Name: _________________________
Period:_________
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Chapter 4: Ancient India
Chapter Notes
I.
The Indus and Ganges River Valleys
a. India’s Geographic Settings
i. India is separated from the rest of the world by a great natural
barrier known as the _________________________Mountains.
ii. Geographers refer to India as a ________________________, or a
large land mass that juts out from a continent.
iii. A Climate of Monsoons
1. India’s climate is dominated by the
____________________, strong winds that blow across the
region at certain times of the year. (See Map on pg 107)
iv. Barriers and Pathways
1. Great Rivers have their beginnings in the Himalayas and
provide needed water for farming in the river valleys.
a. __________________ River
b. __________________ River
b. Life in the Indus River Valley
i. Ancient City Planners
1. The ruins of Mohenjo-Daro show how carefully the city
was planned.
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2. The cities highest point served as a ________________, or
fortress.
3. Mohenjo-Daro had a drainage system.
ii. Life in the Mohenjo-Daro
1. Traders as far away as ____________________ to buy and
sell precious goods.
2. Their language is still a mystery.
iii. A Mysterious Decline
1. Around ______________ BC, the Indus valley farmers
began to abandon their land.
2. Newcomers from the north entered the valley. These
newcomers eventually gained power throughout the region.
c. A New Culture Arises
i. The newcomers called themselves __________________, which in
their language meant “_____________” or “highborn.” They
migrated, or moved, from their homelands in central Asia.
ii. Aryan Culture Spreads
1. Gradually, it spread into the Ganges valley to the east,
where people also adopted the Aryan language.
2. By 800 BC, the people in northern India had learned to
make tools and weapons from ____________.
iii. Aryan Life
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Period:_________
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1. Most of what we know of early Aryan life comes from
religious books called _______________, which means
“knowledge.”
2. The earliest Aryans were herders and warriors who live in
temporary villages
3. Social Classes
a. Priests, called ___________________
b. Warriors and nobles
c. Artisans and merchants
d. Farmers, laborers and servants.
iv. The Social Order
1. By 500 BC, there was a strict division of the classes.
Europeans would later call it the _____________ system.
2. Each caste or _____________, performed special duties.
3. People always had to stay in caste of their parents.
4. The caste system still exists in present-day India, but less
rigid. Many modern professions have no caste ranking.
II.
Hinduism in Ancient India
a. The Beginnings of Hinduism
i. A Blend of Religions
1. Hinduism developed over ______________ years, it
absorbed many beliefs from other religions.
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2. Over time Hinduism became very complex, with many
different practices existing side by side.
3. Since people are different, they need different ways of
approaching god.
4. There are over _________ million Hindus in India today.
5. Hinduism has no single ___________________ but has
many great thinkers.
6. Hindus have many gods and goddesses.
7. They believe in one single spiritual power called
__________________, which lives in everything.
8. There is more than _________ path to the truth.
ii. Hindu Gods and Goddesses
1. The gods and goddesses stand for different parts of
Brahman. “God is one, but wise people know it by
______________________________.”
a. Brahma, the _________________
b. Vishnu, the __________________
c. Shiva the ____________________
2. They take many different forms called _____________.
An avatars is the representation of a Hindu god or goddess
in human or animal form.
3. Brahma created the earth and everything but not worshiped
as much as Vishnu and Shiva.
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a. Vishnu
i. A kindly god who is concerned with the
________________ of human beings.
ii. Visits earth in different forms to guide or
protect humans.
b. Shiva
i. Not concerned with human matters.
ii. Very powerful, controlling both creative and
destructive forces in the universe.
4. Gods have families.
5. Shiva’s wife ________________ has similar powers.
b. The Teachings of Hinduism
i. The Upanishads
1. One of the Hindu religious texts.
2. Upanishads means “_________________ near a teacher.”
3. In the form of questions by pupils and responses by
teachers.
4. Brahman has no __________________ form.
ii. Reincarnation
1. Reincarnation is the ________________ of the soul.
2. When a person dies, a person’s soul is reborn into another
living thing.
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Period:_________
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3. Every living thing has a soul.
4. The actions a person has in life, will affect his or her fate in
the next.
5. Good behavior is always __________________ and bad
behavior is always ___________________.
6. Faithful Hindus will be born into a higher position.
7. Those whose acts have been bad may be born into a lower
caste or may return as ___________________.
