Unit 3 Ancient India

The river flood plains where the world’s first civilization began.

Sumer

a tribal confederation of nomadic people in Central Asia. Controlled the Silk Road and caused headaches for the Han Dynasty.

Xiongnu

The migration of Indo-Aryan people into the Indian subcontinent; displaced the indigenous Indus Valley Civilization.

Aryan Migration

the earliest ruling dynasty of China to be established in recorded history; no evidence of existence before 1900’s.

Shang Dynasty

An Indian 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. Some were extreme aesthetics.

Janism

The world’s first clearly developed monotheistic religion.

Judaism

The first ruler of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang

Chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior God of thunder and strength, chief god of the Aryans, associated with war and thunder.

Indra

The Indian dynasty oversaw the revival of Hinduism, a “Golden Age” of Indian learning and culture and ruled over a decentralized state until the eventual invasion by the White Huns.

Gupta Dynasty

“The Teaching of the Elders,” the early form of Buddhism according to which the Buddha was a wise teacher but not divine and which emphasizes practices rather than beliefs.

Theravada Buddhism

“Life is suffering" is the first of these Buddhist teachings.

4 Noble Truths

Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di had his burial site surrounded by these statues in an effort to bring him safety and protection in the afterlife.

Terracotta Soldiers

Founder of Judaism who, according to the Bible, led his family from Ur to Canaan in obedience to God’s command.

Abraham

Within the varna, these sub castes were based on people’s occupation.

Jati

Branch of Buddhism which became the more practical “greater vehicle” of Buddhism, partly through the influence of Bodhisattvas.

Mahayana Buddhism

The idea that Chinese rulers are given the right to rule from the Gods, and should exercise this right appropriately.

Mandate of Heaven

This set of laws was built around the idea of “an eye for an eye”

Hammurabi’s Code

A group of individuals who existed outside of the caste system who would often work with garbage, the dead, and other jobs dealing with polluting activities.

Pariahs/Untouchables

Longest poem that shows Indian culture through stories about India.

Mahabharata

Series of Hindu texts which discussed samsara, atman, and the more introspective features of Indian religion.

Upanishads

This Chinese Dynasty oversaw the centralization of power, the defeat of feudalism, and the first unified China after the Warring States Period.

Qin Dynasty

A monumental structure of Mesopotamia society which was built as a place to worship their gods.

Ziggurat

A battle in India between the city of Kalinga and the Mauryan Empire. This war was under the ruling of Ashoka and it was one of the bloodiest battles. The Mauryan Empire won.

Battle of Kalinga

This set of Buddhist practices is the key to ending attachment and suffering. It includes things such as right action, right motives, right speech, and right understanding.

8 Fold Path

These Indian priests were responsible for conducting religious rituals and were on top of the social hierarchy in Classical India.

Brahmins

Hindu prince who became known as “The Buddha”

Siddhartha Gautama

This Indian leader converted to Buddhism after the Battle of Kalinga and built large pillars and rock edicts throughout his empire.

Ashoka Maurya

Living according to one’s individual duty and responsibility.

Dharma

Consisted mainly of warriors, warrior groups, and leaders that protected the society.

Kshatriyas

System of government in which land is granted in exchange for formal oaths of allegiance and loyalty. The Zhou ruled China in this way.

Feudalism

This Chinese Dynasty created a Confucian bureaucracy and oversaw a "Golden Age" of art, education, science, and mathematics.

Han Dynasty

This Chinese Dynasty lost power due to their emphasis on ruling a feudal empire, which allowed local leaders to gain too much power.

Zhou Dynasty

Consisted of commoners and people who worked on the land. Later, it involved into a business class with merchants.

Vaishyas

The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty who later died of mercury poisoning in his quest for eternal life.

Qin Shi Huangdi

This philosophy promoted the use of honor and virtue in an effort to bring a stable society and good government to China.

Confucianism

Early literary epics developed by the Aryans were passed down orally and eventually written down in this language.

Sanskrit

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is a main tenet of Classical Indian religion.

