MMW 11 Final Chang

Indus Valley

Harappan civilization

i)Massive, homogenous civilization shrouded in mystery

(1)Largest of the ancient river civilizations

(2)Contemporaneous with rise of Nile civilization

the civilization surpassed that of Mesopotamia

Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro

(a)Similar size

(b)Identical city layout unchanged for 1000 years

(2)Hundreds of smaller cities in between the two

•Higher water table of indus river led to many of the cities being underwater; we know very little about the cities; also people have not been able to decipher the symbols from that time

•Had to be very highly developed cities (based on what we do know)

•Each city had about 35k people

•Planning of cities came first and then settlement

Stamped seals

Stamped seals could have been used to keep track of commercialism; there was a lot of long distance trading

The Great Bath

*Bathing = purification

*No evidence of large temples or tombs unlike other civilizations but instead large baths

Aryan Influx

a)Where did they come from?

•Used to think that they came in after Indus civilization disappeared but there is still debate; maybe they were part of the culture during the Indus civilization

•They took their language with them and this led to the various types of languages today

i)Domestication of horses and the horse-drawn chariot

ii)Term "aryo" means "noble" and "free-born" term used to distinguish themselves form common folk

(1)Came in as warriors and developed the chariot

iii)Later in 19th century, the term "Aryan" adopted by linguists

oMother language

i)4500-2500 B.C.E. had lived peacefully as cattle-herders in Caucasian plains

ii)By 2500, these pastoralists were on the move

(1)Cattle-herders turned into cattle-raiders?

Dravidians

i)Aryan ethnocentrism

(1)Condescending view of local Dravidian(indigenous/common) culture

(2)Combination of selective adoption and lingering influences

The Aryans did not combine their culture with common people because they felt superior. The chose to filter and choose which parts they wanted to incorporate rather than combine it all

Dyaus Pitr

(1)Sky gods like Dyaus Pitr (father of all gods)

(a)Equivalent to Zeus

(b)Stood for peace and stability

Rig Vedas

a)The Vedas mainly focused on how to perform certain rituals

i)Rig Vedas—oldest and most important of the four Vedas

(1)"Vedas" means "body of knowledge"

(2)Collection of 1,028 hymns compiled between 1400-900 BCE

ii)The main legacy of this culture is thus of a religious and spiritual nature

Varuna

(1)remote, transcendental god

(a)Preserved rita "the natural and proper order of things"

Rita

"natural order of things"

Indra vs. Vritra

i)Atmospheric gods

(1)Indra—god of thunder and war

(a)Better suited to the new warrior sensibilities of the Aryans

(b)The symbolic destruction of the serpent "Vritra"

1. Vitra symbolizes obstacles both physically and metaphorically

"Over the private parts of Vritra the waters run

Soma

(1)Soma— "Aryan Cowboys on mushrooms"?

(a)Soma is a mushroom that causes hallucinations (aka DRUGS :o)

(b)Gave sense of invincibility

(c)Gained divine status with soma

Agni

(1)Agni—god of fire

(a)Gained greater prominence in rituals

(b)Fire also associated with purity

Ganges River Delta

Aryans pushed east into this area that was populated by aboriginals; the Aryans sought to clear out the jungle, which was made easier by introduction of iron

Varna System/ Myth of Purusha

(1)Purusha's self-sacrifice similar to myth of Pengu

(a)Brahmans (priests)—mouth of Purusha

(b)Kshatriyas (warriors)—hands

(c)Vaishyas (landowning farmers/merchants/artisans)— thighs

(d)Shudras (servants)—feet

Upanishads

a)Upanishads—The Birth of the Indian Axial Age?

i)Challenged emphasis on rituals as means to end samsara, the cycle of rebirth, and achieve moksha, release from that cycle

(1)The goal was to achieve spiritual peace and not have to go through samsara

Brahman vs Atman

a)Ultimate goal is the identification of Brahman and Atman

(1)Brahman is universal soul

(2)Atman is individual soul

Sannyasin

ascetic renouncers

Siddhartha Gautama

i)Kingdom of the Sakyas (clan of his family)

Siddartha means "one who accomplishes"

ii)The Miraculous Birth

queen maya had a dream about dancing with a white elephant and therefore, knew she was pregnant; Siddhartha came out from queen's armpit after she felt a pain and held on to a branch; Siddhartha was born fully conscious

iii)The prediction of the seer Asita

-Siddhartha has 32 marks of a great monarch but that he could become either a great monarch or a Buddha

-King wanted him to become a monarch because he needed an heir

-King was dedicated to raising his son to be a universal monarch

Bodhisattva

enlightened being that has not yet attained full enlightenment but is on the path toward it

Bodhisattva in Tushita Heaven

i)Instructor to 100,000 other bodhisattvas

(1)A bodhisattva's "penultimate existence" before becoming a Buddha

ii)Why leave this "heavenly campus of enlightenment" for the "earthly ghetto of suffering"?

