AIM: Why was the Gupta Empire known as
the “golden age” of India?
Do Now: Define Golden Age. If you don’t
know, look at the phrase and take an
educated guess.
HW: Write a paragraph explaining the at
least one cultural and one scientific
accomplishment of the Untied States.
C3.5: Ancient Indian Life and Culture
The Story Continues
“It is a day of festival. . . . the streets are
broad rivers of people, folk of every race,
buying and selling in the marketplace or
singing to the music of wandering
minstrels.” This account recalls a day of
celebration during the Gupta Empire, an
era in which Indian culture and
achievements flourished.
I. Economy and Society
While the highest classes in northern India
enjoyed luxury, most people barely survived
I. Economy and Society
The rajas drew wealth from the farmers who
worked the land and claimed one-fourth of
each harvest
I. Economy and Society
In southern India many lived by trading,
sending luxury goods to the Far East, SW
Asia, Africa, and Europe
I. Economy and Society
Hindu women had few rights, were required
to obey male relatives, and could not own
property or study sacred writings
I. Economy and Society
Men could have more than one wife and
polygyny became widespread
Polygamy and polyandry were prevalent In ancient
India, but it is doubtful whether they were ever popular
in the public opinion. It was practiced mostly by the
warrior castes and rich merchants. Many Hindu gods
are also depicted as polygamous, with two or more
wives. Present day Hindus consider both polygamy and
polyandry primitive and archaic, remnants of an old
society that still haunt the lives of a few unfortunate
victims. In India Hindus acknowledge polygamy as both
illegal and immoral.
I. Economy and Society
In a practice called suttee, widows threw
themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres
Sati (or Suttee) is a rare Indian practice in which a widow sacrifices
her life by throwing herself onto her deceased husband’s funeral
pyre. It is not directly derived from or connected to Hinduism,
although spiritual beliefs play a large part in its traditional
observation
II. Cultural Achievements
The stories of the Panchatantra, or “Five
Books,” were animal fables intended to
instruct the sons of the royalty
One of India's most influential
contributions to world literature,
the Panchatantra consists of five
books of animal fables and
magic tales (some 87 stories in
all) that were compiled between
the third and fifth centuries AD. It
is believed that even then the
stories were already ancient. The
tales' self-proclaimed purpose is
to educate the sons of royalty.
II. Cultural Achievements
The Panchatantra has been translated into
more languages than any other book except
the Bible
II. Cultural Achievements
Plays were often performed outside and
contained tragic scenes, but ended happily
A. Art and Architecture
The only paintings that survive are murals in
caves depicting the Buddha and his followers
The Ajanta Caves.
Ancient Paintings
of Buddhist India
A. Art and Architecture
Architects designed and built great Hindu
temples and Asoka built thousands of
Buddhist stupas
B. Education
Education was only for higher caste children
and they studied the Vedas, astronomy,
mathematics, warfare, and government
The ancient Gurukul system of education where the
guru imparts knowledge to the disciples
B. Education
Nalanda was a Buddhist university where
thousands of students attended for free
C. Mathematics and Astronomy
Mathematicians understood the concepts of
abstract and negative numbers, zero, and
infinity
C. Mathematics and Astronomy
Aryabhata (late AD 400’s) was one of the first
to use algebra and to solve quadratic
equations
C. Mathematics and Astronomy
Indian astronomers identified seven planets,
understood the earth’s rotation, and predicted
eclipses
D. Medicine
Indian rulers built free hospitals for the people
D. Medicine
Indian physicians understood the importance
of the spinal cord, could set bones and
performed plastic surgery
D. Medicine
Physicians practiced cleanliness before
operations and disinfected wounds, a
procedure not practiced in Western medicine
until recent times
D. Medicine
Physicians developed inoculation - infecting a
person with a mild form of a disease to
prevent a more serious form
D. Medicine
They successfully inoculated people against
smallpox, something not accomplished in the
West until the 1700s