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India
A Mad Dash Through History
Geography
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SOUTH Asia – The “Indian
Subcontinent”
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3 Topographical Regions
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Northern India: Mountain Zone
& Indus/Ganges Basins
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Southern Peninsula: Flatlands &
Sri Lanka
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Separated from the north by
Deccan plateau
The Vedic Age (1500-500 BCE)
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Invasion by Aryans into
N. India (1000 BCE)
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Indo-European nomads
(Central Asian)
people
Domesticated horse
Early iron workers
Aryan Control in India
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Politics:
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Economy:
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Individual city-states with local rulers
Aryan language (Sanskrit) in the North – Dravidic
languages continue in the South
Small, self-sufficient communities
Introduction of iron technology
Religion:
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Local Indian gods continue to be worshipped
Aryan scriptures = Vedas (thus “Vedic Age”)
Combined elements create Hinduism
Aryan Social Structure
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Varna = Color (came to mean class)
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Brahmins – scholars & priests (classes
occupied by Aryans)
Kshatriyas – government officials &
warriors
Vaishyas – merchants, artisans, & farmers
Shudra – peasants & laborers
Dalits (untouchables) – not part of the
class structure, did most demeaning work
Strict segregation; little/no mobility
Reincarnation/karma beliefs helped
justify/explain the class structure
Challenges to Brahmin Power
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Aryan religion/social structure placed Brahmin
priests on top
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2 challenges to this structure: Jainism & Buddhism
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Jainists – ascetics, practiced non-violence
Buddhists – followers of Siddhartha Gautama
 Focused on the individual, less emphasis on the gods
Brahmin response: codified religious traditions into
Hinduism
Vedic Age Ends With
Darius & Alexander
The Mauryan Empire
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Greek control of India
ended with Alexander’s
death in 324 BCE
Power vacuum filled in
N. India filled by
Chandragupta
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Centralized government
control over regional
kingdoms
Territory expanded by
grandson Ashoka
Ashoka
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Major figure in classical Indian history:
Early career: brutal military commander, extended
the empire into S. India
Battle of Kalinga – 260 BCE
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100,000 Kalingans died; 150,000 driven from home
More died from disease/starvation in the aftermath
Ashoka was overwhelmed by brutality, converted to
Buddhism & preached non-violence, morality,
moderation, religious tolerance
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Published this program on rock pillars spread throughout
empire
Trade & Economy
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Economy based on agriculture
United India increased trade
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Roads were renovated, towns built textile
industries
Uniform system of currency, weights & measures
Provinces ruled by governors who collected taxes
and enforced laws
 Taxes rose to pay for Ashoka’s projects
Trade: silk cotton and spices to
Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and Rome
Social Structure
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Varna (caste) system still in place – limited
social opportunities and controlled who
people could marry
Patriarchal society – eldest male controlled
family
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Laws limited women’s opportunities
 Sati was practiced: widows burned themselves
on their husband’s funeral pyre
Buddhist women had more rights
 Single women could become nuns
Political Fragmentation
After Ashoka’s death, Mauryan
Empire declines
 Trade network/roads allow small
kingdoms to maintain contact
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Merchants become politically powerful
Small kingdoms rose in
Central/Southern India
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Deccan Plateau: Andhra dynasty
Southern India: Tamil Kingdoms
Reunification Under Gupta
(320-550 CE)
Gupta Politics
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Grew out of kingdom of Magadha, capital at
Pataliputra (former home of the Mauryans)
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Modeled after Mauryan Emperors:
 Chandra Gupta, Samudra Gupta, Chandra Gupta II
Never had the military might of Mauryans
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“persuaded” territories to join the empire
 Married neighboring princess
 Splendor, beauty, orderliness of life at the capital
 Rituals and ceremonies meant to impress
“Theater-state”
Gupta Economy
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Government owned mines (metals &
salt), collected rent money from
farmers
Trade along the Silk Roads went
through Gupta territory
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Indians: ivory, jewels, textiles, salt, iron
Romans: glass, jewels, clothes
China: silk, spices, tea, porcelain
Additional profits from religious
trade & religious pilgrims
Gupta Social Structure
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Gupta returned Hinduism to primary religion
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Change in architecture as Hindu styles became more
prominent
Loss of status for women
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Could not own property
Could not study sacred texts or participate in rituals
Women expected to obey father  husband  sons
Child marriage became common (sometimes as young as 6
years old)
Sati became more common
Gupta Math/Science
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Astronomers, mathematicians, scientists
received government support
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Developed concept of zero; “Arabic” numerals
Charted star movements;
earth is round
Developments in medicine