cessation of
suffering which is called
Nirvana
4) There is a path to Nirvana
which is eightfold or way of life.
Hindu and Buddhist Art.
The Emperor Ashoka
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Under a bloodshed
Unified India around 261
B.C.E.
Become a Buddhist
preaching a doctrine of
non violence &
establishing Buddhist as
the state religion.
He is credited to fixed the
canon of sacred books for
Buddhist.
He founded Buddhist monasteries and send
Buddhist
monk to spread religion all over India.
There is little evidence of
artistic production. The
existed is attributed to
appear under Ashoka
reign. A tradition of
large-scale sculpture
& architecture maybe
influence by the west
development in Persia.
Both Hindu and Buddhist Art are overwhelmingly religious in Spirit. The
different between the two styles reflect the characteristic of the two
faiths.
• Hindu art is openly erotic.
• Represent sense of the
unity of all forms of life
.(incarnations)
• Over the time combines
elements of eroticism and
naturalism. (work of
Mahabharata & other
epics.
• Fig 9 Krishna
• Buddhist art emphasized
on the spiritual.
• Buddha and his saint
(Bodhisattvas) are shown
as calm images inviting to
pray and meditate.
• Buddhist command to
renounce all worldly
pleasure.
Buddha, god Vishnu as an avatar incarnation and Krishna
revealing his many faces.
The Gupta empire, literature
and science.
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Ashoka empire fall apart after his death. Small
independent state developed by trading with south east
Asia.
C.E 320 Chandra Gupta emperor lay foundation. Reach
it plenitude with his grandson Chandra Gupta II.
Famous for cultural achievements, economic stability
and religious tolerance. Beside this Buddhism in India
decline and return to the Hinduism tradition.
Literature was important on Gupta court. Many important
scientific discoveries were made by the foundation of
several universities (Nalanda though mechanic,
medicine and mathematics.
Gupta empire decline with the
death of Gupta II
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Arabic numeral system
was invented on India in
the late third century
B.C.E.
Indian mathematician
were using the decimal
system.
Quadratic equation were
used already and the
square root of two also.
Along with invasion by the
White Huns. At the same
time the Roman Empire
saw its falls when sacked
by tribes from the Central
Asia.
White Huns never establish
secure on India due to
the resistance of the
Hindu priestly class who
were unwilling to
surrender conflicting
religious interest.
Origins of Civilization in
China.
• The Chou Dynasty
• Confucianism and
Taoism
• Unification of
China
• Art in the Classical
China.
The earliest evidence that secure urban life in china is
assumed to the Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1100 B.C.E)
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Under his reign China
worked bronze showing
technical and artistic skills.
Trade and commerce
develop as well as a writing
system based on picture
sign representing ideas (like
the Egyptians)
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Chou Dynasty replace
Shang(1100-c 221 B.C.E)
China separated on small
kingdoms that aid the
emperor on crisis time
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. His influence diminish with
time and his last period was
know as the Warring States
(403-221 B.C. E)
Foundation of Chinese
culture were laid.
Confucius (c.551-479 B.C.E) and Lau-Tzu (active C.570 B.C.E )
Founded the two (2) chief schools of Chinese philosophy .Both can be
seen as reactions to the chaos of the later Chou period.
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Confucianism said
morally superior person
most posses 5 inner
virtues (righteousness,
inner integrity, love of
humanity altruism and
loyalty) and acquire
another 2 external
(education and sense
of decorum) as a gift for
having the first five.
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Taoism emphasized
limitations of human
perception, encourage
withdraw and passivity.
Its concept :one should
follows one’s nature,
not distinguish between
good or bad but
accepting both as part
of “the way” (Tao)
The Great Wall of China seen from space
and the Emperors Shih Huang –Ti army.
The unification of China: The Ch’in, Han
and T’ang Dynasties
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In 221 b.c.e(last year of Chou) The king of Ch’in state
succeed over the separate kingdoms and rule by
creating a centralized government. The Ch’in Dynasty is
born with amazing organization skills. Shih Huang-Ti.
No citizen was allowed to posses weapon. Divide his
territory into 36 provinces under the same writing system
and unified weights and measures throughout them.
Order to burned Confucius book in order to eliminate
criticisms.
His two great construction project were of The Great
Wall of China to defend his empire from outside invasion
and his silent army. On 202 Han ruled for 4 centuries.
Art in Classical China
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Literature played an
important roll under
Ch’in rule in Chinese
Culture. Standards text
know as The five
Classics circulated all
over. Poetry became
popular. Most important
poet was Li Po.
Buddhism spread all
over China.
The End.
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Thank you for the
attention shown to this
humble presentation.
By Martha Martinez.