Chapter Five: Ancient Civilizations of India and China ______

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Chapter FiveAncient Civilizations of India and
China______

• Culture and Values, 6th Ed.
• Cunningham and Reich

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Indian Civilization

• The Indus River Valley Civilization
• Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
• Agriculture-based society (cotton)
• Centralization
• Ecological disasters
• Aryan invasions

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The Aryans

• Indus Valley settlements c. 1500 B.C.E.
• Uncertain origins
• Sanskrit
• Caste System
• Agricultural / Pastoral Culture
• Tribal structure
• Epics Ramayana, Mahabharata

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Aryan Religion

• Complex, precise ceremonies and rituals
• The Vedas (Rig Veda)
• Core text of Hindu temple worship
• Upanishads
• Philosophical focus
• Brahman and Atman Tat tvam asi.

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Hinduism

• Priest and temple meditation and study
• Puja
• Path to ultimate reality, Brahman
• Path of Asceticism
• Path of Karma
• Path of Devotion (bhakti)

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Buddha

• Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)
• Inescapability of suffering and death
• Enlightened One
• Fourfold Noble Path
• Eightfold Path
• Emphasis on ethical, moderate living
• Liberation through knowledge
• Truth lies within

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Emperor Ashoka

• Unified all of India
• Buddhism as state religion
• Doctrine of Non-violence
• Rock Edicts
• Buddhist monks as missionaries

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• Image 5.2
• Lion capital

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Hindu and Buddhist Art

• Hindu Art
• Religious in spirit
• Eroticism
• Naturalism
• Unity in all life forms
• Avatars

• Buddhist Art
• Focus on spirituality
• Calm, transcendent images
• Buddha, Bodhisattvas
• Renunciation of worldly pleasures

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The Gupta Empire and Its Aftermath

• Chandra Gupta I (C.E. 320)
• Chandra Gupta II (ruled 380-415)
• The Sun of Power
• Decline of Buddhism, rise of Hinduism
• Gupta Literature
• Kalidasas Sakuntala
• Sudrakas The Little Clay Cart

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The Gupta Empire and Its Aftermath

• Gupta Science
• Foundation of large universities
• Mechanics, medicine, mathematics
• Collapse of Gupta Rule
• The White Huns
• Religion vs. Secular Politics

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Origins of Civilization in China

• Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 B.C.E.)
• Bronze craftsmanship
• Trade, commerce
• System of writing
• Chou Dynasty (1100-221 B.C.E.)
• Emperors coordinated separate kingdoms
• Period of the Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.)

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Origins of Civilization in China

• Confucianism
• Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)
• Creating a new, virtuous social order
• Five inner virtues, two outer virtues
• Purpose of the State
• Authority and discipline

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Origins of Civilization in China

• Taoism
• Lao Tzu (570 B.C.E.)
• Limitations of human perceptions
• the Way (tao)
• Tao te ching
• Passivity and resignation
• the soft yield of water cleaves the obstinate
  stone

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The Unification of China

• Chin Dynasty (221 B.C.E.)
• Shih Huang-ti, First Emperor
• Hsien-yang, captial city
• Centralization
• Burning of the Books
• The Great Wall
• The Emperors tomb

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The Unification of China

• The Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E. - C.E. 202)
• Kao-tsu (256-195 B.C.E.)
• Elaborate central bureaucracy
• Reconstruction of philosophical texts
• Aristocratic feuds / civil war
• Tang Dynasty (C.E. 618-906)
• Chinas Golden Age

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The Arts in Classical ChinaLiterature

• The Five Classics
• Popularity of poetry
• Li Po (C.E. 701-762)
• Philosophical writing
• Mahayana, Hinayana Buddhism
• Short story

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The Arts in Classical ChinaVisual Arts

• Blend of new and traditional styles
• Direct impressions of daily life
• Shrines, monumental carvings
• Emphasis on craftsmanship
• Precision and clarity of design
• Calligraphy
• Emphasis on beauty of line

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Chapter Five Discussion Questions

• In what ways does the classical art of China
  reflect the values of the major philosophical
  schools of the time? Explain, citing specific
  examples of art.
• To what extent does literature serve as both an
  impediment of and a vehicle for reigning
  governments? Consider the use of literature
  during the various Chinese dynasties in
  comparison with the role of literature in the
  early Greek and Roman cultures.
• Explain the difference between Buddhism as it
  first emerged in India from the Hindu tradition
  versus the Buddhism practiced in China. To what
  can we attribute these differences?