History quiz
Theravada Buddhism
"Way of the Elders" branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Theravada remains close to the original principles set forth by the Buddha; it downplays the importance of gods and emphasizes austerity and the individual's search for enlightenment.
Gupta Empire
(320-550 CE) The decentralized empire that emerged after the Mauryan Empire, and whose founder is Chandra Gupta.
How long did the battle between Pandavas and Kauravas last?
18 days
Bhagavad-Gita
A book in popular Hinduism that was a response to Buddhism and made reaching moksha way easier. Revered for their representations of Hindu beliefs.
In Northern India,
A brides family commonly provided a dowry, or payment to the bridegroom, and financed the costly wedding festivities. After marriage, the daughter left her home and became part of her husbands family.
Five Classics
A corpus of texts considered authoritative by the early Confucians. They include poetry, historical, speeches, chronicles, ritual, and divination, Texts used to train scholars and civil servants in ancient China
Who advised the rajah?
A council of elders made up of the heads of families
Women were thought to have Shakti
A creative energy that men lacked
The prosperity of Gupta India contributed to...
A flowering in the arts and learning
Sui dynasty set up...
A formal system of civil service exams, which were given at the local, provincial, and national levels. In theory, any man could take it. In practice, only the wealthy that could afford years of study, could hope to succeed.
Deccan Plateau
A high area of land at the center of the Indian subcontinent. Lacks the melting snows that feed the rivers of the north and provide water for irrigation. As a result, parts are arid, agriculturally unproductive, and sparsely populated.
Ban Zhao
A major female Confucian author of Han dynasty China (45-116 C.E.) whose works give insight into the implication of Confucian thinking for women. Favored equal education for boys and girls.
In each existence, Hindus believe...
A person can come closer to achieving moksha by obeying the law of karma
Feudalism
A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land
Siddhartha Gautama
A prince born on 563 B.C. whose early life is known mostly through various religious writings and literature
Jainism
A religion that branched off from Hinduism and was founded by Mahavira; its belief is that everything has a soul, and its purpose was to cleanse the soul. Rejected the idea that Brahmin priests alone could perform certain sacred rites. To avoid accidentally killing a living thing, Jains carry brooms to sweep the ground in front of their feet
Kuan Yin
A very popular bodhisattva in Chinese Popular Buddhism, she is the "goddess of mercy" who holds a willow branch in one hand (symbolizing the tree of life) and a vase in the other.
"Let a woman modestly yield to others. Let her respect others"
Ban Zhao
Why was the king seen as the link people Shang Di and the people?
Bc a god as great as Shang Di would not respond to the pleas of the mortals. Only the ancestors of the greatest people (ancestors of the king) could get the ears of the god.
Foreigners frequently pushed through mountain passes into northern India and...
Bc of the divided northern kingdoms were often proved incapable of resisting these conquerors
Importance of silk to China
Became China's most valuable export. To protect the control of this profitable trade item, the Chinese kept the process of silk making a secret for many years
By 256 BC
China was a large, wealthy, and highly developed center of civilization
Bc of China's isolation, there was a Chinese belief that
China was the center of the Earth and the sole source of civilization.
Wudi
Chinese emperor who brought the Han dynasty to its greatest strength
Who invented calligraphy?
Chinese scholars
Why did the Chinese struggle with Buddhism at first?
Chinese tradition valued family and loyalty, while Buddhism honored monks and nuns who gave up the benefits of family life for solitary meditation
Han empowers adopted that _______ (officials in the government) should win their positions by merit, rather than through family ties
Civil servants
Peasants in Shang Dynasty
Clustered together in framing villages. Lived in pit houses whose floors were dug several feet underground. All family members worked in the fields preparing the ground for planting or harvesting. If war broke out, men had to fight alongside their lords.
Monopoly
Complete control of a product or business by one person or group
Women were excluded from government jobs bc...
Confucian teachings about filial piety and the superiority of men prevented women from taking the civil service exam
Han emperors made _____ the official belief system of the state.
Confucianism
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Considered possible twin capitals of the civilization or cities that ruled the area one after the other. Both were large, some three miles in circumference. Each was dominated by a massive hilltop structure whose exact purpose is unknown. Each city also included a huge warehouse used for storage.
Shang Kings
Controlled only a small area. Loyal princes and local nobles governed most of the land. Were likely the heads of important clans.
