Ancient IndiaAncient India

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The Indian SubcontinentThe Indian Subcontinent

The Emergence of Civilization in The Emergence of Civilization in India: Harappan SocietyIndia: Harappan Society Geography Mixture of people Harappan Civilization: A Fascinating Enigma

Harappa in the Punjab Mohenjo-Daro (City of the Dead) near the mouth of the Indus

Political and Social Structure Villages in the Indus valley: 6500 - 7000 B.C.E. Harappa a city more than 3 ½ mile in circumference with wall over 40

feet thick City life in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro Government, religion, agriculture and trade

Harappan Culture Pottery, sculpture, clay seals

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Ancient Harappan CivilizationAncient Harappan Civilization

Note the growth of cities in river plains.Note the growth of cities in river plains.

Mohenjo-DaroMohenjo-Daro

A computer-generated reconstruction has brought a small area of Mohenjo-daro back to life. (Lost Civilizations by Austen Atkinson, p. 179 - 188)

The City of Mohenjo-DaroThe City of Mohenjo-Daro

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Arrival of the AryansArrival of the Aryans Harappan civilization destroyed about 1500 B.C.E.

Invasion by Aryans Social decay Epidemic or natural phenomena

The Early Aryans Indo-European nomads from Siberia and the steppes of Central Asia Into the Indus valley 1500-1000 B.C.E. Use of iron A writing system Led by a chieftain called a raja (prince) that was later transformed into

kings called maharajas (great princes)• Prince did not have absolute power • Required to follow dharma (laws that set behavior standards)

Arrival of the Persian Empire, Arrival of Alexander the Great, 326 B.C.E.

The Mauryan EmpireThe Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta Maurya (324-301 B.C.E.)The Arthasastra, a treatise on politicsHighly centralized and despotic government

•Provinces ruled by governors•Division of power at lower levels

Caste and Class: Social Caste and Class: Social Structures in Ancient IndiaStructures in Ancient India

The Class System An issue of color Varna (color or caste)– reflected informal division of

labor and rigid social classification for occupation and status

Caste taboos Jati – kinship group, of a specific caste, living in a

specific area, doing a specific task Changes over time

Daily Life and The Economy in Daily Life and The Economy in Ancient IndiaAncient India

Family the basic unit of society Commemorative rites to ancestors Father-son relationship Males inherit property Position of women

Before the law In marriage Exceptions

Most Aryans were farmers Iron plow Differing status of farmers Problems farmers faced

Developed trade and manufacturing

The Religious World of Ancient The Religious World of Ancient India: HinduismIndia: Hinduism Indo-European in origin from the Aryans Vedas – four collections of hymns and religious

ceremonies Dyaus Indra, Varuna, Vishnu Use of sacrifice Asceticism

Upanishads – commentaries on the Vedas

The Religious World of Ancient India: The Religious World of Ancient India: Gods, Goddesses and ReincarnationGods, Goddesses and Reincarnation

Soul reborn a different form after death and progresses through several existences on the wheel of life until reaching the final destination with the Great World Soul, Brahman

Karma – actions in this life; determines one’s rebirth in the next life Cosmic scale – Brahmins at the top; in animal kingdom the cow is at

the top Dharma governs karma Reincarnation provides compensation for those lower on the ladder of life Multitude of gods (330 million?) in Hinduism but only a small number of

primary gods Trinity of gods: Brahman the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Siva

the Destroyer

Buddhism: The Middle PathBuddhism: The Middle Path Siddhartha Gautama (c. 560-480 B.C.E.) Born in foothills of the Himalaya Mountains, son of a kshatriya family Traveled widely Follows some ideas of Hinduism Denied the existence of the individual soul

Nirvana (release from the wheel of life) Bodhi (wisdom)

Four Noble Truths Middle Path (Eightfold Path)

Simpler than Hinduism Monastic life

Rejection of division of humanity into castes All human beings can aspire to Nirvana as a result of their behavior in this life

Jainism Founded by Mahavira, contemporary of Siddhartha Doctrine of extreme simplicity; keep no possessions and rely on begging for a living

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Stupa at SarnathStupa at Sarnath

The Reign of Asoka and the End The Reign of Asoka and the End of the Mauryan Empireof the Mauryan Empire Asoka, A Buddhist Monarch (269-232 B.C.E.)

After a career as a bloodthirsty conqueror, converted to Buddhism and ruled benevolently

• Built shelters for travelers• Sent Buddhist missionaries throughout India

After 232 B.C.E., the Mauryan Empire declined• Disunity• New Kingdoms arose• Indo-Europeans entered and proclaimed the Kushan

Kingdom• Reasons for disunity

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The Empire of Asoka The Empire of Asoka

The Exuberant World of Indian The Exuberant World of Indian Culture: LiteratureCulture: Literature Rig Veda – hymns used in religious ceremonies, second millennium B.C.E.

Bramanas and Upinishads and commentaries on the Vedas Sanskrit language Mahabharata, 100 B.C.E.

Describes war of cousins for control of the kingdom Interwoven are the legends of the Hindu gods Moral confrontation and ethics The Bhagavad Gita

• Sermon by legendary figure Krishna• In taking action, one must be indifferent to success or failure and consider

only the moral rightness of the act itself Ramayana – triumph of good over evil

Indian Culture: Architecture and Indian Culture: Architecture and SculptureSculpture Pillar

Asoka used stone columns alongside roads to commemorate the life of the Buddha and mark pilgrim routes to holy places

Stupa Place of devotion meant to house a relic of the Buddha Constructed in the form of a burial mound

Rock chamber Rooms to house monks and ascetics Halls for religious ceremonies

Style Embellished with decorations Detailed reliefs and freestanding statues

Indian Culture: ScienceIndian Culture: Science

Astronomy Elements of earth, air, fire, and water Quality of textiles Massive stone pillars

Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions What factors influenced the development of India’s caste

system? What role did skin color play in the creation of caste distinctions?

What challenges did Chandragupta Maurya face in creating an Indian empire? How successful was he?

What does the Mahabharata tell us about ancient Indian values and beliefs?