(1)Bodhisattva vow to release all sentient beings from suffering

Kapilavatsu

Kapilavastu is the name of the ancient city where Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, was raised and lived until the age of 29, when he renounced worldly life.

Four Encounters

Siddhartha has an impulse and takes a detour from his usual outing & therefore encounters various ways of suffering

(1)Aging, Sickness, Death, a Mendicant

(2)Piercing the veil of "beauty" he sees the "sensual women" sprawled on the floor and looking unattractive and this pierces the veil that his father had created for him when he was sheltered —his first key lesson in impermanence

Mara

"demon" that tempted Buddha during his lowest points to try and get him to quit his quest to end suffering

Middle Path

i)The Middle-Path: moderation that is compatible with human nature within

(1)The allegory of the over-tight string if the strings are too tight, they will break; if the strings are too loose, there will be no music; it needs to be just right

The rose-apple tree recollection from childhood

he remembers that his father and priests were doing a harvest ritual (tilling soil); Siddhartha was overcome by sympathy towards insects that were hurt during the ritual

Law of Dependent Origination

(a)Like all things, suffering dependent on an origin, a cause, a condition

(b)What is the condition for old age, sickness, and dying?—rebirth

When you are reborn, you continue suffering; need to get out of the cycle in order to end suffering

(c)Assumption of "self" from ignorance

Four Noble Truths

1. everyone suffers

2. cause of suffering= desire

3. suffering can end by eliminating desire

4. eightfold noble path is the way to end suffering

Eightfold Noble Path

*right view

Dharma

Buddha's teachings

seeking to decrease suffering

Sangha

the group of monks

Angulimala

(the finger necklace bandit) cut off the finger of everyone he robbed and hung the finger on a necklace; converted to the Dharma after a verse that the Buddha gave him

Challenge to Caste System

(1)The acceptance of Sunita the untouchable into the sangha

sunita was in charge of cleaning up the filth/night soil of families late at night; sunita keeps moving b/c he wants to keep a distance from the Buddha (untouchables can't walk same road as brahmin) but Buddha keeps following him; sunita asks if the Buddha is not aware that sunita is an untouchable and Buddha says that everyone is the same and accepts sunita into the sangha (doesn't care for caste)

Devadatta

Buddhist monk and cousin of Siddhartha Gautama; became conceited with worldly gain and fame; attempts to kill the Buddha three times; tried to gain his own group of followers and to betray Buddha

Heart Sutra

•Wisdom is the 3rd essential element of Buddhist practice in Noble eightfold path

•Acknowledging the emptiness of 5 conditions leads to freedom from pain

•Prajna paramita = holy mantra

•Heart Sutra is the most familiar of all teachings of Buddha

•Heart sutra first preached on vulture peak

Sunyata

a)(Philosophical Paradox of Emptiness or Void)

i)"Form is precisely emptiness, emptiness precisely form"

ii)Understanding "emptiness" through the metaphor of a "flowing river"

(1)"Empty" of what?

(a)Empty of permanent form

(b)Empty of independent, separate nature

(2)Insisting on "emptiness" is not about negating existence

(3)Recognizing the impermanence and conditionality of all form

5 skandhas

(1)Form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness

(2)"Self" as a composite "river" of these five "streams"

The second arrow

(a)1st arrow is life

(b)2nd arrow is revenge and damage to ourselves or others

Nirvana

peak of enlightenment for Buddhists

blissful nothingness

Patacara

(a)Her story reminiscent of Job's experience

The Buddha's reminder: "Sister, regain awareness, acquire mindfulness

(she lost her husband and children and family)

Ananda

helps Mahaprajapati convince the Buddha to accept women into the Sangha by rephrasing the way they asked him

Mahaprajapati and her nuns

(1)Mahaprajapati's request along with 500 noble-women

(2)Fear women's inclusion would lead to defilement could lead to women distracting men or vice versa

decide to follow Buddha and see if he will accept them

Ashoka's Edict/ Mauryan Empire

i)Ashoka's Mauryan Empire (272-232 B.C.E.)

ii)The Pillars of Ashoka: his reign was the only experiment of governing using the Dharma; used Buddhism as basis for ethics; emphasized non-violence (he didnt force religion on the people even though he promoted it)

Ahimsa

Non-Violence

towards all animals and humans

Religious Pluralism

(a)Not about establishing a theocracy

(b)Appeal against sectarianism

Geography of Hellas

i)Reference of "Hellas" : refers to the Balkans

ii)Physical terrain—very hilly and rocky could have led to political fragmentation

iii)No major rivers, but good harbors which made it easy to trade & be pirates

Mycenaean Kingdom

(1)An acroplois

(a)citadels on hill tops

(2)Thrived on trade, piracy, and raids

(3) flourished during Bronze age

The Iliad

the epic story of the Trojan War

Tholos Tombs

where gold is found (pirates raided it), bee hive tomb style; for Pylos wealthy nobles

dark age of iliteracy

there's no record of greek literacy during this age due to invasion

1100-800 b.c.e

Greek colonization of Ionia

*Ionia was colonized by Greeks from the Athens region around 1000 BCE.