Early Chinese money
Copper coins were made with holes in the center so that they could be strung on cords
Eighfold Path
the path to nirvana, comprising eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
acupuncture
the practice of inserting fine needles through the skin at specific points to cure disease or relieve pain (2500 BC)
Civil service system remained in use until 1912
Dynasties rose and fell, but Confucian influence survived
The Chinese heartland lay along
East Coast Valley of the Yellow River and Yangzi River
What led to an increase in Chinas population?
Economic expansion
Despite its inequalities, caste systems
Ensured a stable social order
Ramayana
Evolved over the years as priest-poets added new morals to the tales to teach different lessons
To Hindus, people in different castes were different species of beings
Ex: a high-caste Brahmin was purer and therefore closer to moksha than someone from a lower caste
To ensure spiritual purity, a web of complex caste rules governed every aspect of life
Ex: where people lived, what they ate, how the dressed, and how they earned a living
Chinese merchants
Exchanged food and crafts made by local artisans for salt, certain types of shells, and other goods not found in northeastern China
Wudi followed ______ to increase the amount of land under Chinese rule
Expansionism
Villages usually produced most of the foods and goos that farmers needed bc (relied on trade for some essentials)
Farmers had to give the food they picked to the landlords
Most people in Indus civilization were...?
Farmers. They grew a wide variety of crops. They may have been the first people to cultivate cotton and weave its fibers into cloth.
What happened after 250 yrs of the Zhou dynasty with feudalism?
Feudal lords exercised their real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants within their domains
The Zhou dynasty was too weak to stop...
Feudal lords from ignoring the emperor and fighting each other in wars
Zhou developed into a
Feudal state (feudalism)
Silk Road stretched for 4,000 miles linking China to the Fertile Crescent, however,
Few traders covered the entire distance. Relayed in stages from one set of traders to another. Western end controlled by various people including the Persians
Although northern India shared a common civilization...
Fierce local rivalries kept it divided
What would happen if the river dikes broke?
Floodwaters would burst over the land and such disasters destroyed crops and brought mass starvation
How did Buddha die?
Food poisoning at age 80
How did the Aryans learn to farm?
From local farmers
How did Chinese people learn about chariots?
From other Asian peoples with whom they interacted with
During the Han period, new foods such as
Grapes, figs, cucumbers, and walnuts flowed into China from Western Asia
Megasthenes
Greek ambassador who wrote detailed descriptions of Chandra Gupta's capital
Which rule was looser? Gupta or Maurya? Why?
Gupta bc much power was left in the hands of individual villages and city governments elected by merchants and artisans
Indus houses
Had complex plumbing systems, with baths, drains, and water chutes that led into sewers beneath the streets.
Differences between the northerners and the Dravidians
Had different languages and traditions
Indian women
Had few rights. Their primary duties were to marry and raise children
What have archaeologists discovered about the Indus civilization?
Have not found any names of kings or queens, tax records, literature, or accounts of famous victories . The written remains of Indus civilization are found only rarely, usually on small clay seals that do not include any long passages.
Monsoons 2
Have shaped Indian life. Each year, people welcome the rains that are desperately needed to water the crops. If the rains are late, famine and starvation may occur. However, if the rains are too heavy, rushing rivers will unleash deadly floods.
Why did the Shang Dynasty emerge?
To drive off nomads from the northern steppes and deserts
Why did Zhou develop feudalism?
To reward their supporters by granting them control over different regions
What flourished across the Gupta empire?
Trade and farming
Moksha
the ultimate goal of existence, which is to achieve union with brahman. To do that, individuals must free themselves from selfish desires that separate them from Brahman.
The Indian family performed the essential function of training children in the
Traditions and duties of theirs castes
After the Buddha's death, some of his followers collected his teachings into a sacred text called
Tripitaka (Three Baskets of Wisdom)
Rules forbade marrying outside one's caste or eating with members of another caste
True
Although Asoka promoted Buddhism...
He also preached tolerance for other religions
What converted Asoka to Buddhism?
He fought in a long, bloody war to conquer the Deccan region of Kalinga. More than 100,000 were said to have dies - he was horrified at the slaughter and chose to reject violence and resolved to rule by moral example
Chandragupta Maurya
He founded India's first empire. He was an Indian prince who conquered a large area in the Ganges River valley soon after Alexander invaded western India.
How did the Buddha achieve enlightenment?
He meditated under a tree.
How did the Buddha see the Eightfold Path?
