history 111 chapter 1-chapter3
Sudra Example
"I am a manual laborer with limited rights."
Kshatriya Example
"I am a ruling warrior in the Indus River valley."
Vaisya Example
"I often ride the monsoons to Africa and back with my trade goods."
Brahmin Example
"My family places great emphasis on education and knowledge of Sanskrit."
What does Sita represent?
in the story Sita represents ideal female chastity and loyalty as a wife.
Indian Trade Networks....
... connected communities from the Pacific Rim to the Middle East. The other options list regions that were connected with India, but merchants from each of these regions did not need to pass through India to trade with each other.
India had this architectural achievement....
Construction of rock chambers for monks and ascetics
architects and stonemasons in India constructed massive stone structures....
A For example, they constructed rock chambers for monks and ascetics. These chambers were carved out of cliffs on the side of mountains and are reminiscent of Roman basilicas in structure.
Indian Sensual Art
Although ancient Indian art is quite sensual and often overtly sexualized, these scenes were actually meant to depict otherworldly, not earthly, pleasures.
The Ramayana is about....
A ruler who is banished from his kingdom and fights a demon to save his kidnapped wife. (sita)
Which of the following were accomplished, created, or discovered in ancient India?
Sexuialized art about otherworldly pleasures
Who is Alexander the Great?
After conquering the Persian Empire in 330 BCE, Alexander the Great set his sights on India. In 326 BCE, he led his Greek army into northwest India and conquered the Indus River valley. His soldiers, however, tired after several years of warfare, refused to go any further. When Alexander turned back, he left behind Greek administrators and a veneer of Greek culture.
What are Oracle Bones?
Animal bones and shells used for spirit world communication.
Brahmin (Scholars/Priests)
At the top of the caste system were the Brahmins. They placed great emphasis on education because their status rested on their knowledge of and ability to perform prayers and rituals. In fact, during the Vedic Age, they were the only ones with access to this knowledge, meaning only they could act as intermediaries between humans and the gods.
Centralized and Despotic Government.
Based on the descriptions of Chandragupta Maurya's empire in the Arthasastra—a political treatise that purports to contain the ideas of Kautilya, the emperor's adviser—Chandragupta led a centralized and even despotic government.
Varna (main castes. In order from highest to lowest class)
Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, and (not including ths untouchables)
On the village level, the ancient Indian economy was dominated by this kind of group.
Caste Guilds
Caste Guilds
Caste guilds dominated the ancient Indian economy on the village level. These guilds established monopolies over key sectors of the economy.
What things changed during the Qin Dynasty?
Censorship of the Chinese people, Merchant restriction, and heavy taxes on commercial and economic activities.
Who is Chandragupta Maurya?
Chandragupta Maurya drove out the Greek administrators whom Alexander the Great had put in place a few years earlier, and he consolidated power across northern India, establishing the first Indian Empire.
Zhou & Qin Dynasty
Confucian ideas survive
How did Confucianism survive?
Confucius lived during the zhou period and his ideas have remained popular through the years
which civilization was built around a river of rivers that flooded predictably?
Egypt
Hinduism Beliefs
Embraces yoga as one of the many paths to divine favor
Buddhism Beliefs
Encouraged the "Middle Path" (something in between luxury and asceticism) and rejection of the reality of the material world. Focuses on enlightenment. The Buddha wrote "The Four Noble Truths"
Child marriage uncommon for young girls
False
Law of Manu emphasizes equality between husbands and wives
False
The Law of Manu actually reinforces the patriarchal nature of Indian society.
For example, the text states that a woman should always be under the control of a man, first under her father's authority, then under her husband's, and finally under her son's. It is interesting to note, however, that the Law of Manu emphasizes that women should be treated with respect, despite their lack of social equality.
Chandragupta Maurya
He drove the Greeks out of India and established the first Indian empire.
Alexander the Great
He led the Greek army that captured northwest India and the Indus River.
Jatis (Jatis in Caste)
Jati is the Sanskrit term given to large kinship units in ancient Indian society. In theory, all members of a jati were expected to perform the same economic activity, but such uniformity was not always possible. Often, people from the same jati held different occupations.
These kinship units, which comprised thousands of families, generally each performed a particular economic activity.
Jatis
Interestingly, the sacred texts from ancient India were written _________ which declined as a spoken language in the first millennium BCE but continued as the language of literature and bureaucracy.
In Sanskrit
Sexual power controlled men
In ancient Indian society, there was a general concern that women used their sexuality to influence and control men.
What is Rational Law?
In the Arthasastra, Kautilya advises Indian kings to consider this kind of law the most authoritative.
What is a Centralized and Despotic Government.?
In the Arthasastra, Kautilya describes the first Indian empire as this kind of government.
INdia
India
Qin Dynasty
Legalist system of laws and commercial activity heavily taxed
Zhou Dynasty
Little central authority & Family unit assumes economic importance
Caste System
Made up of 1000s of Jatis
Who is Megathenes?
Megasthenes is the name of the Greek ambassador who spent time at the court of Chandragupta Maurya. The surviving fragments of his writings provide much information about life in early imperial India.
An, Enil; Enki, and Ninhursaga were the most important gods of which civilization?