*Ionia became the focus of the intellectual life of Greece

Homeric Tradition

i)The "bible" of the Greeks Homeric readings

Agon

Belief that power should be earned through merit and competition rather then inheritance

Arete

(1)All-around excellence

(a)Had talent in multiple aspects

(b)Ideal citizen was capable of multiple things: from fighting to arts to politics

Polis

(1)Problematic translation as "city-state"

(a)Could have been a town or village

(b)Could also include a territory (ex. City of Athens and territory of Attica; both equaled a polis)

Social, economic, and political

Agora

(a)The marketplace

(i)Where the Greeks socialized and traded and engaged in political debates

Acropolis

(a)Acropolis—The Citadel

(i)Heart of the polis

(ii)Where assemblies were held and decisions were made

Ideal Size of Polis

(1)Aristotle puts the ideal size at 5,000 citizens

(a)This would make it easier to socialize with each other

(b)Large enough to be self-sufficient but small enough so that citizens can recognize each other by sight

Hoplites

citizen soldiers

Phalanx

a)Phalanx (battle strategy)

i)Power of the phalanx

(1)Heavily armored farmer-soldier-citizen

(2)Tight formation, coordinated movement

Solon's Reform

He was elected and had following reforms:

(1)Economic Reforms

(a)Abolished debt slavery

(b)Limited size of estates

(c)Convinced farmers to switch to crops that were suitable for the soil (such as grape vines for wine and olives for olive oil); led to specialization and exportation

(2)Political Reforms

(a)Gave more power to assembly

(b)Solon allowed merchants to also be able to qualify to be archons

(c)Opened up citizenship to some of the people that went to Athens for work and were interested in staying there permanently

After Solon was done, he simply left and returned to his life

Pisistratus

(1)How he came to power

(a)He enlisted thugs as body guards

(b)He pretended he was wounded and asked for help from the city

(c)The second time, he asked a woman to dress as Athena and ride with him in a chariot; he convinced the people that Athena approved of him becoming the ruler

(2) had public services for everyone- even the poor

Cleistenes

(a)Granted dictatorial powers

(b) famous for his Ten Demes

Ten Demes

(a)Cross section of different classes of society and tribes

Herodotus

*historian that recounted the Persian Wars

*said that:

i)Improved communication "upset the balance of world affairs"

(1)Persians & Greeks now knew about each other and tensions grew

(2)Persia = despotism

(3)Greeks= democracy experiment

Cyrus the Great

i)Cyrus's expansion into Asia Minor (Ionians)

(1)Conquered Greek-affiliated Ionian cities

(2)Built road from capital of susa to sardis (otherwise it would have taken 3 months to get from one city to the other)

Road to Sardis

i)Cyrus's expansion into Asia Minor (Ionians)

(1)Conquered Greek-affiliated Ionian cities

(2)Built road from capital of susa to sardis (otherwise it would have taken 3 months to get from one city to the other)

Ionian Rebellion

(1) led by Aristagoras of Miletus

(2)Why Sparta refused to intervene

(a)King asked envoy how long from susa to sardis; envoy said 3 months; king told envoy to leave

(b)Because that kind of distance would give ample warning and the empire is too far to even be a problem

(3)Why Athens and Eretria sent some ships

(a)Afraid of future Persian expansion

(b)Most trade with Ionians (economic incentive)

(c)Athens and Ionian allies attacked Sardis in 498

Miletus

Greek city state that revolted against Persia and revolted by burning down sardis. MIletus was destroyed by Darius.

