Stearns
Chapter 3: Classical Civilization- India
 Emphasis in classical India- religion and social structure
 India- Similar to China because both were agricultural societies and
majority of populations were tenant farmers
The Framework for Indian History: Geography and Formative Period
 Shaped by geography and climate
 Open to influences from Middle East and Mediterranean World
 Alexander the Great- invaded- spread Hellenistic Culture (turned around
at Ganges River)
 Himalayas to North/ Hindu Kush Mountains to Northwest
 Monsoon winds and rains
 Vedic (1500-1000BCE) and Epic Ages- Aryan (Indo-European) migrantshunting and herding people originally from central Asia
 Pre-classical period- information comes from literary epics from Aryanswritten in Sanskrit- sacred books called Vedas
o Ex: Mahabharata, Ramayana, Upanishads
 Aryans- tight levels of village organization
o Led by village chiefs- patriarchal controls and extended family
important
 Indian Caste (Varna) system took shape
 1. Kshatriyas (warriors) 2. Brahmans (priestly class) ***eventually flipped
in ranking***3. Vaisyas- traders and farmers 4. Sudras- common Laborers
5. Untouchables (pariahs/ outcastes)- unclean jobs
o Eventually five social groups became hereditary with marriage
between castes forbidden
o #1, 2, 3= “Twice-born” Castes- signifying a higher reincarnation
from previous life
o Varna= color- lighter skin tended to hold higher castes or varnas
 Jati= smaller varna subgroup with distinctive occupations and each tied to
its social station by birth
 Rig-Veda
o Many gods/ goddesses who regulated natural forces and
possessed human qualities
o Sacredness of cattle and monkeys (ex: Hanuman)
Patterns in Classical India
 4th C BCE- India divided into powerful regional states
 327 BCE- Alexander the Great- went through the Khyber Pass and
established the border stated of Bactria
MAURYANS
 322 BCE- Chandragupta Maurya- seized power along Ganges River- 1st
Mauryan Dynasty
o Large armies, postal service
o Chandragupta went out hunting surrounded by circle of women,
then spear-carrying guards
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Ashoka (269-232 BCE)
o Spiritual- especially Buddhism- liked belief in dharma- propagated
Buddhism throughout empire
 Ex: Ashoka’s Edicts
 Kushans invaded- King Kanishka- collapsed by 220CE
GUPTAS
 320CE- spread empire through marriage
 535CE- invasion by nomadic warriors, The Huns, overthrew Guptas
Political Institutions
 Regionalism and considerable diversity in political forms
 Gupta dynasty kings claimed they had been appointed by the gods to rulefavored Hinduism
 Demanding taxation system- numerous languages
 Uniform law codes
 Golden Age in Indian History
 Kautilya- Chandragupta’s chief minister- wrote important treatise on
politics- focused on maintaining power
 Caste System and Hinduism- promoted public order
o Extensive outright slavery was avoided
o Untouchable caste was scorned, confined to poverty and degrading
work, by its members were not directly owned by others.
Religion and Culture
 Hinduism- no single founder, no central holy figure
 Encouraged political and economic goals (artha) and worldly pleasures
(called Karma)
 Gurus= mystics/ teachers
 Vishnu= preserver Shiva= destroyer
 Reincarnation- souls (atman) do not die with bodies- but pass into other
beings (animal and human)
 Soul depends on karma/ dharma- how good a life someone led
 Ultimately- full union with Brahman (MOKSHA)
 Story of Bhagavad Gita- warrior sent to do battle against own relatives
 563BCE- Siddhartha Gautama, Indian prince, later known as Buddha, or
“enlightened one”
 Goal to reach a world beyond existence (NIRVANA)
 Argued holy life could be achieved through individual effort by people at
every level of society
 Buddhism began in India, but became more popular elsewhere: especially
Sri Lanka, China, Korea, and Japan
 Kamasutra- manual of the “laws of love” written in 4th century CE
 Panchatantra- included Sinbad the Sailor
 Important Astronomer= Aryabatta- calculated length of solar year and
improved mathematical measurements
 Guptas invented the concept of zero and numerals (later called Arabic
numerals)
Economy and Society
 Extensive internal and maritime (sea) trade
 Family life combined patriarchy with an emphasis on affection
 Caste system- occupations (jati) and regulated marriages
 Hierarchy and tight organization within families- rights of women became
more limited
 Hindu thinkers disagreed over whether women could advance spiritually
without first being reincarnated as a man
 Arranged marriages became common- women to husband’s house (loss
of money and labor for her family)
 Emotional, loving relationships common and prized
 Advances in chemistry and superior steel and iron-making- manufactured
cotton cloth
 Merchants held in higher regard in India than in China
 Economy agricultural at base
Indian Influence
 Because of extensive trade, Indian artistic and cultural influence spread
widely, particularly in SE Asia. Buddhism was a leading cultural export
 Indian Ocean (trade using Monsoon winds)
 Buddhism spread from India to many parts of SE Asia and Hinduism
converted many upper-class people
 Gupta- classical period
India and China
 China and India offer important contrasts in political emphases, social
systems and cultures
 They also resembled each other in seeking to build stable structures over
large areas and in using culture to justify social inequality
 Science: Chinese placed greater stress on practical findings, Indians
ventured further into mathematical area
 Both agricultural societies with large peasant class
 Patriarchy
 India’s expanding cultural influence due to merchants whereas Chinese
expansion was through government initiatives
Duiker & Spielvogel
Chapter 2
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Bhagavadgita: Story of Arjuna being encouraged to fight against his
family and friends by Krishna b/c he was a warrior and it was his
DUTY, also REINCARNATION
Dravidians vs. Aryans in India
Question of Harappan Civilization- how did it come to an end around
1500BCE? (Mohenjo-Daro= “City of the dead”)
Info on Aryans from Rigveda written after they arrived in India
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Mauryan Empire- Founded by Chandragupta Maurya- advised by Kautila
who wrote Arthasastra-ends justify the means- similar to the Prince
(Machiavelli)
Varna (caste) system
o 1. Brahmins (priests)
o 2. Kshatriya (warriors)
o 3. Vaisyas (merchants/commoners)
 1-3 equals “Twice Born”
o 4. Sudras (majority of population)
o 5. Pariahs/untouchables/outcastes
Jati- system of large extended families linked with occupations
Sati(suttee)- wife threw herself on her dead husband’s funeral pyre
Hinduism- Asceticism important- yoga
Great World Soul= Brahman
Shiva- creator and destroyer of the universe
Nirvana- Buddhists occasionally remark that someone who asks for a
description doesn’t understand the concept. “blowing out a candle”
Jainism- led by Mahavira- extreme simplicity- beg for living
Asoka- Indian king- spread of Buddhism “Asoka’s Edicts”
Language of the Vedas- Sanskrit= language of bureaucracy
Mahabharata and Ramayana= 2 famous epics