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Ancient India
Indus River Civilization
2500 B.C.

1st cities = Harappa & MahenjoDaro
 Far apart, but alike:
 Streets in grid (N-S/E-W)
 Bath houses, shops, walls of
oven-fired bricks
 Evidence of careful
centralized planning
Oct-May = DRY
Monsoon air
Spring = WET
Monsoon air
1500 B.C.

Aryans (“the nobles”) invade through the Khyber Pass
 Characteristics:
 Nomadic herders
 No writing system
(priests preserved
culture by memorization)
1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.: Hinduism

New culture (blending of Indus Valley Civilization & Aryan)
 Hinduism
 Vedas = 4 collections of religious hymns
 Upanishads = Hindu teachers who
interpreted & explained the Vedas
 Brahman = mighty spirit that creates
& destroys
 Self/soul = “Atman;” it is everywhere
 Reincarnation = passing of inner self
from body to body
Hindu God, Vishnu
 Moksha = state of perfect understanding;
won’t suffer any more reincarnations because Atman
merges with Brahman
1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.: Castes

Castes = 100s of groups “created” from
the body of a Hindu God
 Passed on…from parent to child
(occupation)
 Untouchables = lower than servants; outcasts
 Karma = ethical law; if you are moral, you will be
born into a higher caste next time around; if you are
immoral, you will be born into a lower caste
 Dharma = duty of each caste (ex. Warrior is to fight,
kill, be killed)
1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.: Buddhism

Buddhism = idea that even a lowborn person can escape the
cycle of death/rebirth (founded by Siddhartha Gautama)
 Four Noble Truths:
1. Everything in life is suffering & sorrow
2. Cause of all pain is people’s self-centered desires
3. Way to end all pain is to end all desires
4. People can overcome desires & attain enlightenment by
following the eightfold path…
 Eightfold Path = attain enlightenment & reach nirvana by…
1. Right knowledge
5. Right living
2. Right purpose
6. Right effort
3. Right speech
7. Right mindfulness
4. Right action
8. Right meditation