Chapter 1.3-India & China

I. Early Civilization in IndiaII. HinduismIII. BuddhismIV. New Empires in IndiaV. Early Chinese CivilizationsVI. The Family in Ancient IndiaVII. The Importance of Confucius

Early Civilizations in IndiaThe geography

of India is very diverse– Its many core

regions include mountain ranges, river valleys, a dry interior plateau, and fertile coastal plains

Early civilization in India developed in the Indus River valley– A civilization flourished there

from 3000 to 1500 B.C– Archaeologists have found

remains of over a thousand settlements in this area• Two sites have ruins of the major

cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

• The advanced civilization that flourished for hundreds of years in these cities is called the Harappan or Indus civilization

Early Civilizations in India

Early Civilizations in IndiaThe Aryans were a nomadic Indo-

European people living in central Asia– Around 1500 B.C.

• moved south across the Hindu Kush mountain range into northern India.

• conquered the Harappans and ended the civilization of the Indus River valley

The Aryans created a new Indian society– excelled at war– advanced eastward and then southward into

the Deccan Plateau– By 1000 B.C., they had extended their control

throughout India

Early Civilizations in IndiaThe Aryan conquest had a lasting

effect on India– created a set of social institutions and

class divisions that last to this day– caste system

• one of the most important Indian social creations

• set up a rigid hierarchy of classes that determined

– a person’s occupation– economic potential– social status

Early Civilizations in IndiaThere were five major classes, or castes, in ancient

India– Brahmans- the priestly class– Kshatriyas- warriors– Vaisyas- commoners

• Many members of this caste were merchants– Sudras,

• made up most of the Indian population• peasants, artisans, or people who did other forms of manual

labor• had limited rights

– Untouchables- the lowest level of society and were not even considered a real part of the caste system

• about 5 percent of ancient India’s population• had an extremely difficult life and performed tasks that other

Indians would not accept• were not considered human, and members of the other classes

considered their presence harmful

HinduismThe religion of Hinduism is based on

Aryan religious beliefs– the Vedas- collections of hymns and

ceremonies that were passed down orally by Aryan priests and later written down

Early Hindus believed in an ultimate reality (God) called Brahman– It was the duty of the individual self, or atman, to seek to know this ultimate reality

– Fulfilling its duty would allow the soul to merge with Brahman after death

HinduismThe idea of reincarnation came into

Hinduism by the sixth century B.C.– the individual soul is reborn in a different

form after death– After many existences, the soul may fulfill

its final goal and unite with Brahman.– Karma is an important part of this process

• Karma refers to the idea that people’s actions determine their form of rebirth and the class into which they are reborn, if they are reborn as a person

– The system of reincarnation thus provided a religious basis for the caste system• Higher caste members were worthy of their

privileges because they had good karma• Members of the lower classes could hope to

improve their social status in future lives if they behaved well in the present

HinduismYoga (“union”) was developed as

a practice to achieve oneness with God– This union was seen as a kind of

dreamless sleepThe numerous Hindu gods and

goddesses give ordinary Hindus a way to express their religious feelings– The three chief deities are

• Brahma the Creator• Vishnu the Preserver• Siva the Destroyer

The vast majority of Indian people today are Hindus.

Buddhism In the sixth century B.C., a new doctrine

called Buddhism appeared in northern India and soon rivaled Hinduism.– Its founder was Siddhartha Gautama, known as

the Buddha (“Enlightened One”).Siddhartha taught his many followers that

the physical realm is an illusion– Attachment to worldly things causes individuals to

suffer– Giving up these attachments stops suffering and

leads to wisdom, or bodhi– Achieving wisdom is a key step in achieving

nirvana, or ultimate reality, in a reunion with the Great World Soul.

BuddhismThe essential Buddhist

teachings concern the Four Noble Truths and the way to achieve these truths by taking the Middle, or Eightfold, Path– Siddhartha accepted

reincarnation but rejected the Hindu caste system

– He instead taught that all individuals could reach nirvana as a result of their behavior in their current life

4 Noble Truths

Click the mouse button or press theSpace Bar to display the answers.

Siddhartha Gautama’s eight not carrying out harsh or mean thoughts

New Empires in IndiaBetween 325 B.C. and A.D. 500, India was

a land of many different statesTwo major empires, however, did create

unified Indian states during this period– The Mauryan Empire lasted from 324 to 183

B.C.• flourished under the reign of Asoka who ruled from

269 to 232 B.C.• most consider Asoka the greatest Indian ruler ever• He converted to Buddhism and governed in

accordance with Buddhist ideals• He set up hospitals for both people and animals, and

sent Buddhist missionaries to China and other parts of Asia

New Empires in India India flourished economically under Asoka.