Darius

Destroyed Miletus

Hippias and the "Hill Party"

(1)Fear of Hippias's return with Persians

(a)Place him as a puppet ruler if they win

(b)Still had large following in Athens so if Persians won, Athenians would be open to him

(i)Large following in popular class ("Hill" class/ commoners)

Miltiades

(1)Miltiades argued for a decisive battle at Marathon

(a)Athens was on its own

(2) his battle strategy for Battle of Marathon

(a)Hit Persians hard when they land

Battle of Marathon

(a)Persians decided to split their forces as their strategy

(1)Miltiades's strategy

(a)Hit Persians hard when they land

(2)Real test of the advantages of the Athenian spirit of To Koinon

Persians sailed away after they saw that they were going to lose

To Koinan: Common good

Themistocles

•became new leader of Athenian army

oBrilliant tactician

(a)Proposed spending silver on navy

(b)Plan was to lure Persians into narrow path in order to trap them

(c)He threatened to leave and set up a new colony elsewhere if the people did not follow his plan

Silver mines of Sunium

silver was found in Athens and athenians were debating on what to use it on. They decided to use it for protection by spending it on the navy fleet and a wall; the wealthy were to buy weapons to fight and those that were poor became rowers

Piraeus

i)Establish protected harbor at Piraeus

(1)built fortified road that linked Athens to Piraeus (had wall on each side)

Battle of Thermopolyae

first between the Persians and Greeks (Spartans)during the Persian invasion

Battle of Salamis

The Greek attacked the Persians in the strait of Salamis. They expected to have the upper hand and they destroyed almost the entire Persian fleet.

Trireme and rowers

Greek and Phoenician warship of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. It was sleek and light, powered by 170 oars arranged in three vertical tiers. Manned by skilled sailors, it was capable of short bursts of speed and complex maneuvers.

Thucydides

historian that recounted the Peloponnesian wars (Inevitable clash between Athenian alliance and Peloponnesian Confederation)

Delian League

a)Formation of the Delian League

(a)Sparta did not lead this league b/c they were too preoccupied w/ slaves and also they didn't have same commercial interest as Athens

Peloponnesian Confederation

loose confederation of Greek city-states led by Sparta

helot rebellion

why Sparta focused on making a strong army

Secession problems

Thasos and Naxos threatened to leave the League and that was crushed by the rest of the League because Athens argued that without the League, Persians would return

Athenian Legal system

i)How League was incredibly lucrative for Athens

(1)Sources of revenue

(i)Smaller member states had an obligation to pay annual fee to Athens to maintain alliance and security

Athens became center of justice system

Mitylene rebellion on Lesbos 428

*island was preparing to revolt from Athens prior to the war but had their plans discovered shortly after the war started

Cleon vs Diodotus

*Cleon's argument: kill people and women & children sold to slavery

*Intervention of Diodotus

-Said not to kill people because they would end up being so enraged that they would continue to resist rather than just accept they were conquered

Pericles as "strategoi"

a) The Age of Pericles (462-429)

i)Ruled for 32 years as "strategoi" (military general)

(1)Only position that had to be voted on rather than just by straw ballots (random)

ii)Embodiment of "gravitas"

(1)Seriousness; not rush through judgement

Assemby vs Areopagos

i)Demise of Areopagos—council of ex-archons

ii)Rising power of the General Assembly

The Boule

*Council of 500 of men (representatives from the ten Athenian tribes) picked by straw ballot

*only served 1 year; had to learn on the job; no expertise; council for Athenian affairs

Nicias vs Alcibiades

The Debate over the Sicilian Expedition 413

(1)Nicias's position vs. Alcibiades's position

(a)Alcibiades (nephew of Pericles); had been an associate of Socrates;

(i)Proposed to send troops to Sicily

(ii)Time for glory; assert Athenian power

(b)Nicias thought ppl should be cautious; he took a similar position to Pericles's position beforehand

Socrates

philosopher who believed in an absolute right or wrong; asked students pointed questions to make them use their reason (later became Socratic method); condemed to death for corrupting young minds. Promoted introspection by saying, "Know thyself."

"The unexamined life is not worth living"

Lysander

Spartan general that allied with Persians to defeat Athens

Critias

Reign of terror

(i)Had been an associate of Socrates

(ii)Ruled on behalf of Spartans

"The Thirty"

group of oligarchs led by Critias in 404 that had private interests

The "Apology"

*Socrates defending himself in court b/c he was convicted for corrupting the minds of young ppl by telling them that they should question everything (such as the gods and traditions)

Crito

(1)Sleeping soundly when Crito arrived before the crack of dawn

(a) told Socrates to run away but Socrates said no because it would be disrespectful to the polis he grew up in

(2)"Remember to pay the rooster we owe to Asclepius"

Socrates's daemon

(a)A voice that he had become accustomed to

(b)Opposed him if he was going the wrong way

(c)It was his conscious

(d)Athenians assumed this was some god he worshipped

"gladfly to a lethargic horse"

*socrates told judge that he had a duty as a philosopher and a soldier and how wrong Athens was in some aspects

*duty as philosopher was to provoke lethargic horse

*compared Athens to lethargic horse

Plato's Republic

(rebuke of democracy) ----Republic is the only one that can work