AP World History
Classical Civilization India
Topography of India
• Subcontinent of
India is partially
separated from
the rest of the
Asian continent
by the Himalayas
Passes through the mountains linked India to
other civilizations in the Middle East
Divisions within India itself made
full unity very difficult.
The most important agricultural regions
are those along the Indus and the Ganges
Rivers
The Formative Period
Indian civilization was
also shaped by its Vedic
and Aryan Ages. Aryan
conquerors gradually
came to terms with
agriculture. These ages
brought the caste
system, Sanskrit and
many other religious
beliefs to India.
Aryan Civilization
• Indo European people who migrated across
Europe and Asia.
• No Archeological record of early Aryans.
• Priests called Vedas kept oral stories that were
passed down for generations.
• The Vedas oral histories were written down
around 1500 B.C.E
Aryan Society
• Aryans loved fighting, drinking, and playing dice.
• They broke their society into four groups.
– Brahmins or Priests.
– Kshatriyas or Warriors.
– Vaisyas or merchants, artists, farmers and herders.
– Sudras or natives conquered by Aryans.
• Later the for groups were divided by economic
status.
• Slowly castes developed subdividing the people.
Aryan Religious Beliefs
• Aryans were polytheistic.
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Indra = God of Thunder, War= Weapon Thunderbolt.
Varuna = God of Order.
Agni = God of Fire = Messenger.
Brahman = God of all things.
Mystics = People who seek spiritual things.
Rajahs = Elected warrior leaders.
Nomads to Farmers
• The Aryans began to settle in villages then
cities.
• Rajahs became hereditary monarchs.
• By 500 B.C.E many Rajahs controlled a new
civilization of both Aryans and natives.
• Written language of Sanskrit began to appear.
Mahabharata
• India’s greatest epic poem.
• Story of Aryans fighting each other.
• Five royal brothers fight one battle that lasts
18 days.
Ramayana
• The hero Rama must rescue Sita his beautiful
bride from the demon king Ravana.
• The monkey general Hanuman helps Rama
rescue Sita.
• Rama = ideal king.
• Sita = ideal women.
Classical Age India
• Alexander the Great.
• We learn about the
Maurya empire from a
Greek diplomat.
The Maurya and Gupta dynasties
constituted the most successful
political regimes in India. They
were run entirely by Indians
themselves as opposed to outside
conquerors.
The Maurya Dynasty
The first to unify much of the
subcontinent. It’s first major ruler
was Chandragupta. He ruled along
the Ganges River around 322 BCE.
He borrowed from Persian political
models, and Alexander the Great.
Chandragupta, Maurya Empire
• The first leader who conquered northern
India.
• The empire was maintained by a well
organized Bureaucracy.
• Maintained large armies
• Developed a postal service
• The government built roads, harbors,
collected taxes, and had royal courts.
Ashoka
• The most honored Maurya emperor.
• He conquered the Deccan region at the cost of
100,000 dead.
• Gained control of all India except the southern tip
• Built an extensive road network, with wells and
rest stops for travelers. Commerce grew.
• He then converted to Buddhism.
• He stopped all conquest and became a
vegetarian.
• He built stone pillars announcing peace and
prosperity and helped unite a divided people.
Advances
• Literature.
– Fables, and folk tales in the Sanskrit language
– Most famous play was Shakuntala.
• Art.
– Murals or wall paintings, Sexually vivid.
• Architecture, stone temples, stupa’s or domes.
– Lots of carvings.
• Physicians.
– Plastic surgery.
– Vaccination of people against small pox.
• Math.
– Concept of Zero.
– Decimal system based on 10.
Kushan Empire
• Nomadic Empire that spread rapidly across
the northern empire.
• The Kushans adopted elements of the
Hellenistic culture of Bactria.
• They adopted the Greek alphabet to suit their
own language
The Guptas
Began around 320 CE - No individual
rulers but a great impact - Power
was spread through intermarriage
and negotiation. This was the
greatest period of stability for India.
Considered the golden age. They
were overthrown by the Huns in 535
CE
The Caste System
Provided the stability in India that
most countries received from
government.