He saw it as a middle way between a life devoted to pleasure and one based on harsh self-denial. He stressed moral principles such as as honesty, charity, and kindness to all living creatures.
Who tended the silkworms and processed the cocoons into thread? And would later weave they silk threads into a smooth cloth that was colored with brilliant dyes.
Women and it was considered a laborious work
Indian children
Worked with older relatives in the fields or at a family trade
What fostered unity in early china? Why?
Written language bc all of china used the same writing system and, instead, people in different parts of china spoke differently
What did Shang priests write on oracle bones?
Wrote questions addressed to the gods or to the spirit of an ancestor. They heated the bone until it cracked and by interpreting the pattern of the crack, they could provide answers or advice from the ancestors
China extended its empire to
Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria, Tibet (Chinese called it Xizang)
Ahisma
Hindu belief in nonviolence and reverence for all life
Dharma (Hinduism)
Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties based on class, occupation, gender, and age.
To escape the wheel of fate,
Hinduism stresses the importance of dharma
Original Chinese writing system
Included tens of thousands of characters that represented a whole word or idea. It was later simplified, but still is one of the most difficult largues to read and write.
Who owned most of the land in India?
Landlords. Farmers who worked the land had to give the owner part of the harvest. Often, what remained was hardly enough to feed the farmers and their families.
Indian daughter
Learned that as a wife she would be expected to9 serve and obey her husband and his family
Indian son
Learned the rituals to honor the family's ancestors. Such rites linked the living and the dead, deepening family bonds across the generations.
In Hindu and Buddhist centers,
Learning was not limited to religion and philosophy
Shang warriors used
Leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse-drawn chariots
Pandavas
Literally "The Sons of Pandu". The five sons of the king Pandu, led by Yudhisthira, who fight the Kauravas in the Mahabharata.
By AD 100
Missionaries and merchants had spread Mahayana Buddhism from India into china
Who spread Buddhism?
Missionaries and traders
What made trade easier in China?
Money and the new roads/canals that feudal lords constructed
Who directed the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the 1940s?
Mortimer Wheeler
Hindu Kush and Himalayas
Mountains limited contact with other lands, leaving India's distinct culture to develop on its own
Common building materials in Indus Valley Civilization?
Mud and unbaked bricks (Harappa)
River of Sorrows
Nickname for the Yellow (Huang He) River. It often overflowed, destroying crops and bringing starvation, and destroying homes
Could you upgrade castes in one life?
No, not in one life, but in futre lives by fulfilling the duties for their present caste
Were the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas complete barriers?
No, steep passes through the Hindu Kush served as gateways to migrating and invading peoples for years
Acculturation of aryans
Nomads from Europe and Asia intermarried with local people to call themselves the Aryans. Through acculturation, the aryans combined the cultural traditions of the nomads with those of the earlier Indian peoples
Hinduism and Buddhism have a common belief in
Nonviolence, karma, dharma, and a cycle of rebirth
Han Astronomers
Observed and measured movements of the stars and planets
each caste has its own
Occupation and its own leaders
Asoka had stone pillars set up across India...
Offering moral advice and promising a just government
For a women, rebirth into higher existence was gained through devotion to her husband
Often, a widow was expected to join her dead husband on his funeral fire. In this way, a widow became a Sati, or "virtuous woman"
Kalidasa
One of India's greatest poets and playwrights
Dravidians (people of Deccan)
One of the main groups of people in India; probably descended from the Indus River culture that flourished at the dawn of Indian civilization over 4,000 yrs. ago
Hinduism became
One of the worlds most complex religions bc of the countless gods and goddesses and many forms of worship existing side by side
Indus Religion
Polytheistic. Early ties to Hindu. Especially about veneration (special regard to cattle). Viewed buffalo and the bull as sacred.
Aryans religion
Polytheistic. They worshipped gods and goddesses who embodied natural forces.
Shakti
Powerful goddess that is both kind and cruel, a creator and destroyer. Worshipped in various forms by some Hindus.
The need to control the flow of the river through large water projects...
Probably led to the rise of a strong central government and the founding of the Yellow River civilization
Chinese artisans
Produced goods for nobles, including bronze weapons, silk robes, and jade jewelry
Who led Aryan tribes?
Rajahs. Were of often the the most skilled war leader, had been elected to his position by an assembly of warriors.