Mesopotamia
which civilization developed cuneiform, the world's first documented writing system?
Mesopotamia
Untouchable Example
My caste is not mentioned in the Law of Manu.
Reincarnation
One of the central social messages for this belief system was that the only way to improve one's lot was to accept one's status and duties in this life, in the promise of being reborn into a higher station in the next life. Ultimately, by moving up the caste system through the accumulation of good karma, the life essence of a person could gain release from the cycle of reincarnation. The term jati refers to the increasingly complex divisions within each level of the caste system.
Shang Culture is preserved through...
Oracle Bones
Shang Dynasty
Oracle bones uses
What happened to the languages spoken and written in India?
Over time Sanskrit declined as a spoken language and was replaced by Prakrit. Sanskrit, however, remained the primary language of literature and bureaucracy.
Ancient Indians wrote on....
Palm Leaves! Palm Leaves were stitched together to create books!
What are Legalistic beliefs?
People are inherently evil, dishonest, and need compulsion to act morally.
The emphasis on literature as historical sources is particularly important for early Aryan society, especially the.....
Rig Veda. Our understanding of this period comes primarily from it and dates back to the second millennium BCE.
Child marriage was quite common for young women.
Scholars have suggested several reasons for such early marriage, including the desire for women to produce children quickly and the fact that daughters were an economic liability for parents.
Belief that women used sexual powers to control men
True
Rational Law
The Arthasastra—a political treatise that purports to contain the ideas of Kautilya, the adviser to Chandragupta Maurya—emphasizes that kings should generally follow sacred law. However, when sacred law conflicts with rational law, rational law should be "held authoritative."
The arrival of the iron plow helped turn this area into one of the most densely populated regions on earth.
The Ganges River Valley
Kshatriya (warrior/ruler)
The Kshatriyas—kings, princes, and warriors—occupied the second-highest level in this social system.
Women allowed to divorce husbands who deserted them
True
Women forbidden from being priests
True
India's role in regional trade increased following the rise of this dynasty.
The Mauryan Empire/ the Mauryan Dynasty
Trade networks through India connected these regions.
The Pacific Rim and the Middle East
What political system did the Quin dynasty follow?
The Qin dynasty followed the Legalist tradition
One of the most important pieces of ancient Indian literature is __________which recounts the story of a ruler who is banished from his kingdom.
The Ramayana
What is the Ramayana>
The Ramayana, written circa 100 BCE, is the story of a semilegendary ruler, Rama, who is banished from his kingdom.
The oldest piece of ancietne Indian literature is...
The Rig Veda (which is the oldest of the four Vedas)
What is in the Rig Veda?
The Rig Veda is a collection of oral stories, hymns, and other sacred texts, now written in sanskrit and passed down from generations
Vaisya (merchant or farmer)
The Vaisyas, the third caste, were the merchants, farmers, and herdsmen—essentially all other Arya people.
The Zhou Dynasty is also called....
The Warring States Period
The Ganges River Valley
The arrival of the iron plow facilitated the spread of settled agriculture and helped move the center of ancient Indian society to the fertile land in the Ganges River valley. The Ganges River valley is now one of the most densely populated regions on earth.
Sudra (peasant or laborer)
The fourth—and lowest caste—were the Sudras, which included the non-Arya laborers, servants, and slaves of the other three castes. This caste worked for those in other castes.
Megasthenes
The fragments of the writings of this Greek ambassador to ancient India reveal much about India's first imperial court.
Atman
The immortal essence of a person that can be reincarnated.
Karma vs Atman
The relationship between karma (accumulated deeds) and the atman (the immortal life essence of a person) was an essential component of the caste system and the cycle of reincarnation.
The Mauryas
The rise of the Mauryas greatly increased India's role in regional trade. For example, the government of Chandragupta Maurya placed great emphasis on trade and manufacturing, as the government owned mines and established departments to promote agriculture and commerce. Additionally, Ashoka's decision to plant banyan trees and build rest shelters along roads helped traveling merchants.
Family became important because....
The wars between Lords for power etc.. Child labor became essential, sons had to care for parents in old age, etc.
Untouchable (Not formally considered part of the caste)
These people were so low that they had no place in the caste system. It was their responsibility to perform tasks that were considered ritually polluting to the others, (handling dead bodies, including burying the dead, sweeping away ashes after cremations, and tanning animal hides.)
Although divorce was forbidden, women were able to divorce deserters.
This is true. A In fact, the Arthasastra, an ancient Indian political treatise, indicates that a woman could divorce a husband who deserted her.
More details about the Ramayana
This story, like the Mahabharata, reveals much about contemporary religious and ethical beliefs. For example, in part of the story, Rama has to rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon king of Sri Lanka. Throughout her imprisonment, Sita demonstrates female chastity and loyalty to her husband.
Seers
Women were not priests but, seers. Seers were religious advisers in Aryan tribal society. As Aryans settled in India, male priests took on a larger role.
Good Karma can allow.....
You to born into a higher caste in the next life!
Authority of the emperor reduced to....
a figurehead! Central authority is reduced and family unit assumes economic importance
China invented this tool....
paper
India held this belief....
the world is spherical rather than flat