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CLASSICAL EMPIRES
SSWH2 The student will identify the major
achievements of Chinese and Indian societies
from 1100 BCE to 500 CE.
a. Describe the development of Indian civilization; include the rise and fall
of the Maurya Empire, the “Golden Age” under Gupta, and the emperor
Ashoka.
MAURYA EMPIRE, RECALL FROM LAST UNIT
MAURYA EMPIRE
 The Mauryas: Indian dynasty in the
fourth-third centuries BCE, which
unified the subcontinent for the first
time and contributed to the spread of
Buddhism.
MAURYA EMPIRE, EMPERORS
 Chandragupta Maurya (c.321-c.297)
 Bindusara Maurya (c.297-c.272)
 Ashoka Maurya (c.272-c.232)
Ashoka Maurya (c.272-c.232)
 great conqueror, and the first to unite
the Indian subcontinent, except for
the extreme south.
 converted to Buddhism established
dhamma, 'the law of justice',
everywhere in India
 Left rock edicts behind on several
places in his realm
 Ashoka was sincere when he
proclaimed his belief in ahimsa (nonviolence) and cooperation between
religions ("contact between religions
is good").
DECLINE
 After the death of Ashoka, the
Mauryan empire declined.
ASHOKA STUPA (STATUES)
VIDEO, ASHOKA

http://www2.newcanaan.k12.ct.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=7021&fileitem=763&catfilter=376
GOLDEN AGE OF INDIA UNDER THE
GUPTA

http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX485700704d560800745555&t=History-of-India
CHANDRAGUPTA II
 Chandragupta II The Great (Sanskrit:
चन्द्रगुप्त विक्रमादित्य; was one of the most
powerful emperors of the Gupta empire in
northern India
 rule spanned c. 380–413/415 CE
 the Gupta Empire achieved its zenith, art,
architecture, and sculpture flourished, and
the cultural development of ancient India
reached its climax
HINDUISM
 WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AYL9_-PQyQ
HINDUISM
 Hinduism is the predominant religion
of the Indian subcontinent
 includes a wide spectrum of laws and
prescriptions of "daily morality" based
on karma, dharma, and societal
norms
 no single founder
 oldest living major religionin the
world
HINDUISM
 Hindu texts INCLUDE TEXTS which
discuss theology, philosophy,
mythology, rituals, and temple
building
 Major scriptures include the Vedas,
Upanishads and others
 Hinduism, with about one billion
followers, is the world's third largest
religion, after Christianity and Islam.
 Hinduism
 belief in reincarnation (samsara),
determined by the law of karma, and the
idea that salvation is freedom from this
cycle of repeated birth and death
 other religions of the region, such as
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, also
believe in karma, outside the scope of
Hinduism
 beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism
 caste system in India is a system of
social stratification
 Brahminical texts grouped the four
well-known caste categories
 VARNAS
 Brahmins PRIESTS
 Kshatriyas WARRIORS
 Vaishyas MERCHANTS
 Shudras ARTISANS
 untouchables
 Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs o),
Dharma (ethics/duties)
 Samsāra (the continuing cycle of
birth, life, death and rebirth)
 Karma (action and subsequent
reaction)
 Moksha (liberation from samsara)
 Yogas (paths or practices)
HINDUISM
 (Creation Hymn) of the Rig Veda thus
says:]
 Who really knows?
Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced? Whence is this
creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the
creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?
BUDDHISM
BUDDHISM
 Buddhism
 religion indigenous to the Indian
subcontinent
 based on teachings attributed to
Siddhartha Gautama
 known as the Buddha (meaning
"the awakened one” or
enlightened one
 The Buddha lived and taught in the
eastern part of Indian subcontinent
some time between the 6th and 4th
centuries BCE.
 Buddha, 1st – 2nd
 century
 Two major branches of Buddhism
 Theravada ("The School of the
Elders")
 Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle")
 The foundations of Buddhist tradition
and practice are the Three Jewels:
the Buddha, the Dharma (the
teachings), and the Sangha (the
community)
Dharma Wheel : THE NOBLE
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
 http://video.pbs.org/video/1418075805
DIFFUSION OF BUDDHISM
 Ashoka initially practiced Hinduism but later
embraced Buddhism
 Ashoka sent many Buddhist missions to
West Asia, Greece and South East Asia
 Ashoka commissioned the construction of
monasteries, schools and publication of
Buddhist literature across the empire.
 Ashoka built as many as 84,000 stupas
across India
 Ashoka sent a mission to Sri Lanka
 Ashoka increased the popularity of Buddhism in
Afghanistan, Thailand and North Asia including Siberia
 Ashoka helped convene the Third Buddhist Council of
India and South Asia's Buddhist orders, a council that
undertook much work of reform and expansion of the
Buddhist religion.
 Indian merchants embraced Buddhism and played a
large role in spreading the religion across the Mauryan
empire
 The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism to China is
most commonly thought to have started in the late
2nd or the 1st century CE
 SSWH2 The student will identify
the major achievements of
Chinese and Indian societies from
1100 BCE to 500 CE.
 c. Describe the development of
Chinese civilization under the Zhou
and Qin.