Bhagavad Gita
Reflects important Indian beliefs about the immortality of the soul and the value of performing ones duty
Indus writing system
Scholars think that contact with the Sumerian may have prompted the people of the Indus Valley to develop their own system of writing, however, the Indus writing system is unique and show no relationship to Sumerian cuneiform.
Cai Lun
a Han court in China who invented paper and the wood-pulp paper making process in China in the early 2nd century CE (100s CE)
Dowry
a gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride's parents to her husband or, in Islamic societies, by a husband to his wife
Nalanda
a large Buddhist monastery/university in India which attracted students from all over Asia that taught mathematics, medicine, physics, languages, literature, and other subjects
Bodhisattva
a person who has attained enlightenment but who has postponed nirvana in order to help others achieve enlightenment
Upanishads
a section of the Vedas that address mystical questions related to Hinduism. Use vivido images to examine complex ideas about the human soul and the connectedness of all life.
Shakuntala
Tells the story of a king who marries the lovely orphan Shakuntala. Under an evil spell, the king forgets his bride. After many plot twists, he finally recovers his memory and is reunited with her.
Fu Hao
wife of Wu Ding (Shang dynasty king), served as military general and high priestess
loess soil
windblown dust that accumulates and forms a ridge of bluffs as it approaches higher elevations
What did the evidence of Fu Haos tomb suggest about noblewomen during the Shang period?
That noblewomen may have had considerable status
Archaeologists have concluded about Indus cities...
That they were a well organized government
From the Vedas, we learn that...
The Aryans divided their society into ranked groups based on occupation
Despite the formidable barriers,
The Chinese did have intact with the outside world
During the Zhou Dynasty
The Chinese economy grew
By 2640 BC
The Chinese learned to make silk thread from the cocoons of silkworms
Under the Zhou,
The Chinese made the first books
Sati
The Indian custom of a widow voluntarily throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. Some widows accepted this painful death as a noble duty that wiped out their own and husbands sins. Other women bitterly resisted the custom.
What gives India its name?
The Indus River
Two long epic poems that Aryans memorized and recited...
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana (aryans had strong oral tradition)
What did the Zhou promote to justify the rebellion of the Shang?
The Mandate of Heaven
about 2600 B.C....
The earliest South Asian civilization emerged in the Indus River, in present-day Pakistan. Flourished for about 700 years.
Oracle Bones
The earliest known Chinese writing is found on these from ritual activity of the Shang period.
Around 1766 BC
The first Chinese dynasty for which scholars have found evidence for arose (Shang dynasty)
In Indian art, the cycle of death and rebirth is symbolized by....
The image of the wheel
Indian parents
The important duty of parents was to arrange good marriages (based on caste and family interests)
Was seen as a link between the people and Shang Di
The king
Tamil Kingdoms
The kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian languages, which developed in partial isolation, and somewhat differently, from the Aryan north. Trade was considered very important.
Bhagavad Gita
The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit. In the Mahabharata.
In its time, Han China was
The most technologically advanced civilization in the world
By 1900 B.C....
The quality of life in the Indus Valley was declining. Crude pottery replaced the finer works of earlier days. Use of writing halted. Mohenjo-Daro was entirely abandoned. Other cities and towns also dwindled to small numbers.
The top level of Shang Dynasty included
The royal family and a class of noble warriors
Shang Di
The transcendent God, who presided over all the forces of nature.
By 185 BC...
The unity of the Maury's empire was shattered as rival princes again battled for power across the Gangetic Plain
By about 500 B.C....
The written language, Sanskrit, that priests had used to write sacred texts bagan to flourish in literary use
Buddhism split into two groups
Theravada and Mahayana
Aryan Caste System
based on color at first = Kshatriyas (warriors), Brahmins (priests), vaishays (merchants), sudras (laborers or servants), untouchables - after religion takes over brahmins and kshatriyas switch
Northern India
battleground for rival rajahs fighting for control of the rich Ganges valley
Reincarnation (Hinduism)
belief that the individual soul is reborn after death. Allows people to to continue working toward Moksha through several lifetimes
After Asoka's death, the Maurya Empire
declined
During Gupta times, many fine writers added to the rich history of Indian literature
They collected and recorded fables and folk tales in the Sanskrit language
Through the correct rituals, Aryans believed that...
They could call on their gods for health, wealth, and victory in war. Brahmins offered sacrifices of food and drinks to the gods.
