Chapters 1-4 Unit I Lesson 4 Notes:
Classical Empires of the East
The Maurya (Mou-ree-uh) Dynasty of India
Asoka, grandson of
Chandragupta, founder of
Maurya Dynasty
• Asoka most honored emperor of
India
• converts to Buddhism elevating
it to the state religion
• rejects violence (against people
& animals)
• rules by moral example
• sends missionaries across India
& Sri Lanka
• tolerant of all other religions
• brings peace, prosperity
• built stone pillars across India
with carved edicts or laws
• built hospitals, Buddhist shrines, roads, with travelercomforts across empire
• after Asoka’s Maurya Dynasty’s power declined by 185 B.C.;
followed 500 years later by…
The Gupta (Goop-tuh) Dynasty of India
The Gupta
Leads the
Golden Age of India
• devised simple math system of writing
numbers
• called “Arabic” numerals today
• originated concept of zero
• developed decimal system of numbers
based on 10
• surgeons set bones & repaired injuries
• introduced smallpox vaccinations not
seen in Europe for another 1000 years
• built magnificent
Hindu temples
• Buddhists built
splendid stupas (large
domed shrines) with
elaborately carved
gateways that told
stories of the life of the
Buddha
• artists painted rich
murals depicting varied
social classes
• rich Indian literature collected & recorded fables &
folktales in
Sanskrit that were carried west to Persia, Egypt, & Greece
• classical, intricate Indian dance based on the state religion
of Hinduism
• decline by weak rulers, civil war, & invasion by central
Asian nomadic White Huns who destroyed everything in their
path
CLASSICAL CHINA
PHILOSOPHIES
Confucianism:
• philosophy to ensure
social order, good
government, & harmony
supported by 5 key
relationships among
people with proper
behavior based on filial
piety
"Never impose on others
what you would not choose
for yourself."
Legalism:
• philosophy emphasizing strict laws & harsh punishments
• autocratic rule “wielding it like lightning or like thunder”
• official policy of the Qin emperor [to follow]
Han Feizi - 280 B.C. – 233 B.C.
Daoism:
• philosophy that encouraged harmony with nature
rejecting conflict & strife
• the best kind of government is one that governs least
Buddhism:
• originally from
India
• emphasized personal salvation by appealing to followers
with its promise of escape from suffering through prayer,
good works, & devotion
DYNASTIC EMPIRES OF CHINA
Zhou (Jo) Dynasty
1100 B.C. – 260 B.C.
• justified its rule by the Mandate of Heaven
Qin (Chin) Dynasty
221 B.C. – 210 B.C.
• unified China
• ushered in China’s classical era
• built the Great Wall to protect itself from invaders
• practiced Legalism
Han (Hahn) Dynasty
200 B.C. – A.D. 200
• kept China unified for 400 years
• established trade along the Silk Road supporting a
cultural diffusion of ideas and customs
• introduced Buddhism to China