Ancient India

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Ancient India

• Another river valley civilization
• Chapter 3

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INTRODUCTION

• Over 4,000 years ago people built huge, planned
  cities, with straight streets and brick homes
  with private baths!  Kids played with toys and
  women wore lipstick!
• Where did this happen?
• The Indus Valley
• How do we know this?  
• In 1922, archaeologists found the remains of an
  ancient city called Harappa.
• They found another city, located 400 miles
  southwest of Harappa, called Mohenjo-Daro. Other
  ancient cities have been found since.
• This civilization existed from about 3000-2,500
  B.C.E. (Before Common Era) to about 1500 B.C.E.,
  which means it existed at about the same time as
  the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations.
• What was life like, over 4,000 years ago, in
  Harappa and in Mohenjo-Daro, two busy cities of
  about 35,000 people each?
• What would life be like for you back then?
• Welcome to Chapter 3, Ancient India! 

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Geography

• Rivers
• Indus River
• Ganges River
• Mountains
• Himalayan Mountains
• (North East)
• Karakoram Mountains
• (North West)
• Deccan Plateau
• (South)
• Climate
• Monsoon
• Seasonal wind pattern producing heavy rainfall
• Soil
• Mud and Dirt

• Other
• River valleys have rich soil
• Mountains provide an excellent barrier
• Monsoon seasons are irregular causing drought or
  overflooding
• NEEDS
• What should the people do?

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Indus River Valley Geography
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THE HARAPPANS
Indias First Civilization 3000-1500 BC

• Present day country of India and Pakistan

Mohenjo -daro
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• Written records exist, but not deciphered
• Ruled by Monarch with divine help
• Monarchy aided by an elite
• Elite
• Small group of powerful people who supported the
  Kings will
• Farm economy
• Indus river flooding Rich soil
• Surplus fooddevelopment of well planned cities

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Buying Real Estate in Harappa?

• Homes
• Houses were one or two stories high, made of
  baked brick, with flat roofs, and were just about
  identical.
• Each home had its own private drinking well and
  its own private bathroom. Clay pipes led from the
  bathrooms to sewers located under the streets.
• These sewers drained into nearly rivers and
  streams.

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• The Harappan house is an amazing example of a
  native people, without the benefit of technology,
  adapting to local conditions and intuitively
  producing an architecture eminently suited to the
  climate. The house was planned as a series of
  rooms opening on to a central courtyard. This
  courtyard served the multiple functions of
  lighting the rooms, acting as a heat absorber in
  summer and radiator in winter, as well as
  providing an open space inside for community
  activities. There were no openings toward the
  main street, thus ensuring privacy for the
  residents. In fact, the only openings in the
  houses are rather small - this prevented the hot
  summer sun heating the insides of the houses. 

• An advanced drainage system is also in evidence.
  Drains started from the bathrooms of the houses
  and joined the main sewer in the street, which
  was covered by brick slabs or corbelled brick
  arches, depending on its width. 

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Family Life

• Life centered around the family.
• 3 generations lived together
• Patriarchal- Life centered around males The
  oldest male was in charge
• Only men were given the opportunity of education.
• Education with
• the Guru

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Women in Indian society

• Women were considered minors
• Divorce was not allowed (few minor exceptions)
• The ritual of Sati- To show the subjugation to
  men by requiring a wife to
• throw herself on her
• dead husbands
• flaming pyre.
• Women were viewed
• as an economic burden
• little use on farm
• live with husbands
• family

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Early Life in the Indus Valley

• Art Religion
• Weaving, Metal working, and Pottery.
• The Pottery was very high quality, with
  unusually beautiful designs.
• The Vedas were memorized hymns, prayers, and
  religious teachings.
• Transportation
• Camels, oxen and elephants were used to travel
  over land.
• Sailboats were used for travel over water
• Carts with wooden wheels. Ships with one mast,
  probably used to sail around the Arabian Sea.
• Trade
• Seals with a pictographic script, which has not
  as yet been deciphered, were found at the Indus
  Valley sites. Similar seals were found in
  Mesopotamia, which seems to indicate possible
  trade between these two civilizations.

• Entertainment
• The discovery of bronze statues resembling
  dancers tell us they enjoyed dancing as well as
  working with metals.
• The discovery of a large central pool in
  Mohenjo-daro, with steps leading down at both
  ends, could have been a public swimming pool or
  used for religious ceremonies.
• Food
• Each town had a large central storage building
  for grain.
• Crops were grown for all town members.
• Fishing and animal herding also contributed as a
  food source.  
• Toys 
• Small carts, whistles shaped like birds, toy
  monkeys which could slide down a string

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ARRIVAL OF ARYANS

• 2000 BC
• Were nomadic warriors tribal
• Left Central Asia and conquered Harrapans and
  became farmers
• Common theme in history!

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The Aryans

• Excelled at the art of war. Chariots were
  heavier and sturdier than the Egyptians.
• Created the writing system of Sanskrit c. 1000
  B.C.

