Ancient India

Let’s practice note taking using the 40/60 note taking method. Fold your paper with 40/60%.

Write the keywords down on the 40% side of the paper, leaving enough space between to add

notes. On the 60% side of the paper, go

back and add notes.

Keywords• Indus River Civilization

–Harappan Civilization –Area today–Major cities

•Mohenjo-Daro

Look at the physical map of Southern Asia. Where do you think ancient civilizations may

have been located? Why?

If you said river valleys you are correct. Why would ancient civilizations settle along these river banks?

Developed in the Indus River Valley

Area of what is today Afghanistan,

Pakistan, and India.

Indus River Civilization also called Harappan Civilization

3000 BCE to 1500 BCE

It existed at about the same time as the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations.

Review …•Where was the Sumerian civilization located?

•What does BCE stand for?

• Two major cities – Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa• Mohenjo-Daro –

– Means “Mound of the dead”– biggest settlement found in valley – More than 35,000 people lived there

Keywords•Mohenjo-Daro–Script–Destroyed and rebuilt–End

Mohenjo-Daro• Pictographic type script

– Over 4000 different characters– however, has yet to be

deciphered• Destroyed and rebuilt 7

times – each time new cities were built

on top of the old ones – – possibly destroyed by flooding

of the Indus – unlike the annual flooding of the Nile River the Indus River had unpredictable flooding

• Ended around 1700 BC – • unknown causes

Based on your knowledge of other ancient civilizations, what do you think possible

causes were?

• Ended around 1700 BC – • unknown causes but theories include …

• Change of course of river which supported civilization

• Climate change – severe drought and rivers dried up

• Conquered and destroyed by invaders

As we look at this ancient city, let’s try to find evidence of a civilization.

Can you remember what are the four elements of a civilization?

•Surplus of food•Division of labor•Organized government or religion•Writing system

Evidence of an advanced society:• Planned layout of city

based on grid system• Broad avenues with

narrower streets• Must have had a

centralized authority to plan such cities.

Variety of buildings built of baked mud and sun-dried bricks.

Sophisticated houses with many rooms – some 2 stories high. Houses included spaces indicating a place for some type of doors and windows.

Advanced drainage systems - narrow drains can be found in the streets. Drains were built with a slight slope to allow dirty water to drain away from the city. Some drains had covers, just like ours today.

Most houses had wells to get fresh water.

Public bath – evidence of tar indicates there was a layer of tar to keep the water from leaking.

Also evidence of underground room with a type of “furnace” – believed to have been used to heat the water in the public bath.

Believed to be a statue of a priest

King

These were seals. Most depict some type of

animal.

Archaeologists believe only the wealthy would

own a seal. Believed to be seals because many impressions have been found on other objects such as pottery.

Necklace made of gold and green stones,

which were rare in this area. Therefore,

probably a very rich person wore this

necklace.

This intricate piece of jewelry indicates very skilled craftsmen – most likely a used as a belt or necklace and probably belonged to a person of great wealth.

Summarize

• List evidences of advanced civilization

Share notes with partner

Keywords•Aryans

–Migrated–Language–Belief

Then came the Aryans …

Aryans• People who migrated from southern Russia• The time of their arrival suggests they had something

to do with the downfall of the Harappan civilization• Spoke the language of Sanskrit• Improved weapons and the introduction of the horse

enabled them to rule northern India• Together with the Harappan people these two people

created a new culture• Strong belief that people are NOT equal

What type of social system do you think this belief led to?

Then we see the beginning of a new

religion!Do you know what it might be?

Hinduism

Keywords• Hinduism

–Vedas–Karma–Reincarnation–Caste system–Ganges River

Hinduism• No founder … rather combination of Aryan and

Harappan beliefs • Regarded as world’s oldest organized religion• Based on certain Aryan practices – chanting of hymns• For a long time passed down through oral tradition

Eventually written down and became part of the Vedas (Book of Knowledge)

The Vedas is the oldest known scripture

Central ideas Karma and

reincarnation

Karma – idea that one’s actions determines what will happen after one’s death

Reincarnation – after death, one’s soul is reborn into a different body

Caste – inherited social class …

determines one’s job, marriage

partner, and friends … influenced by

Aryan’s belief that people are NOT created equal

Merchants, landowners, farmers

Laborers, peasants, servants

Warriors, princes

priests

4 major classes

And then the Untouchables – inferior to the 4

major classes – did work that no one else would do –

shunned by other classesMerchants, landowners, farmers

Laborers, peasants, servants

Warriors, princes

priests

Caste System• Today – still prevalent, but government

working to reduce

Did you know … The Aryans judged a man’s wealth based on the head of cattle he owned. Therefore, Aryans protected their cattle from harm. Do you know what this might have led to?The Hindus believe cows are sacred and do

not eat their meat!