– It became an important crossroads in commercial networks such as the Silk Road, which passed through the mountains northwest of India

• The Silk Road was an extensive trade route • about 4,000 miles long• reached from the city of Changan in China across central

Asia to Mesopotamia and then through to the city of Antioch on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea

• At Antioch, luxury goods from the West were traded for luxury goods from the East, which were then shipped across the Mediterranean to Greece and Rome

The Mauryan Empire declined after Asoka’s death in 232 B.C.

The Gupta Empire then flourished from A.D. 320 to the end of the fifth century

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe great Chinese civilizations developed

later than the societies in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India

China’s virtual isolation from other emerging centers of culture could account for its late development.

China’s first flourishing civilization developed under the Shang dynasty, which ruled from about 1750 to 1122 B.C.– developments under the Shang:

• An organized government• a system of writing• advanced skills in the making of bronze vessels

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe Chinese believed that supernatural

forces could help with worldly life.– Priests read oracle bones to communicate with

the gods• A king’s question to the gods was etched on a bone• The bone was then heated until it cracked• Priests then interpreted the meaning of the cracks• These bones are a valuable source of information

about the Shang period.

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe Zhou dynasty ruled from 1045 to 256

B.C.– The Chinese began to develop a theory of

government during this periodThe Zhou dynasty claimed it ruled by the

Mandate of Heaven– This view stated that Heaven, an impersonal law of

nature, kept order in the world through the Zhou king.

– Under the Mandate of Heaven, the king was expected to rule with goodness and efficiency by following the proper “Way,” called the Dao

– If he ruled correctly, then the gods would be pleased

– If the king ruled incorrectly, then the gods would signal their displeasure with bad harvests and other disasters

– The king could then be overthrown and replaced with a new ruler

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe Mandate of Heaven helped make legitimate

the dynastic cycles that governed Chinese history from its beginning to A.D. 1912.– All of these dynasties went through a cycle of change– In this cycle, a new dynasty would establish its power, rule

successfully for many years, and then begin to decline.– The collapse of central power would lead to rebellions or

invasion and the eventual end of the dynasty.– Then a new dynasty would begin and start the cycle all

over againTwo hundred years of civil war followed the

collapse of the Zhou dynastyQin Shihuangdi then founded the Qin dynasty and

unified the Chinese world

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe Qin emperor was

concerned with the Xiongnu, a nomadic people who lived in the north near the Gobi– To protect his people from

these invaders, Qin Shihuangdi strengthened a system of walls in a project known today as the Great Wall of China

– While some of these original walls remain standing, the Great Wall that we know today was actually built 1,500 years after the rule of Qin Shihuangdi.

Early Chinese Civilizations

Qin Shihuangdi– built the first phases of the Great Wall– he was buried with and “army” of terra

cotta warriors• each was a unique work of art

Early Chinese CivilizationsThe next dynasty, the Han

dynasty, lasted over four hundred years from 202 B.C. to A.D. 220.– A large and efficient bureaucracy

was created during this dynasty to handle the rapidly increasing Chinese population

– China expanded westward into central Asia and southward into what is modern-day Vietnam

– Many cultural, scientific, and technological achievements also occurred during this period

The Family in Ancient China

The Chinese had, and have, strong beliefs about the family– the family was both the basic economic and

social unit and a symbol of the entire social order.

– Most important to ancient Chinese family life was the concept of filial piety.• Filial piety refers to the duty of family members to

subordinate their needs to the male head of the family• It also describes a system in which every member has

his or her own place, an important Confucian concept

The Family in Ancient China

Families were important in ancient China because many people were needed to work the farms– Young children worked in the fields– Older sons were expected to undertake physical

labor and to provide for their parentsMen dominated Chinese society

– Men were responsible for providing food for their families

– They also governed society and were warriors and scholars

– Women raised children and stayed at home

The Importance of Confucius

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 500s B.C.– Confucianism, the system of Confucius’s ideas,

was thus an important part of Chinese history.• Confucius believed that if humans acted

in harmony with the universe, then their affairs would prosper

• Behaving in accordance with the Dao (Way) was the key to proper behavior.

The Importance of ConfuciusConfucius’s ideas of duty and humanity

are perhaps his most important– individuals subordinate their needs to the

needs of family and community– Five Constant Relationships

• In these relationships, each individual has a duty to the other

– Parent-child– Husband-wife– Older sibling-younger sibling– Older friend- younger friend– Ruler- subject(citizen)

The Importance of ConfuciusConfucius taught that, if each

individual worked hard to fulfill his or her duties, then society as a whole would prosper– rulers must set a good example and

rule virtuously if society is to prosper– compassion and empathy toward

others– “measure the feelings of others by

one’s own.”