CHINESE CIVILIZATION
 Chinese civilization originated in various regional
centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze
River
 With thousands of years of continuous history, China
is one of the world's oldest civilizations
 The written history of China can be found as early
as the Shang Dynasty 1700–1046 BC)
 ancient historical texts such as the Records of the
Grand Historian (ca. 100 BC) and Bamboo Annals
assert the existence of a Xia Dynasty before the
Shang
 Much of Chinese culture, literature and philosophy
further developed during the Zhou Dynasty (1045–
256 BC).
 the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC and its
first emperor Qin Shi Huang united
the various warring kingdoms and
created the first Chinese empire.
Successive dynasties in Chinese
history developed bureaucratic
systems that enabled the Emperor of
China to directly control vast
territories.
Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC)
 The Zhou Dynasty was the longest-lasting dynasty in
Chinese history, from 1066 BC to approximately 256
BC.
 The king of Zhou at this time invoked the concept of
the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize his rule, a
concept that would be influential for almost every
succeeding dynasty.
 Heaven (tian) ruled over all the other gods, and it
decided who would rule China. It was believed that a
ruler had lost the Mandate of Heaven when natural
disasters occurred in great number, and when, more
realistically, the sovereign had apparently lost his
concern for the people. In response, the royal house
would be overthrown, and a new house would rule,
having been granted the Mandate of Heaven.
ZHOU DYNASTY
 the use of iron was introduced to
China
 zenith of Chinese bronze-ware
making
MANDATE OF HEAVEN
 ZHOU-legitimized their rule by
invoking the "Mandate of Heaven,"
the notion that the ruler (the "Son of
Heaven") governed by divine right
and that his dethronement would
prove that he had lost the Mandate.
Disasters and successful rebellions
would thus show that the ruling
family had lost this Mandate.
 The Mandate of Heaven is based on four leading
ideas:
 The right to rule China is granted by Heaven.
 There can be only one legitimate ruler of China.
 The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler
and his good performance as a steward for Heaven.
 The right to rule may be passed down from father to
son, but only on the conditions established above.
Once the Mandate is lost, the will of Heaven towards a
successor will only be known by the working out of
the imponderable force of events in human history.
 Legitimization of the ruling house in the eyes of the
people who come under its sway
 Times of divided rule require some rationalization
after the fact to establish which ruler can claim truly
to have the Mandate
 The rulers put checks on their own behavior, and are
encouraged to invest in the well-being of their
subjects.
 The rulers necessarily fear rebellion, possibly because
they believe in active intervention from Heaven,
and/or possibly because they know that misbehavior
will give positive sanction to attempts by others to
overthrow them.