Hindus worship as many as 330 million gods and goddesses
They give a concrete form to Brahman
The Chinese sent large quantities of silk westward to fill the growing demand for it while in return...
They got fur, muslin, and glass
Thousands of rebellious peasants abandoned their village and fled to the mountains where
They joined secret groups of bandits known by colorful names
Why did ancient Chinese call their land Zhongguo, or the Middle Kingdom?
They thought they were the center of the Earth and the sole source of civilization
How did Chinese goods reach the Middle East and beyond?
They traded
In Indian society,
everyday life revolved around the rules and duties associated with caste, family, and village
In most of India,
farming depended on the rains brought by the summer monsoons. Too much or too little rain meant famine
A typical Indian village included a cluster of homes and
fields where farmers grew wheat, rice, or cotton
Chandragupta
first gained power in Ganges valley; conquered northern India; his rule was effective but harsh
Gao Zu
founder of Han Dynasty. lowered taxes, lowered legalist laws, brought Confucius scholars into court
Deccan Rulers
generally tolerated all religions as well as the many foreigners settling into their busy ports
Agni (Aryan)
god of fire and messenger who communicated human wishes to the gods
Varuna (Aryan)
god of order and creation
Asoka
grandson of Chandragupta; most honored emperor for his commitment to spreading peace and prosperity to all; was buddhist but accepted other religions; decline came after his death
Lessons for Women
guide written by Ban Zhao that taught women to be humble and obedient but also industrious
To aid transportation...
he built roads and rest houses for travelers... (planted banyan trees, mango groves, wells dug, shelters erected)
ancestor worship
honoring ancestors through rituals, such as offering food and wine to the dead
Tamil rulers
improved harbors to support overseas trade
Atman
in Hindu belief, a person's essential self. Viewed as the same as Brahman and others as a form of brahman.
Gupta Mathematicians
invented place value, zero, and numbering system/decimal system (now called "Arabic numerals" because Arabs carried them from India to the Middle East and Europe)
Indus Valley
located in the region known as South Asia, or the Indian subcontinent
White Huns
nomadic invaders from central Asia; invaded India; overran and destroyed Gupta Empire
Ramayana
one of two classical Hindu epics telling of the banishment of Rama from his kingdom and the abduction of his wife by a demon and Rama's restoration to the throne
Indian families were
patriarchal, the father or oldest male in a family headed the household. Adult sons continued to live with their parents even after they had married and had children. (A daughter would go to live with her husband and his family). Often only the wealthy could afford such large households. Still, even when they did not share the same house, close ties linked brothers, uncles, cousins, and nephews.
Yellow River Civilization
This term refers to a series of civilizations (dynasties) that emerged from the Huang He (Yellow River). The hued river gets its name from the loess soil that blows in from the north and Mongolia. Its regular flooding has earned the river the nickname of China's Sorrow due to the amount of people who have perished over the centuries.
Mahayana Buddhism appealed to many Chinese because it emphasized
personal salvation
Expansionism
policy of increasing the amount of territory a government holds
Legend of Yu
reflects the level of technology of a society making the transition to civilization
Indus Valley Civilization
Covered the largest area of any civilization until the rise of Persia more than 1,000 years later. Its cities even rivaled those of Sumer.
Monsoons
seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons bc they blow from a certain direction for part of the year. Was a defining feature of life in the Indian subcontinent.
tamil merchants
sent spices, fine textiles, and other luxuries westward to eager buyers in the Roman empire
Hinduism has no
single founder and no single sacred text (like the Bible)
Dynastic Cycle
the historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties
Zhou Dynasty
the longest lasting Chinese dynasty, during which the use of iron was introduced.
Mahabharata
the longest single poem in the world, about a war fought between two branches of the same family. One of India's greatest epics written between 1000 and 700 BC
Karma (Hinduism)
the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation
Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
1) All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. 2) The cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hated and desire. 3) The only cure for suffering is to overcome nonvirture. 4) The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow the Eightfold Path
In the Han civil service system
1. A young man would start in a clerical job 2. Once his abilities were proven, he would move up to a local government 3. If he continued to excel, he would be recruited into the civil service
Dynastic Cycle
1. As long as a dynasty provided good government, it enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven 2. If the rulers became weak or corrupt, heaven would withdraw its support 3. Catastrophes were signs dynasties lost their Mandate of Heaven 4. New leader would start a new dynasty 5. Cycle repeats
The three major zones the Indian subcontinent is divided into
1. Gangetic Plain in the north 2. The dry Deccan plateau 3. And the coastal plains on either side of the Deccan
What scholars think happened to the Indus Civilization?
