Early Societies of the
Indian Subcontinent
Comparisons between India,
Egypt, Mesopotamia
Similarities
 Founded in river valleys –
Indus and Ganges/Tigris,
Euphrates/Nile
 Hierarchical
 Polytheistic
 Belief in afterlife
 Conquered or overrun many
times (India/Mesopotamia)
= cultural mixture AND
search for stability
Differences
 India politically fragmented –
hard to unite
 Indian caste system – much
more rigid social
classes/groups
 Indian beliefs in
reincarnation after death
 Indian beliefs in religious
contemplation, self-denial,
and nonviolence
Harappan Society in the
Indus River Valley (7000-1700 BCE)
Harappan India
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Early agricultural farming villages by 7000 BCE
Towns and cities by 3000 BCE
Large cosmopolitan cities – 2800 to 1700 BCE
Two main cities: Harappa (north) and
Mohenjo-Daro (south)
Population of @30,000 each
Harappan Granary
Mohenjo-Daro: Ancient City on the
Indus
© Borromeo/Art Resource, NY
Great Bath, Mohenjo-Daro
Note: Harappans
were great cityplanners with welllaid-out linear streets
5000 year old Harappan
figure – possibly Maha
Devi or the Great
Mother Goddess
Harappan
Priest-King,
c. 2000 BCE
The Harappan peoples, like their contemporaries in Mesopotamia, developed a writing
system to record their spoken language. Unfortunately, it has not yet been deciphered.
Most extant examples of Harappan writing are found on fired clay seals depicting
human figures and animals. These seals have been found in houses and were probably
used to identify the owners of goods for sale. Other seals may have been used as
amulets or have had other religious significance. Several depict religious figures or
ritualistic scenes of sacrifice.
© Scala/Art Resource, NY
Harappan Dancing
Girl Bronze Figure,
c. 2000 BCE
Vedic India &
Arrival of the Aryans
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Who are the Aryans? (1500-1000BCE) –
pastoral nomads, sheep and cattle, horses
Moved into Indian subcontinent from north
Conflict and connections with Harappan
descendents
Formed many small warring kingdoms led by
warrior king rajahs
Vedas were sacred hymns of priests, finally
written down by 800 BCE
Aryans Invade from North
Info in Vedas
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Focused on war and battle
Patriarchal
Polytheistic
Animal sacrifice
Life after death
Wine, food, gambling
Beginning of caste system: difference between
Aryans (“noble”) and defeated people (“Dasa” –
meaning slave or subject)
Persian and Greek Influences
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Invasions of northwest India by Persians (518
BCE) and Greeks (326 BCE)
Brought wider connections with other cultures
Increased trade
Affected political alignments within continent
Caused rise of Mauryan Empire out of many
different states/kingdoms
Indian Political Consolidation,
4th Century BCE
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Mauryan Empire (342-301 BC)
Led by Chandragupta Maurya
 United various kingdoms into first Indian empire
 321-184 BCE
 Combined govt., military, religions of Persia,
Macedonia, and India
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First Dynasty in India
Ashoka, Chandragupta’s grandson
 Converted to Buddhism and led paternalist state
 Spread religion and control
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The Empire of
Ashoka
Ashoka, the greatest
Indian monarch, reigned
over the Mauryan dynasty
in the third century
B.C.E. This map shows
the extent of his empire,
with the location of the
pillar edicts that were
erected along major trade
routes.
Carved
Chapels
Carved out of solid rock cliffs
during the Mauryan dynasty,
rock chambers served as
meditation halls for traveling
Buddhist monks. Initially,
they resembled freestanding
shrines of wood and thatch
from the Vedic period but
evolved into magnificent
chapels carved deep into the
mountainside, such as this one
at Karli.
© age fotostock/SuperStock
Caste and Class
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1. Priestly Class (Brahmins)
2. Warrior Class (Kshatriya)
3. Commoner Class (Vaisya)
4. Peasant Class (Sudras)
5. Untouchables (Pariahs)
Reasons for Survival of Caste System:
1. provided an identity for individuals in a highly hierarchical society
2. means for new groups to achieve recognizable place in broader
community
3. primitive welfare system
4. provided an element of stability in society that was in a state of political
anarchy
Escaping the Wheel of Life:
Religions of India
Group Work
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Break up into groups of 3 people
Wait to be assigned an Indian religion
Assignment:
Using your textbook, what are the major beliefs of
your assigned religion?
 What is the relationship between your religion and
the caste system?
 Your information should be synthesized and
organized to fit on one or two Powerpoint slides
 Designate one person from your group to send me
your information in an email; I will add to the PP.
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Vedic Religion or Brahminism
(page 55)
Sacred text known as the Vedas
Jainism
(pages 55-56)
Buddhism (Middle Path)
(page 56)
Mahayana Buddhism
(pages 62-63)
Theravada Buddhism
(page 63)
Hinduism
(pages 56-57, 63-64)
Dancing Shiva
The
Hindu deity Shiva is often
presented in the form of a bronze statue
performing a cosmic dance in which he
simultaneously creates and destroys the
universe. While his upper right hand
creates the cosmos, his upper left hand
reduces it in flames, and the lower two
hands offer eternal blessing. Shiva’s
dancing statues visually convey to his
followers the message of his power and
compassion.
© William J. Duiker
The Three Faces of Shiva
In the first centuries C.E., Hindus began to adopt Buddhist rock art. One outstanding example is at the Elephanta
Caves, near the modern city of Mumbai (Bombay). Dominating the cave is this 18-foot-high triple-headed statue
of Shiva, representing the Hindu deity in all his various aspects. The central figure shows him in total serenity,
enveloped in absolute knowledge. The angry profile on the left portrays him as the destroyer, struggling against
time, death, and other negative forces. The right-hand profile shows his loving and feminine side in the guise of
his beautiful wife, Parvati.
© Charles & Josette Lenars/CORBIS.
Buddha in Indonesia & Thailand
Female Earth
Spirit
This earth spirit, sculpted on a gatepost
of the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi 2,200
years ago, illustrates how earlier
representations of the fertility goddess
were incorporated into Buddhist art.
Women were revered as powerful
fertility symbols and considered
dangerous when menstruating or
immediately after giving birth.
Voluptuous and idealized, the earth
spirit could allegedly cause a tree to
blossom if she merely touched a branch
with her arm or wrapped a leg around
the tree’s trunk.
© Atlantide Phototravel (Massimo Borchi)/CORBIS