8. If you lead a perfect life you may be freed from the cycle of
death and rebirth. The person’s soul becomes one with
_____________________.
iii. A Hindu’s Duties
1. _________________ is the religions and moral duties of
each person.
2. __________________ is nonviolence. Every living thing is
part of the Brahman and must be treated with respect.
3. Many Hindus are vegetarians.
c. The Practice of Hinduism
i. The Yogas
1. Hindus belief yoga exercises help free the soul from the
cares of the world.
2. The soul unites with the Brahman.
3. Yoga means _______________.
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Period:_________
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ii. Private Devotion
1. Hindus often choose a personal god to honor with offerings
of food, gifts, and prayers at a home altar.
III.
The Beginnings of Buddhism
a. A young Hindu prince named Siddhārtha Gautama lived a life of luxury in
is palace in northern India.
i. He was surrounded by beauty and youth. He had never witnessed
old age, sickness, or death.
ii. At age __________ he left the palace walls and witnessed human
suffering for the first time.
iii. He gave up his wealth, his family, and his life of ease in order to
find the causes of human suffering.
b. The Buddha and His Teachings
i. As Siddhārtha travelled in the 500s BC, he sought the answers to
the meaning of _______________.
ii. The Search for Understanding
1. He stopped looking outwardly for the cause of suffering.
2. He decided to _______________ or focus the mind inward
in order to find spiritual awareness.
3. Siddhārtha fasted and meditated under a fig tree for
__________ days.
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Name: _________________________
Period:_________
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4. He travelled the next 45 years across India sharing his
knowledge.
5. His followers called him “_______________” or
Enlightened One.
iii. The Middle Way
1. Buddhism teaches to follow the Eightfold path known as
the ______________________________.
2. A person avoids extreme pleasure and also avoids extreme
___________________________.
3. Buddha believed that selfish desires for power, wealth, and
pleasure cause humans to ________________.
iv. Release from Reincarnation
1. To find the Middle Way, people must act unselfishly
towards one another.
2. Always tell the truth.
3. Avoid killing and violence.
4. They will eventually find __________________, or lasting
peace.
v. Followers of Buddhism
1. All people are equal.
2. Buddha encouraged his followers to establish monasteries.
3. He urged his monks to become ___________________, or
people who spread their religious beliefs to others.
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Period:_________
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c. Buddhism Inside and Outside India
i. Buddhism was overpowered in India by Hinduism.
ii. Hindus and Buddhists: Shared Beliefs
1. It is wrong to harm living creatures.
2. Nonviolence
3. Dharma
4. Reincarnation
iii. Buddhism Spreads to Other Countries
1. First took root in ________________.
2. Spread to Korea and Japan.
3. Now in Tibet and Vietnam.
IV.
The Maurya Empire
a. Around __________ BC, Chaundragupta Maurya founded the Maurya
Empire.
b. The Rise of the Maurya Empire
i. Strong and ruthless, Chaundragupta’s armies overthrew kingdoms
along the _________________ River.
ii. His power extended over most of northern and central India.
iii. Absolute Rule
1. The book _____________________ urged the king to
maintain control of their subjects and to establish and army
of spies to inform on them.
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Period:_________
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2. He had a huge army with thousands of foot soldiers and
_________________ war elephants.
3. Passed throne to son.
4. Later became a monk and fasted, starving himself to death.
iv. Chandragupta’s Legacy
1. He used the wealth to improve his empire.
c. Asoka’s Leadership
i. Chaundragupta’s son died in __________ BC. The throne was
handed down to his grandson _______________.
ii. The Battle of Kalinga
1. In the first years of his rule, Asoka was as warlike as his
grandfather had been.
2. He led his armies south to Kalinga in 261 BC.
3. Killed or wounded thousands in the battle. Became a
__________________________ in his life.
4. He chose to _______________ or change beliefs to
Buddhism.
iii. The Buddhist Ruler
1. He gave up _________________, a traditional sport for
Indian Kings.
2. Considered his people, his children and was concerned for
their welfare.
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Name: _________________________
Period:_________
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3. Taught ____________________ or freedom from
prejudice.
4. Issued laws that required people be treated humanely.
iv. Buddhism Outside of India
1. During rule, many Buddhist teaching became part of
______________________.
2. It was missionaries sent by Asoka who spread Buddhism to
________________.
3. After his death, the territories became divided. It took
almost __________ years before India would unite again.
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