1. Invaders attacked and overran the cities of the Indus 2. Damage to the local environment, possibly too many trees were cut down to fuel the ovens of brick makers 3. Tons of river mud found in the streets of Mohenjo-Daro suggests a major flood 4. Other evidence points to a major earthquake
Wudi accomplishments
1. Strengthened the government and economy 2. Chose officials from Confucian 3. Set up an Imperial university at xian to train scholars 4. Improved canals and roads 5. Set up granaries across the empire to control supply of grain 6. Recognized finances and imposed a government monopoly on iron and salt
What happened after Asoka fought a long, bloody war?
100,000 people died and Asoka decided to turn his back on future conquests. He converted to Buddhism and rejected violence. He stopped eating most meats and limited Hindu animal sacrifices.
Despite Hinduism diversity...
All Hindus share certain basic beliefs
To Hindus,
All people and things are aspects of brahman and therefore deserve to be respected. Many Hindus try to follow the path of ahisma.
Mahayana Buddhism
Also known as popular Buddhism, is allows people more ways to reach enlightenment and boddhisatvas can help you reach enlightenment.
"God is one, but wise people know it by many names"
Ancient proverb reflects the Hindu belief that everything is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force called Brahman
Aryans also honored...
Animal deities, such as monkey and name gods
How many cities may have been prominent during the course of the Indus Valley civilization's history?
Archaeologists have uncovered 5 large cities
What did the tomb of Fu Hao tell archaeologists?
Artifacts show that she owned land and helped to lead a large army against invaders
Who wrote the Vedas?
Aryan priests
By about 800 B.C...
Aryans learned to make tools out of iron
Paved the way for the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia
Asoka
True to the Buddhist principle of respect for all life...
Asoka stopped eating most meats and limited Hindu animal sacrifices
Written Chinese took shape...
At least 4,000 years ago
Had a brutal secret police force and women warriors who guarded his palace bc he was fearful of his many enemies
Chandragupta
Most important Hindu gods
Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer) Each can take many forms, humans or animal, to represent the various aspects of Brahman with which he is associated
What did Asoka's rule bring?
Brought peace and prosperity and helped unite the diverse people within his empire
What blocked the easy movement of people in China?
Brutal deserts, high mountain ranges, thick rainforest, forbidding desert (the gobi), and the Pacific Ocean
Hinduism and Buddhism differed
Buddha urged each person to seek enlightenment through meditation instead of focusing on the priests, formal rituals, and many gods of Hinduism. Buddhists also rejected the caste system, offering the hope of nirvana to all regardless of birth
Maintained order through a well-organized bureaucracy. Their rule was effective, but harsh.
Chandrugpta
Grandsons of who pushed south to add much of the Deccan to their empire
Chandrugpta's grandson
Decline of Buddhism in India
Buddhism took a firm root across Asia, slowly declined in India. Hinduism absorbed some Buddhist ideas and made Buddha a Hindu god. After Buddhist centers survived until the 1100's (A.D.), they fell to Muslim armies that invaded India.
Faxian
Buddhist monk who came to India on pilgrimage to search for records of Buddha's teachings & wrote about the Gupta empire
Early aryans in India...
Built no cities and left very little archaeological evidence
Asoka sent missionaries to spread Buddhism in Asia
By doing so, he paved the way for the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia
Mohenjo-Daro
Carefully planned. Was laid out in an organized pattern, with long, wide main streets and large rectangular blocks. Most of its houses were built with baked clay bricks of a standard size.
First gained power in the Ganges valley and then conquered northern India
Chandragupta
Mahayana Buddhists
Described an afterlife filled with many heavens and hells
Chinese prized
Devotion to duty
Chinese physicians
Diagnosed diseases, developed anesthetics, and experimented w herbal remedies. Promoted the use of acupuncture.
What separated the peoples of the north and the peoples of the Deccan in the south?
Distance and cultural differences
Chinese peasants
Labored constantly to build and repair dikes to prevent the river from overflowing
To Hindus, all existence is ranked...
Humans are closest to Brahman. Then come animals, plants, and objects like rocks or water. People who live virtuously earn good karma and are reborn at a high level of existence. Those who do evil acquire bad karma and are reborn into suffering at a lower level of existence.
