Ancient India

1
Ancient India

• The Ins and Outs Presentation

2
I. The Indus River Valley Civilization

• Over 2,000 years old!
• 2,500 BC developed on the banks of the Indus
  River Valley
• Referred to as Harappan civilization
• After one of its major cities
• Lasted until approx. 1,700 BC
• Near present-day Pakistan
• Borders stretch from present-day Kabul,
  Afghanistan to Delhi, India
• Indus Valley

3
I. The Indus River Valley Civilization

• Hundreds of towns and two major cities
• Harappa
• Mohenjo-Daro
• Large city
• Well-built homes
• Public buildings
• Canals
• City walls
• Mohenjodaro 1

4
(No Transcript)
5
I. The Indus River Valley Civilization

• Mohenjo-Daro (inset, pg. 592)
• Craft workers used clay for beautiful figurines
  and communication
• Streets in a grid design
• Wall around the city
• Houses had brick/stone foundations
• Several rooms, toilets, wells, drainage system
  with brick lined sewers in the streets
• Ditches and canals for irrigation
• Public bathhouse
• Buildings for storing grain and holding meetings
• Major trade partners???

6
II. The Aryan Influence on South Asia

• 1,700 BCAryans came to South Asia
• Migrated through Russia and passes in the Hindu
  Kush mountains
• Suggests that Aryans played a role in the end of
  the Harappan civilization
• No one knows why the civilization ended around
  1,700 BC
• Possible theories
• Climate change?
• Conquered?
• Destroyed?
• Aryan people and Indus River valley civilization
  eventually blended into one culture
• This culture was concentrated in both the Indus
  River valley and the Ganges River valley

7
II. The Aryan Influence on South Asia

• A New People, a New Civilization
• Aryans were very different from the Indus River
  valley people
• Spoke the language of Sanskrit
• Nomads and herders (never lived in cities)
• Food and clothes came from animals they raised
• Wealth was measured in number of cattle a person
  owned

8
II. The Aryan Influence on South Asia

• New Technology
• After 1,000 BC Aryans discovered iron ore in the
  Ganges River valley
• Improved agriculture
• Allowed them to discover how to grow rice
  (already a local custom)
• Began to settle in towns

9
II. The Aryan Influence on South Asia

• New Technology, cont.
• Developed new iron weapons
• Stronger than the Harappan peoples weapons
• Improved weapons and introduction of horses
  allowed Aryans to rule the whole area of northern
  India.

10
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• Major Religion developed in ancient India
• Based on Aryan practices
• Priests chant hymns and praises to Gods
• Hymns passed down through Oral Traditions

11
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• Hymns were later written down in a book referred
  to as Vedas
• VedasBooks of Knowledge
• Contain writings on prayers, hymns, religious
  rituals and philosophies
• Equivalent to what???

12
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• Karma and Reincarnation
• Central ideas of Hinduism
• Karma the idea that a persons actions will
  determine what happens to them after their death
• (think What goes around comes around, or You
  get what you deserve.)

13
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• Karma and Reincarnation, cont.
• Reincarnation idea that after death a persons
  soul is reborn into a different body
• Believe cycle of birth, death and rebirth occurs
  over and over again
• Status in life is then determined by actions in a
  previous life

14
(No Transcript)
15
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• The Caste System
• Main characteristic of India that sets it apart
  from other civilizations!
• Caste Inherited social class
• Once born into a class, cannot leave for entire
  lifeno matter what!
• Influenced by the Aryan tribal system
• Tribal system based on organizational belief that
  people are NOT equal

16
(No Transcript)
17
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• The Caste System, cont.
• Four Major Classes (Varnas)
• Brahmanshighest class priests and scholars,
  (because daily life was based on religion and
  rituals)
• Kshatriyasruling class warriors, princes and
  nobles
• Vaisyasmerchants and farmers
• Sudraslaborer or commoners

18
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• The Caste System, cont.
• There was a fifth class, considered to be the
  lowest of the low (this still holds true today)
• The Untouchables
• Did work no one else wanted to do
• Ex cleaned up after cremating the dead,
  executed criminals, tanned animal hides, did jobs
  seen as unclean

19
III. HinduismA Way of Life

• The Caste System, cont.
• The Untouchables, cont.
• Shunned/discriminated against in society
• Ex eat out of out broken bowls, wear clothes
  taken from the dead, sound wooden clappers to
  warn they were coming
• Higher classes could be shunned for either being
  seen with an untouchable or being near his or her
  shadow

20
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• What is a dynasty?
• A family of rulers that controls power of a
  civilization through generations
• Two major dynasties of ancient India
• Maurya
• Gupta
• There contributions still affect our lives today!

21
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• The Mauryan Empire
• First Indian empire
• Approx. from 324-185 BC
• Founded by descendents of the Aryans who moved
  east from the Indus River valley
• One emperor, Ashoka (most famous), created a
  unified government
• Mauryans were known for fine sculptures and
  sandstone carvings

22
(No Transcript)
23
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• The Golden Age and the Gupta Dynasty
• Approx. 320-500 AD
• During Indias Golden Age of science, art and
  literature
• Most rulers were Hindu
• Buddhism was also introduced at this time
• Hindu and Buddhism were major religions at this
  time

24
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• Hindu and Buddhism inspired art
• Created sculptures and paintings of Hindu gods
  and goddesses
• Many temples built containing images of Hindu
  mythology
• Mountainside cliffs were hollowed out for
  Buddhist temples

25
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• Literature
• Sanskrit became more frequent during the Gupta
  dynasty
• Kalidasa
• Great poet and playwright during 5th century AD
  (400s)
• Plays taught moral principles through creativity
  and mystery

26
IV. The Maurya and Gupta Dynasties

• Mathematics
• Gupta mathematicians
• Developed zero concept and numerals we use
  today
• numbers have a place system, with zero as a place
  holder
• Called this system Arabic (we still call it this
  today)