Classical India

INDIA

ESPIRIT Chart on India --- 1500 B.C.E. to 500 .C.E.

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Extensive internal and maritime trade expanded India’s influence worldwide India’s upper classes were generally richer than China’s upper classes Indian’s merchants played a great role in society
S	International trade in India Indians practiced hierarchy and believed in male supremacy. Wives were meant to worship husbands Believed in loving family life with your spouse to be your truest friend- arranged marriages however Women were subordinate, their rights were becoming more limited but they were clever and strong witted Small children wren usually spoiled in hopes that they would go to work good jobs Working Indians learned an advanced trade and sold their goods in shops Indians were able to trade by sea Indian peasants were not as restricted and poor like other countries Caste system * Five levels; 1. Brahmins, 2. Warriors, 3. Skilled and merchants, 4. Ordinary workers, 5. Untouchables Whatever caste Indians were born into, they stayed into; only married someone in same caste; the only way to move up the caste in India is to be reincarnated and move up the caste into a different souls. If you do a good job in your caste, you’ll move up the caste during your next lifetime
P	India has aristocrats in their country that had enough power to decide on major issues Used legalism to rule by force (complete authority over the people) India did not have a centralized government, but was ruled by different regions India did not have a uniform code law
I	THe silk road was a mjor factor to interact with other civilizations and trade goods Spreading their philosophies, for teaching and influence other people around their own country they arranged their childrens marriages
R	Indian governments supported religious missionaries, and also established an openness to religious diversity Hinduism-no single founder, no central holy figure from whom the basic religious beliefs stemmed. It unfolded gradually over time Hinduism encouraged political and economic goals and pleasures (karma) Hindus called it “dharma”. Gurus , the mystics, gathered disciples around them and the Brahman priests agreed on certain doctrines The aspects of Brahma are in different forms of gods such as, Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer) Hinduism rebellion led to a new religion – Buddha fasted and tortured his body for six years, then asked his disciples to spread his ideas. Buddhism spread through a group of monks in monasteries and attracted many followers in India *
I	Hindus stressed the principle of reincarnation where human souls do not die with its body, but move on and pass into other human beings Indian literatures stressed lively story lines, such as the Kamasutra, which discusses relationships between men and women Classical India produced work in science and mathematics- there was a university center in Nalanda that attracted students from other parts of Asia The astronomer Aryabhatta calculated the length of the solar year and improved math measurements. He also calculated the circumference of the entire earth India produced lively art as well- Stupas, statues honoring Buddha, were common India developed an interest in spontaneity and imagination- no unity stood to their religion, legalism, mathematics, literature, art
T	India created the spin wheel to spin cotton together Created boats calls Mahonejodars Pythagorean Theorem and Triples

Key Terms

Aryans	A group of invaders from central Asia that invaded India after Harappa's fall. The Aryans are responsible for the spread of Indian agriculture to the Ganges River, the caste system, the development of Sanskrit, the Vedas.
Ashoka	Chandragupta's grandson who ruled the Mauryan empire from 267-232 B.C.E. Ashoka conquered subcontinent except for the southern. He also improved trade and communication with extensive roads.
Gupta	The successors of the Kushan state and ruled from 320 C.E. to 535 when it was conquered by the Huns. The Guptan empire was smaller than the Mauryan empire, but it had more political stability since marriages between regional families and the Guptan rulers ensured peace. The Guptas supported Hinduism, a loose political system in which regional rulers swore loyalty to the dominance of the Guptas, spread uniform law, sponsored public works, and developed the cultural and intellectual life of India. Overall, the Guptan empire is considered the golden age of Indi
Caste system	This was the social organization of India- kshatriyas/warriors > vaisyas/merchants and farmers > sudras/common workers > untouchables.
Hinduism	ESPIRIT Chart
Sanskrit	The first written Indian language during the Vedic Age. Throughout classical Indian history, sanskrit was a language amongst a variety of regional dialects and languages. During the Guptan Empire, sanskrit was promoted but not imposed. The language of the educated could be found amongst distinctly popular languages.
Dharma	Hindus name of their religion Buddhists the idea of moral consquences Dharma was used by Ashoka to provide an ethical guide to unite and discipline his subjects. It's based on a principle of virtues similar to Confucianism in China.
Buddhism	The religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who came to be known as Buddha. Buddhism disavowed the caste system and promoted the idea of nirvana.
Tamils	The first Indian language with classical status and the people of NE Sri Lanka.
Chandragupta Maurya	The soldier who united India in 322 B.C.E. under his autocratic bureaucracy that resembled a legalistic state.
Gurus	Men who tried to find communion with the divine soul. Intelligent men who spread their knowledge and allowed people to find communion with the divine soul.
Bhagavad Gita	Known as the "song of god," the text promotes yoga and dharma

Summary of INDIA

After the fall of Harappa, the Indus river civilization, Indian society was invaded by Aryan hunter-gatherers who settled down in India. From 1500- 600 B.C.E., the Vedic and Epic ages civilization spread to the Ganges river and developed there. Society in India was eventually organized into the caste system in which the priests were the ultimate class. The caste system was very strict and each child was born into the caste their family was in. Most developments and progress of of Indian society is because of the values, beliefs, and customs in their religion. The main religions of India was Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism contributed to the formation of India's first empire named the Mauryan Empire. This empire was did not last long because of the 13 year old leader Ashoka, the grandson of the founder Chandragupta Maurya.. Succeeding the Mauryan empire was the Kushan state and then the Guptas. Through the leadership of the Guptas, India experienced its golden age as the culture. India prospered in econmics, social, intellectual, etc.