Winding 1560 miles from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean … the

sacred Ganges River

Sacred to the Hindus – Known as Ganga Ma - Mother Ganges

the river is considered as a goddess whose purity

1. cleanses the faithful from their sins and

2. aids the dead on their path toward heaven.

According to Hindu mythology … “The Ganges was once a river of heaven that flowed across the sky. Long ago, she agreed to fall to earth to aid a king named Bhagiratha. His ancestors had been burned to ash by the angry gaze of an ascetic they had disturbed during meditation. Only the purifying waters of Ganges, flowing over their ashes, could free them from the earth and raise them up to live in peace in heaven. However, the flow of the heavenly river might shatter the earth, so Lord Shiva caught Ganges in his hair as she cascaded down from heaven to the Himalyas. Ganges then followed Bhagiratha out of the mountains, across the plains to the sea, where she restored his dead ancestors and lifted them to paradise.”

http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html

It is from this story comes the Hindu ritual of depositing the ashes of their dead into the Ganges. “Just as the Ganges brought to life the ashes of Bhagiratha’s ancestors, so all Hindus believe that if the ashes of their dead are deposited in the river, they will be ensured a smooth transition to the next life, or freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. Hindus may travel great distances to scatter the ashes of loved ones in the Ganges.”

http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html

“Hindus also believe that the Ganges’ divine waters purify those who immerse themselves in her. In cities along the river, daily dips are an important ritual among the faithful.”

http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html

Even sacred dips right along side cattle!

“Many cities are considered sacred and serve as pilgrimage sites.”

The Ganges is also used for washing laundry!

Used as a burial site … bathing …

laundry … dipping for

spiritual cleansing – humans and

cattle!

What might the Ganges be like

today?

Polluted!

Then, with an Indian prince we see the beginning of another

new religion.

Buddhism

Keywords•Buddhism

–Gautama–Influence–The Middle Way

Indian Prince - Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince born into wealth and luxury. One day he left his palace and walked among his people and for the first time saw sickness and poverty. He wanted to understand what caused human suffering. Therefore, he gave up everything, all pleasures and comforts. However, he was still not happy.

One day he sat down under a tree and vowed not to move until he understood. Without food for days he nearly died; however, soon he was enlightened. He understood that it is not wealth and luxury or poverty that brought happiness, rather it was the Middle Way. He began teaching others this Middle Way and soon they began calling him the Buddha, which means Enlightened One.

He taught that by putting aside your ego, you could escape the cycle of death and rebirth and reach Nirvana. The path to Nirvana

could be found through meditation and karma.

Siddhartha Gautama teachings • Influenced by Hindu beliefs

(such as Karma and reincarnation)

• Rejected caste system• 4 Noble Truths and Eightfold

path – The Middle Way

Ponder…1 – Why did Gautama keep some of the Hindu beliefs and reject others?2 – Why would Buddhism be attractive to people, especially to people of India?

4 Noble Truths• Truth of suffering

–Life is full of pain• Truth of Cause

–Suffering comes from desire for possessions• Truth of Extinction

– If people stop desiring possessions, they will no longer suffer

• Truth of the Path–Eliminate the suffering step by step, thus –

the eightfold path

Eightfold path1. Knowing the truth2. Trying to resist evil3. Saying nothing to hurt others4. Respecting life, what is right (morality),

and property5. Holding a job that does not injure others6. Trying to free one’s mind of evil7. Controlling one’s feelings and thoughts8. Practicing proper forms of concentration

To sum up …

Stupas … a Buddhist “spiritual monument”

These sacred sites are scattered across

India, Nepal, and Tibet as well as

South East Asian countries.

A stupa is a monument

shaped in the form of the

sitting Buddha. It's a place of

devotion and prayer.

Sedona, Arizona

However, this one is located elsewhere …

Some are large …

Some are small

Do you see any similarities to other religions we have

studied?

