Ancient India

Ancient India

• 1.
  Ancient India Geography,Religion, and Early Civilization
• 2.
  Geography India isconsidered a subcontinent, a large and distinctive landmass that is a part of a larger continent India is a wedge shaped peninsula Surrounded by mountains on its north and northwestern borders
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  India Subcontinent
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  Other Geographic FeaturesThree major regions of India Northern Plain – fertile and well water by the Indus and Ganges rivers Deccan Plateau – dry and sparsely populated Coastal Plains – flat land along the coast used for farming, fishing, and trade
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  Physical Map ofIndia
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  Monsoons Seasonal windsthat bring heavy rainfall to certain regions of India Too much rain = deadly floods Too little rain = drought and possibly famine Farmers are dependent on the rain to water their crops Monsoon video
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  Cities of theIndus Valley Around 2500 BC, civilization began to flourish in the Indus Valley Two main cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro These were highly organized well planned cities – roads , walled neighborhoods, public wells, sewer systems Traditional Economy – based on farming and trade First people to grow cotton and weave it into cloth Trade existed with city-states of Mesopotamia
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  Aryan Invasion Around1500 BC, Aryan invaders conquered the Indus Valley Aryan people were nomadic and excelled in warfare Brought an end to the Indus Valley civilizations By blending traditional Aryan beliefs and Indian beliefs, Hinduism is born
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  Caste System Rigidsocial class system of India Individuals could not communicate or associate with anyone outside of their caste Children were born into whatever caste their parents were Caste determined your occupation and place in society
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  Caste System RanksBrahmin – priests, teachers, judges Kshatriya – warriors Vaisya – farmers and merchants Sudras – workers and laborers Untouchables - fisherman, sweepers, “dirty jobs”
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  Hinduism Major beliefs:Believed in a single force in the universe called Brahmin Reincarnation – belief that the soul is reborn in a different form after death Dharma – divine law that defined your duties in life Goal of Hindus is to move up through the caste system and unite with Brahmin Karma – an individual can become closer to Brahmin by obeying the law of karma Good Karma – move up in caste Bad Karma – move down in caste Moksha – break the cycle of reincarnation Ganges river is sacred to Hindus
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  Hinduism Cartoon
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  Buddhism Founded bySiddhartha Gautama, born a Hindu. He is considered the enlightened one or Buddha Four Noble truths – philosophy of Buddhism All life is suffering Suffering is caused by selfish desire The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire Follow the eightfold path – rules and guidelines that Buddhists follow involving the right ways to live ones life Buddhist also believe in reincarnation Nirvana – ultimate goal of Buddhists, extinction of desire and union with the universe
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  Buddha Statue
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  Mauryan Empire Indianempire created by Chandragupta Maurya Established a well organized government and created a bureaucracy – a system of managing government though different departments Organized Cities Collected taxes, set up roads and harbors Asoka the Great – expanded the empires borders to cover virtually all of India and spread Buddhism throughout the empire
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  Gupta Empire Establishedon the site of the old Mauryan Empire Known as India's golden age Organized cities Established trade routes with SE Asia, China, and the Mediterranean world Gupta rulers lived in luxurious palaces, profiting from the gold and silver mines Eventually fell victim to the Huns and the empire fell apart