Samsara

The oldest known form of written language, developed in Ancient Sumer.

Cuneiform

Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach to statecraft. Devoted all attention to the state; only sought to strengthen and expand the state at all cost.

Legalism

According to the Torah, the Israelite who led the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

Moses

A religion which believes in multiple gods.

Polytheism

The top four castes of the caste system (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras)

Varna

The very successful Han ruler who oversaw territorial expansion, the adoption of Confucian values, and an increase in the centralization of the Han government.

Han Wudi

His rule interrupted the Han Dynasty and promised land redistribution to peasants. He was eventually unable to follow through on his promises to the peasants and was assassinated before the Han Dynasty returned to power.

Wang Mang

“Song of the Lord,” an episode of the Mahabharata. Contained a dialogue between a warrior and the god Vishnu, which illustrated both expectations and promise of Hinduism for its believers.

Bhagavad Gita

This philosophy focused on inaction, nature, and the Way.

Taoism

The principle of non-violence towards all living things.

Ahimsa

Within the Indian caste system, these people were on the bottom of the social hierarchy and were generally peasants.

Sudras

In Hinduism, the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Karma

This piece of Mespotamian epic literature describes a king’s quest for immortality.

Epic of Gilgamesh

This Indian epic tells the story of the captured princess Sita and deals with themes such as Karma, Dharma, and Samsara.

Ramayana

Indo-European speaking nomads who entered India from the Central Asian steppes between 1500 and 1000 BC.

Aryans

The Ancient civilization that existed until about 1500 BCE. Potentially disappeared due to a shift in the monsoon winds or other environmental shifts.

Indus Vallley Civilization

This the main literary work of Daoism.

Tao Te Ching

This empire conquered Bactria, played a huge role in the silk road and trade, pacified a region between Persia and China which created an area for safe travel.

Kushans

Buddhist concept regarding enlightened individuals who reached spiritual perfection but chose to stay in this world to help others on their path to enlightenment.

Bodhisattva

This first book of the Vedas is thought to be one of the oldest written texts and contained ritual instructions and stories of Aryan history.

Rig Veda

In the philosophy of Confucianism these were the “Superior People” who represented the qualities of an ideal man.

Junzi

Stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and relics of Buddha; Preserved Buddhist architectural forms

Stupas

Time of warfare between regional lords following the decline of the Zhou Dynasty.

Warring States Period

Indus Valley city laid out in a grid pattern. Had a complex irrigation and sewer system. One of the first settlements in India.

Harappa/Monhenjo Daro

Religious texts that recorded poems, hums, prayers, and rituals.

Vedas

The great teacher of Jainism. Taught an ascetic doctrine of detachment from the world and formed a monastic order to perpetuate and spread his message.

Mahavira

Name of Hindu’s Supreme God or Spirit. He created the world and everything inside of it. Main goal of Hindu’s is to unite their soul with Brahman.

Brahman

A religion which believes in a single god.

Monotheism

The Chinese value of having virtue or respect for one’s parents and ancestors.

Fillial Piety

The first leader of the Mauryan Dynasty; ruled a centralized, legalist state.

Chandragupta Maurya

Civilians were grouped in order of rank within the society.

Social Hierarchy

A society in which men hold the highest status and greatest legal and moral authority.

Patriarchy

The main unit of early Sumerian government where a city, with its surrounding territory, formed an independent state.

City-State

In Hinduism, the release from the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation and a reunion of one’s soul with Brahmin.

Moksha

One way that societies organize themselves including features such as monumental architecture, literature, complex religion, organized governments, and a legal code.

Civilization/Complex Society

An ancient trade route that connected Asia with Europe. It became a main artery of cultural, economic, and political exchange between Eastern China to Western Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.

Great Silk Road

The blending of Aryan and Dravidian culture to create Hinduism is an example of this process where two cultures combine to make a new culture.

Acculturation

The ultimate spirit goal in Buddhism and marks the release from the cycle of reincarnation.

Nirvana