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• Ruled by Raja- The tribal chieftain prince
• The raja was chosen by Brahman, chief god of the
  Aryans
• Leaders considered representative of the gods
• Leaders still subjected to laws
• Ruler should be just revolt is allowed
• Eventually the title, raja, became the maharaja
  (great prince)

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• The most lasting effect class divisions among
  the people
• This social division was known as the Caste
  System
• Based on skin color (The conquering Aryans were
  light skinned)
• And on economic advantage
• RIGID system determines position in society

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The Caste System

• Upper Classes
• 1. Brahmin
• Priests
• 2. Kshatriyas
• Warriors

• Lower Classes
• 3. Vaisyas
• Merchants, farmers, traders, and artisans
• 4. Sudras
• Laborers and servants to the upper class
• 5. Untouchables
• Cleaning bathes, collected trash. Contact with
  an untouchable was considered harmful. Not
  considered human

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The Caste System Continued
Brahmin Priests?
Kshatriyas Warriors ?
Sudras Laborers and servants ?
Vaisyas Merchantsfarmers ?
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Homework ?

• Type at least a two page paper about the
  following
• Analyze Barrington High School (students,
  teachers, administration, and other staff)
• Is there a caste system?
• What is the high school good life?
• Is school life equally good for everyone?

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Hinduism

• Vedas - collection of hymns
• Belief in one God called Brahman (Vishnu, and
  Shiva)
• Duty of Atman (the individual self)- continual
  search to know Brahman
• Reincarnation- belief that individual soul is
  reborn in a different form after death.
• Karma- What people do in their life determines
  what they will be in the next life.
• What goes around, comes around!
• Dharma- divine law ruling karma.
• Dharma determines the expectation level.

• How does one get in touch with ones spiritual
  nature?
• Yoga a method of training designed to lead to
  union with God.
• Path of Knowledge
• Path of Love
• Path of Work
• Path of Meditation
• Common ?s
• Next page!
• Today, most of Indias citizens are Hindu

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Common Questions

• What is the significance of red dots on the
  forehead?
• It symbolizes the "third eye" -- the one focused
  inwards toward God (or the atma (soul) within
  you). The red dot between the eyebrows is said to
  retain energy in the body and control various
  levels of concentration.
• 2. In the past, a red dot was usually worn by
  married women as an auspicious sign of marriage.
  And, unmarried women wore black dots which
  indicated that they were unmarried.
• If Hindus acknowledge more than 33,000 deities,
  then shouldnt the religion be polytheistic?
• 1. No. Brahman is the ultimate reality of God.
  Hindus believe in more than one FORM of one God.

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Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama
• A prince with every everything, discovers a
  great deal of human suffering outside his
  world.
• Gives up everything to seek the cure for human
  suffering.
• Goal To seek Nirvana
• Means end of the self and a reunion in life with
  the Great Soul
• Four Noble Truths
• Ordinary life is suffering
• This suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy
  ourselves
• The way to end suffering is to end desire for
  selfish goals and to see others as extensions of
  ourselves
• The way to end desire is to follow the middle
  path

• The Middle Path
• Next Page
• Stupas and temples were built to honor the death
  of Gautama.
• Stupas are stone towers that house relics of the
  Buddha

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The Middle Path

• Right View
• We need to know the Four Noble Truths
• Right Intention
• We need to decide what we really want
• Right Speech
• We must seek to speak truth and to speak well
  of others
• Right Action
• The Buddha gave five precepts Do not kill. Do
  not steal. Do not lie. Do not be unchaste. Do not
  take drugs or alcohol.
• Right livelihood
• We must do work that uplifts our being.
• Right effort
• The Buddha said, Those who follow the Way might
  well follow the example of an ox that arches
  through the deep mud carrying a heavy load. He
  is tired, but his steady, forward-looking gaze
  will not relax until he is out of the mud.
• Right mindfulness
• We must keep our minds in control of our senses
  All we are is the result of what we have
  thought.
• Right concentration
• We must meditate to see the world in a new way.

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Conquests in India

• Persians
• Greeks and Macedonians
• Alexander the Great
• 3. Then the Mauryan Dynasty

Alexander the Great
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Mauryan Dynasty

• Ganges River to Indus River to Deccan Plateau.
  Picture Next Page
• Leader- Chandragupta Maurya
• Large army with secret police to protect the
  paranoid leader.
• Empire was divided into provinces and ruled by
  governors.
• Built a road system to make it easier to
  transport goods.
• Next major leader, Asoka

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Mauryan and Asoka Empires
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Asokas Reign

• Ruthless military leader who converts to Buddhism
• Decides to win the support of Indias people
  through kindness.
• Sets up hospitals for both people and animals
• Wanted to lead by good example rather than by
  force.
• Began placing edicts on pillars.
• Edicts are orders that were put on pillars
  throughout the empire
• Edicts stressed Buddhist qualities of goodness
• Trade and Industry flourished under Asoka.

One of Asokas famous pillars
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Expansion of Trade The Kushan Kingdom

• Became one of the most advanced trading
  civilizations in the ancient world
• Trade via sea and camel caravan
• Traded a variety of spices, jewels, and textiles
  for gold, tin, lead and wine.
• One of the major routes was called the Silk
  Road China supplied the Silk Romans wanted it,
  but passed through India to get there...

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The Silk Road
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Gupta Empire

• Developed precise surgical instruments.
• Developed the concept of 0
• Adopted the Hindu faith as the main religion in
  India.
• Taken over by the Huns

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Lasting Effects of Indian Culture

• Literature
• On your own!

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Lasting Effects of Indian Culture

• Art and Sculpture
• On your own!

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