The caste system developed during the Vedic
and Epic Ages. It slowly developed into
almost 300 sub castes.
It provided a network of rules and promoted
public order.
Gupta Destroyed
• About the time of the Roman Empires collapse the
White Huns overran the Gupta empire.
• India split into many kingdoms for almost a 1000
years.
Many Gods or One
• Hinduism has no founder but grew out of
many cultures and people.
• One of the worlds most complex religions.
“God is one, but wise people know it by many
names.”
• Brahman is the one god but people worship
him as thousands of different gods.
Hindu Beliefs
• Reincarnation
– Rebirth of the soul.
– Can be reborn up or down in the cast
system.
• Gurus
– Great knowledge leads people as a teacher.
• Mystics
– Religious leaders
Varuna God of the Sky
Hindu Sacred Texts
• Bhagavad-Gita.
– Teaches duty over personal desires and ambitions.
Features of Hinduism
Upanishads – Epic poems
Dharma – Hindu moral law
The Upanishads
• The Upanishads are
philosophical texts
considered to be an
early source of Hindu
religion. More than 200
are known.
• All Upanishads have
been passed down in
oral tradition.
Kamasutra
• It presents itself as a guide to a
virtuous and gracious living.
• A book on practical advice on sex.
The Goal of Life
• Every person on earth has a atman or
Brahman.
• The goal is to achieve moksha or union with
your Brahman.
– You must free yourself of selfish desires.
– It may take several lives to obtain.
– Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul.
Karma and Dharma
• Karma deals with all actions in this life that
affect his or her status in the next life.
• All existence is ranked. Humans are at the top
then comes animals, plants, and rocks.
• Dharma is the duties that each class of people
must accomplish to progress.
Opposition to the Brahmins
• Some people rejected traditional Hinduism for
a more extreme form.
Early Life
• The early life of Gautama was spent in a
palace surrounded by luxury.
• Prince Gautama married and had a son.
• Gautama was sheltered by his father who did
not want him to become a traveling holy man.
The Search
• Gautama was riding one day and came across a dead
man, a sick person, and an old man.
• He left his family to find a place without suffering.
“why is their so much suffering in life?”
• He sat under a tree for 48 days pondering the
mystery of life.
• he answered the question, his name changed to
Buddha. “the enlightened one.”
• Nirvana and Moksha.
Accepted many Hindu beliefs but
attacked the priests and caste system.
Buddha argued that holy life could be
attained from any level of society.
Four Noble Truths
• All life is filled with pain and suffering.
• The cause of suffering is the desire for things
that are really illusions, such as riches, power,
and long life.
• The cure for suffering is to overcome desire.
• Overcome desire by following the Eightfold
Path.
Buddhism and Hinduism Compared
• Both Buddhism and Hinduism believe in the
cycle of rebirth.
• Buddhism grew out of Hinduism.
• Both stress non-violence.
Buddhist Sacred Texts
• The Tripitaka or “Three Baskets of Wisdom”
– “Overcome evil with good.”
– “Overcome the liar with truth.”
Two Sects of Buddhism
• Theravada: Followed the original teachings of
Buddha closely.
• Mahayana: Worship Buddha even though
Buddha taught the people not to worship him.
• Afterlife with many heavens and hells.
Stupa’s
• A stupa is a mound-like structure
containing Buddhist relics, typically
the remains of Buddha, used by
Buddhists as a place of worship.
Decline of Buddhism in India
• Hinduism eventually absorbed some Buddhist
ideas.
• Hinduism added Buddha to their long list of
Gods.
• Muslim armies destroyed the few remaining
Buddhist centers of learning in the North.
Priest Morning Rituals
Economy and Society
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Patriarchal
arranged marriages
companionate
Textiles
Iron working
Steel
Long-distance trade
Indian Influence Spread Via trade
Buddhism
China and India
Contrasts
• Indian sensuality v. Chinese restraint in art
• India more rigid socially
• India did not develop solid political traditions and
institutions
Similarities
• large peasant classes
• patriarchy