India and SouthEast Asia
I. Foundations of Indian Civilization
A.
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The Indian Subcontinent
Monsoon – Indian
Ocean
Multiple harvests per
year
Indus Valley – arid,
needs irrigation
Trade with Arabia –
Indonesia
Indus River Valley
Civilization fell 1900
BCE, writing, cause of
fall?
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What geographic
zones would you
break India into?
B. The Vedic Age, 1500 – 500 BCE
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Vedas
Indo – European invasions
Oral traditions
Aryas – light – north – Indo European
Dasas – dark – south –
Dravidian
Varna
Class, caste, and jati
Atman, reincarnation, karma
Sacrifice/male gods
Rig Veda, Brahmanas
Sanskrit – ORAL
Women
Brahmin (mouth)
Kshatriya (arms)
Vaishya (thighs)
Shudra (feet)
Untouchables
What impact did the
Aryan invasions
starting in the 1600s
have on the Indian
subcontinent?
 Compare and contrast
the Indian caste
system with the use
of slavery in Greece
and Rome.
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C. Challenges to the Old Order:
Jainism and Buddhism
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700 BCE – spiritual opposition
Moksha, Upanishads
Jainism (Mahavira)
Siddhartha Guatama (563 –
483 BCE)
Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path
LIVE IN MODERATION
Nirvana – release
Later – hierarchy, institutions
Buddha/Bodhisatvas
Influence of Greeks on
depictions
Mahayana (Great Vehicle)
Theravada (Teachings of the
Elders)
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Explain WHY Buddhism rose and declined in
India.
D. The Rise of Hinduism
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4th c. CE - Vedic tradition
adjusted (north and south)
Gods/worshippers
Vishnu
Shiva
Devi
Diversity – unity
Temples, puja, pilgrimage,
festivals
Impact of class on worship
New expectations of
life/duties
Inclusion of
Buddhism/Jainism
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Compare and contrast the impact that Buddhism
and Hinduism had on the individual worshipper.
II. Imperial Expansion and
Collapse, 324 BCE – 650 CE
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A.
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Difficulty in obtaining
POLITICAL unity
The Mauryan Empire, 324 –
184 BCE
600 BCE - Many kingdoms
Magadha most powerful,
Ganges plain
Chandragupta
Arthashastra
Administration (taxes,
governors, army, mines,
urban committees)
Pataliputra
Ashoka – Buddhism,
nonviolence, religious
tolerance
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Why was the Mauryan Empire the first to
achieve political unity in India?
B. Commerce and Culture in an Era
of Political Fragmentation
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Foreign powers: Greco –
Bacrian, Shakas, Kushans
Political fragmentation BUT
active commerce/trade
Ramayana and Mahabharata
(Bhagavad – Gita)
Tension: duty to society vs.
soul
Disciplined action – service –
release from reincarnation
Indian doctors
Linguistics – Sanskrit
Andhra Dynasty/Three Tamil
Kingdoms
Classical Period (arts)
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How does the Bhagavad – Gita
demonstrate the impact that Buddhism
had on Vedic traditions?
C. The Gupta Empire, 320 – 550 CE
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Modeled on Mauryans
Chandra Gupta (r. 320 – 325) –
control over commerce,
resources, monopolies
Subjects – labor
Bureaucracy in CORE,
governors exploited periphery,
army ensured tribute
“Theater – state” – benefits of
empire
Mathematics, sciences
Women: property, education,
marriage, sati
Options: nun or courtesan
Monarchs: Hindus
Resurgence: Vedic practices,
Brahmin priests, class and
caste, temples
Commerce
Collapse - Huns
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Does the “theater – state” model entirely explain
how the Gupta Empire was able to control a vast
array of kingdoms under its rule? Explain why or
why not.
III. Southeast Asia, 50 – 600 CE
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Geographical Areas
Climate, agricultural practices,
products
Malay peoples (3000 BCE) –
migration, navigational skills
Rainforests, bronze, water
(councils)
Chinese control: N. Indochina
Commerce and Hindu –
Buddhist Culture
New trade route – silk
Route: South China Sea –
Malay Peninsula – Bay of
Bengal - India
Later goods: woods, spices,
etc.
II. Continued…
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Commerce brought
culture
Missionaries, pilgrims
Indian
knowledge/arts
Funan (1st – 6th c. CE)
Economic center:
agriculture and trade
Strategic location
Decline
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Compare and contrast the cores of Pataliputra
and Funan.