Chinese did what to bronze making?
Improved the art and technology of bronze-making, producing stunning bronze weapons and ritual vessels covered with intricate decorations
Where did Chinese history begin?
In Huang River valley, where Neolithic people learned to farm
Under the Guptas...
India enjoyed a Golden Age. They organized a strong central government that promoted peace and prosperity.
What happened after the White Huns overran Gupta?
India split into many kingdoms and no other great empire would come about like the Mauryas or Guptas for almost 1,000 years
Family interests came before
Individual interests
The chief Aryan deity was
Indra, the god of war
The sale of ____ and ____ gave the government a source of income other than taxes on peasants
Iron and salt
Why did Buddhism become popular in China?
It promised an escape from suffering
By late Gupta times, lower-class women
Labored in the fields or worked at spinning and weaving
The ideal Indian family was a
Joint family, in which parents, children, and their offspring shared a common dwelling
What did Guatama's father do to prevent his son from following the prophecy and becoming a ruler?
Kept him in the family palaces, surrounded by luxury and comfort
How did the Aryans get into India?
Khyber Pass through Hindu Kush Mtns
Most Indians
Knew nothing of the dazzling courts of the Mauryas or Guptas
By 600 BC
Knowledge of iron working reached China. Farmers were able to produce more food as iron replaced their old tools. Peasants began to grow new crops (soybeans). Farming became more productive.
Untouchables (Dalits)
LOWEST LEVEL OF INDIAN SOCIETY; not considered a real part of the caste system; often given degrading jobs; their life was extremely difficult; had to sound a wooden instrument called a clapper to warn of their approach
The caste system gave....
Many people a sense of identity and interdependence
Buddha (was Siddharta Gautama)
Means "Enlightened One." He is said to have renounced his worldly possessions and taught of a way to overcome suffering.
Some people in Indus Civilization were...?
Merchants and traders. Their ships carried cargoes of things to distant lands.
The headman and council
Organized villagers to cooperate on vital local projects such as building irrigation systems and larger regional projects like building roads and temples
Hinduism grew out of
Overlapping beliefs of the diverse groups who settled India
Chinese inventions
Paper, silk, the clock, the magnetic compass, printed books, gunpowder and fireworks, bronze, iron stirrups, fishing reels, wheelbarrows
Known to have 530 towers and 64 gates on the wall surrounding its city
Pataliputra
Maurya Capital
Pataliputra
Majority people in Shang China were
Peasants
Each village included
People of different castes who performed the necessity tasks of daily life . It ran its own affairs based on caste rules and traditions and faced little outside interferences as long as its paid its share of taxes. A village headman and council made decisions. The council included the most respected people of the village. In early times, women served on the council, but that changed.
Xinjiang and Mongolia
Regions beyond the heartland that have harsh climates and rugged terrain. Until recent times, they were mostly occupied by nomads and subsistence farmers.
Nomads in China
Repeatedly attacked and plundered Chinese cities
The Chinese depended on
Rivers for irrigation and transportation, they highly valued the ability to control floodwaters and to develop irrigation systems
Who could afford robes made from silk?
Royalty and nobles
Shang Dynasty
Second Chinese dynasty (about 1750-1122 B.C.) which was mostly a farming society ruled by an aristocracy mostly concerned with war. They're best remembered for their art of bronze casting.
In early Aryan society, women
Seemed to enjoyed a higher status than in later times. Some even composed a few Vedic hymns
Han Scientific Advancements
Seismograph - instrument used to detect earthquakes Magnetic Compass - instrument used to determine direction, such as north or south.
Asoka Maurya
Sent missionaries to spread Buddhism across India and to Sri Lanka
Coastal Plains
Separated from the Deccan by low-lying mountain ranges, the Eastern and Western Ghats. Rivers and heavy seasonal rains provide water for farmers. Also, from very early times, people in this region used the seas for fishing and as highways for trade.
What did feudal nobles encourage peasants to do?
Settle in conquered territories
Supreme God
Shang Di
who ushered in china's classical age?
Shi Huangdi
Buddhism founder
Siddhartha Gautama
As the Han dynasty aged,
Signs of decay appeared (most to do with weak emperors)
The emperor Wudi opened up a network of trade routes that would link China and the West for centuries
Silk Road
Aryans beliefs were changing to....