Ancient Indian Dynasties

First, let’s review … what is a dynasty?

A sequence of rulers from the same family or group

Keywords• Dynasties

–Maurya•Ashoka

–Gupta•Contributions

Indian Dynasties• Maurya – 4th and 3rd centuries BCE

– Descendants of Aryans– 1st to unite Indian subcontinent– Contributed to spread of Buddhism

Most famous emperor

Ashoka

After seeing the great despair of war, he turned to Buddhism and set out to

spread the faith

Extent of Mauryan Empire –

at its peak under

Ashoka

Gupta Dynasty

Gupta Dynasty•Ruled during the Golden Age of India

•Decimal numeral system, including concept of zero and infinity, invented symbols 1 - 9

•1st to propose the earth was round

Other contributions of Ancient India …

… cotton clothing

… and the game of chess!

India became a crossroads of culture.

What do you think this means?

Why would India be a crossroads of culture?

Which cultures?

Keywords• Crossroads

–Why–What–Who–Traded

Crossroads – place where people, goods, and ideas from many areas come together

Because of physical location, became a crossroads for trading routes

Either by land or by sea - travelers from China, Africa, Europe and the Middle East crossed over and stopped

in India during their travels

Crossroads of Culture• Goods, ideas, knowledge, and religious

beliefs spread

Just a bit more and then we’re

finished!

Kalidasa• Ancient India’s

most famous poet and playwright

• 170 BC and before 634 AD

Ponder…Many of his writings were on the subject of forbidden love – the love between two people of different classes. Why do you think this was a favorite subject for him and those who enjoyed his writings?

Keywords•Spice Islands and Spice Trade–Area today–Effect on India–Decline

What is now Indonesia and islands off the coast of East Africa - Zanzibar,

Mafia, and Pemba

Spice Islands• For hundreds of years, spices were considered

luxury commodities, thus this spice trade made India a very rich country

• Decline of spice trade - once France and Britain smuggled seeds from India and began growing these spices in their own colonies, they no longer needed to trade with India for these commodities

Believe it or not …

Continue to words to know …

Words, people, and places to know…• Indus River Civilization• Harappan Civilization• Mohenjo-Daro• Harappa• Aryans• Hinduism• Vedas• Karma• Reincarnation• Caste System• Untouchables• Buddhism• Siddhartha Gautama

• 4 Noble Truths• Eightfold Path• Dynasties• Mauryan Dynasty• Ashoka• Gupta Dynasty• Crossroads• Kalidasa• Spice Islands• Ganges River

Words, people, and places to know…• Indus River Civilization – ancient civilization

found along the Indus River in what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India

• Harappan Civilization – another name for the Indus River Civilization

• Mohenjo-Daro – ancient city of the Indus River Civilization

• Harappa – ancient city of the Indus River Civilization

• Aryans – people who migrated from southern Russia into the Indus River Valley

• Hinduism – world’s oldest religion, believes in Karma and reincarnation

Words, people, and places to know…• Vedas – holy book of Hinduism • Karma – an idea that one’s actions determines

what will happen after one’s death • Reincarnation – after death, one’s soul is reborn

into a different body • Caste System – inherited social class• Untouchables – class of people inferior to the 4

major classes • Buddhism – religion founded by Siddhartha

Gautama, believes in karma and reincarnation, rejected caste system, guided by 4 noble truths and eightfold path

Words, people, and places to know…• Siddhartha Gautama – Indian prince who

became Buddha and founded Buddhism• 4 Noble Truths – 4 truths to guide Buddhists in

everyday life in order to reach Nirvana• Eightfold Path – instructions to guide Buddhists

in everyday life in order to reach Nirvana • Dynasties – a sequence of rulers from the same

family or group• Mauryan Dynasty – first dynasty to unite all of

the Indian subcontinent and helped spread Buddhism

• Ashoka – famous emperor of Mauryan dynasty

Words, people, and places to know…• Gupta Dynasty – ancient Indian dynasty that

ruled during the Golden Age of Ancient India • Crossroads – place where people, goods, and

ideas from many places come together• Kalidasa – famous ancient India poet and

playwright • Spice Islands – islands of present-day Indonesia

and off the coast of East Africa where spices were grown and traded with Europeans

• Ganges River – river in India important to Hindus – believe water purifies one from sins and aids dead with transition to another body or heaven