Download Ancient India

Standard
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SSWH2: The student will identify the
major achievements of Chinese and
Indian societies from 1100 B.C.E. to 500
C.E.
Essential Question
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Explain the development and impact of
Hinduism and Buddhism on India and
subsequent diffusion of Buddhism.
Learning Objectives
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Describe the development of Indian
civilization: include the rise and fall of the
Mauyra Empire, the “Golden Age” under
Grupta, and the emperor Ashoka.
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Explain how geography of the Indian
subcontinent contributed to the
movement of people and ideas.
Learning Objectives
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Explain the development and impact of Hinduism
and Buddhism on India and subsequent diffusion
of Buddhism.
Describe the development of Chinese civilization
under the Zhou and Qin.
Explain the impact of Confucianism on Chinese
culture; include the examination system, the
Mandate of Heaven, the status of peasants, the
status of merchants, and the patriarchal family,
and explain diffusion to Southeast Asia, Japan,
and Korea.
The Subcontinent of India
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India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Nepal
Bhutan
Sri Lanka
Geography of India
The subcontinent of India can
be divided into three regions:
The Northern Mountains
region
The Indo-Gangetic Plain
region
The Deccan region
The Northern Mountain Region
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The tallest mountains on Earth
Himalayas mean “place of the snow”
The famous Mount Everest is located
here.
The region is divided into areas:
These areas are the Himalayas, the
Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush.
The famous Khyber Pass once provided
migrating and invading tribes access to
India.
The Indo-Gangetic Region
Two great rivers lie south of the mountain
region.
 The Ganges River flows to the southeast
and the Indus River flows to the
southwest.
 The Indus River is Pakistan's longest river.
 This region is home to over 1 billion
people.
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The Deccan Region
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This region lies south of the IndoGangetic Plain.
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This region is made up of high plateaus,
hills and low mountain ranges.
Monsoons
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Two features that dominate India’s climate
are monsoons and high temperatures.
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From November to March the monsoons
blow from the north to the northeast.
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From June to October, the wet season, the
monsoons blow from the southwest to the
Indian Ocean.
Monsoons
The timing of monsoons is critical. If
monsoons arrive late, or if little rain falls,
crops wither causing famine.
 If monsoons bring too much rain,
destructive floods rage across the
countryside.
 High temperatures of 120 degrees are
frequent from March until June.
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Monsoons
Indo-Aryan People
The Indo-Aryans
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Around 1750 B.C., new groups of people
came through the Khyber passage into India.
The Indo-Aryans were semi-nomadic
travelers.
They traveled by horse and carriages and by
foot. They herded sheep and cows.
Armies of archers and charioteers enabled
the Indo-Aryans to conquer all of northern
India.
The Vedas
The Vedas are the great literature of the
Indo-Aryan religion.
 With the development of writing, the
Vedas were written down in the IndoAryan language of Sanskrit.
 The Vedas were so important to the IndoAryan culture that from 1500 B.C. to 1000
B.C. they called it the Vedic Age.
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The Vedas
The Vedic
form of
belief was
the
precursor
to modern
Hinduism.
Indo-Aryan Religion
The earliest forms of Gods include
elements of nature, such as the sky, sun,
earth, light, water, fire, storms, wind and
rain.
 These natural forces were regarded or
personified as persons.
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Indo-Aryan Societies
Indo-Aryan settlements joined to form
city-states ruled by a Raja.
 As societies developed, so did the culture
and religion.
 Brahmins became an important part of
the culture and were considered the priest
who knew the proper forms and rules.
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Indo-Aryan Societies
Physical and social differences existed
between the Indo-Aryan migrates and the
earlier inhabitants.
 The Indo-Aryans were light-skinned and
the earlier inhabitants were dark-skinned.
 Thus, the social caste system was
developed.
 Warriors and priests were at the top
followed by merchants, traders, farmers,
and servants.
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Caste System
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Brahmins – Priests, scholars, wise men
Kshatriyas – Rulers and warriors
Vaisyas – Merchants, traders, owners of
small farms
Sudras- Peasants bound to work the fields
of large landowners
Untouchables – slaves capture in battle
forced to skin animals and bury corpses.
Caste System
Hinduism
Hinduism has no
single founder
and no one holy
book.
 Hinduism is the
third largest
religion in the
world.
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Hinduism
Hinduism developed through the
Brahmin’s interpretation of the Vedas.
 The Hindus believe that the world we live
in is an illusion called Maya.
 Because it takes time to understand the
illusions that we see and since the soul
does not die, reincarnation is solution.
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Brahma the Creator
Brahma, the Hindu
god is associated
with the formation
of the universe and
is one of the Gods
in the triumvirate of
Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva.
Shiva the Destroyer
Shiva is
responsible for
change both in
the form of
death and
destruction. This
also includes the
shedding of old
habits.
Vishnu the Preserver
He is the one
who ensures
peace and order
on earth.
Buddhism
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The Founder of
Buddhism was
Siddhartha
Gautama.
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Buddhism is the
fourth largest
religion in the
world.
“The Enlightened One”
Born a prince, Gautama lived in luxury his
whole life.
 At the age of 29, he left his palace and
was shocked by all the suffering that he
saw.
 Gautama left his wife and his infant son in
search for the answer to “Why people
suffer?”
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Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha
After six years of searching, one day
under a fig tree he found the answer to
life’s problems.
 At that moment he became the Buddha.
 He taught that salvation comes from
knowing the Four-Noble Truths and
following the Eightfold-Path.
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The Four Noble Truths
The life of all humans involves suffering
and sorrow.
 The desire for a life of pleasure and
material gain causes suffering and sorrow.
 Renouncing desires of the flesh, frees
people from suffering and helps their soul
attain nirvana.
 Following the Eightfold Path leads to
renunciation.
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The Eightfold Path
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(1) See life as it really is with all of its
imperfections (2) right intentions (3) right
speech, avoid lies and gossip (4) right
action, avoid unlawful acts (5) right living,
meaning working at a job that does not
harm others (6) right effort, working to
prevent evil (7) right mindfulness,
consent aware of one’s self (8) right
concentration to direct the mind in
meditation.
Buddhism vs. Hinduism
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The Buddha did not accept Hindu’s Gods.
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The Buddha believed that the Brahmins
should live peacefully and a life of
poverty.
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The Buddha shunned the caste system
and believed that anyone could reach
nirvana if he or she was good.
The Spread of Buddhism
After Gautama died, the Buddhist religion
was split into two branches, the
Theravada and Mahayana.
 The Theravada believed in the traditional
truths and that Buddha was a great
spiritual teacher.
 Mahayana believed that the Buddha was a
God and savior.
 Monks spread the Buddhist teachings
worldwide.
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Taj Mahal
Mohenjo-Daro
Mohenjo-Daro
It was one of the largest settlements of
the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and
one of the world's earliest major urban
settlements.
 Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th
century BCE, and was not rediscovered
until 1922.
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