Some religious thinkers were moving toward the notion of Brahman, a single spiritual power that existed beyond the many gods of Vedas and that resided in all things. There was also a move towards mysticism. Mystics are people who seek direct communion with divine forces
Gangetic Plain
South of Himalayas and a fertile region, watered by mighty rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra. These rivers and their tributaries carry melting snow from the mountains to the plains, making agriculture possible.
Han china boasted
Splendid temples and palaces amid elegant parks. None of it has survived. Described by Han poets and historians.
IN marriage, a women's shakti helped to make the husband complete
Still, shakti might also be a destructive force
Chinese Buddhist monks
Stressed filial piety and honored Confucius
Shang astronomers
Studied the movement of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun. Their findings helped them develop an accurate calendar with 365 1/4 days
The Tamil Kingdom left a rich and diverse literature
Tamil poets described day-to-day events with the kingdom
As the Roman empire declined,
Tamil trade with China increased
Most of what we know about the Aryans come from...
The Vedas, a collection of hymns, chants, ritual instructions and other religious teachings
Period from 1500 B.C to 500 B.C. is also called
The Vedic Age
In 1122 BC,
The Zhou people overthrew the Shang and set up the Zhou dynasty which lasted until the 256 BC
Anyang
The ancient Chinese capital of the Shang dynasty.
Pataliputra
The captial of both Muryan and Gupta empires.
Caste System (Hinduism)
The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious law.
Decline of the Gupta Empire
Under the pressure of weak rulers, civil war, and foreign invaders
Indus merchants
Used a uniform system of weights and measures
The outsiders whom the Chinese encountered were
Usually were nomadic invaders. Some were usually absorbed into the advanced Chinese civilization however.
Fertile farming regions that support the largest populations and rivers that provided water for irrigation and served as transportation routes
Valleys along the Huang, or Yellow, River and the Chang River
In AD 220
Warlords overthrew the last Han emperor. After 400 yrs of unity, China broke up into several kingdoms
In the Vedas, the Aryans appear as...
Warriors who fought in chariots with bows and arrows. They loved food, drink, music, chariot races, and dice games. They valued cattle, which provided them with food and clothing. Later, when they became settled farmers, families continued to measure their wealth in cows and bulls.
Throughout India's history, the village
Was at the heart of daily life
Continual interchange (people regularly interacting with others from nearby villages)
Was crucial in the establishment of common ideas across the subcontinent
An Indian father was thought to have wisdom and experience, and he enjoyed great authority. Even so, his power
Was limited by sacred laws and tradition
Indra's weapon
Was the thunderbolt, which he used not only to destroy humans, but also to announce the arrival of rain, so vital to Indian life
A husbands duty
Was to channel his wife's shakti in th e proper direction
Under Gupta rule, students
Were educated in religious schools
By late Gupta times, upper-class women were
Were increasingly restricted to the home. When they went outside the home, they were supposed to cover themselves from head to foot.
Religions that emerged in India after the Vedic Age...
Were influenced by both mysticism and the notion of Brahman
Vast majority of Indians
Were peasants who lived in the vacillates that dotted the Indian landscape
By Gupta times, India physicians
Were using other herbs and other remedies to treat illnesses. Surgeons were skilled in setting bones and in simple surgery to repair injuries. Doctors began vaccinating people against smallpox about 1000 years before this practice was used in Europe.
Zhongguo
What the Chinese called their land (means the Middle Kingdom)
"People of han"
What the Chinese called themselves bc of the advances started in Han China
5000 years after the Mauryas,
the Gupta dynasty again united much of India
From 321 BC to 185 B.C...
the Maurya dynasty ruled a vast, united empire
After Asoka's death
the Mauryan Empire declined
By about 500 BCE,
the Vedic Aryans had established themselves in the northern 2/3 of the Indian subcontinent
Mandate of Heaven
the belief that the Chinese king's right to rule came from the gods
Book of Songs
the earliest collection of Chinese poetry; it provides glimpses of what life was like in the early Zhou Dynasty
Nirvana (Buddhism)
union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth
Wang Chong
was a scientist that believed the comits and eclipses were not there to show how angry heaven was w/ them but just there for science reasons. he believed that nothing scientific shuld be accepted w/out proof.
How did Chandragupta maintain control?
well organized bureaucracy, royal court, secret police, women warriors guarded the palace, conquered Deccan Plateau, Ganges Valley, and Northern India.
