Ancient India (Indus River Valley)
Siddhartha Gautama
founder of Buddhism; born a prince; left his father's wealth to find the cause of human suffering; also know as Buddha
Nirvana
ultimate reality in Buddhism (the end of the self and a reunion with the Great World Soul)
Monsoon
a seasonal wind pattern in southern Asia
Sanskrit
a writing system developed by the Aryans
Hierarchical
arranged in order of rank
Yoga
("union") a method of training designed to lead to union with Brahman
Asoka
(?-232 BCE) King of the Maurya dynasty. He ruled nearly the entire subcontinent of India. He also was instrumental in the spread of Buddhism after his conversion.
Vedas
A collection of literary works written in Sanskrit; a major foundation of modern Indian culture and religion
Aryans
A group of Indo-European people from Central Asia that migrated into India
Indo-Aryan migration/invasion theory
A historical theory that Indo-Aryans, people from Central Asia, began to migrate into the Indus River Valley area at the time that civilization was declining. Indo-Aryans were a sub-group of Indo-Europeans.
rajah
A king or prince in India (an Aryan prince or leader)
plateau
A large area of flat land elevated high above sea level
subcontinent
A large landmass that juts out from a continent
Hinduism
A major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from Vedic religion. The religion of the majority of the Indian people that originated in the religious beliefs of the Aryans
Mahavira
A reformer who founded the religion Jainism and thought of several Hindu concepts, such as karma, in a very concrete way
Standardized weights and measures
A uniform system of measurement for items that a civilization uses for things like trade, shipping, or construction
Indus River Valley Civilization
Also called the Harappan Civilization, the Indus River Valley civilization existed from about 2600-1300 BCE and extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India
Harappa
Another name for the Indus River Valley Civilization. Harappa was the name of the first Indus River Valley Civilization archaeological site to be excavated, in modern-day Pakistan
The Indus script
Collection of trident-shaped, plant-like markings on clay tablets found in Harappa. Because the strings of symbols are so short (the longest is only 27 signs), the Indus script is indecipherable today.
Monumental Architecture
Giant temples, pyramids, or other structures that large cities produce. Their main purpose is to honor a deity or leader, or as a site for public ritual.
Indo-European migration
Large-scale migration movements that involved people spreading throughout Europe and Asia from about 4000 to 1000 BCE
Caste system
The inflexible and hierarchical social class system of Hindu society (a set of rigid social categories or classes that determines a person's occupation, economic potential, and position in society)
Mohenjo-Daro
The largest city of the Indus River Valley Civilization and believed to be one of the world's earliest major urban centers. Known for advanced engineering and urban planning
Urban Planning
The process concerned with the use of land and the design of the urban environment
Metallurgy
The science of working with copper, bronze, lead, and tin
Brahmans
one of the varnas in the Hindu caste system; the priestly class (in charge of the religious ceremonies that were so important in Indian society)
Ascetics
people who practiced self-denial to achieve an understanding of ultimate reality
Reincarnation
the belief that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death
Dharma
the divine law in Hinduism that requires all people to do their duty
Karma
the force generated by a person's actions that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life
Buddhism
the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth