Studied by 8 people
Impact of Geography on Indian Subcontinent
Indus River Valley Civilization
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Sir Mortimer Wheeler
2 ancient cities found in 1920 when railroad construction uncovered ruins
Both were located along the Indus River about 400 miles apart (in what is now Pakistan)
Civilization flourished for 700 years and then disappeared without a trace
about 400 miles away from each other
Similar civilizations - sister cities
5 physical descriptions of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Large and carefully planned
Organized, big main streets, blocks
Complex plumbing, baths, drains, and sewers
Merchants used a uniform system of weights and measures → helps trade and easier to communicate
Massive hilltop structure → unknown reason
Vedas
4 books, written down in Sanskrit, chants or religious teachings, passed down
Sanskrit
written language of Aryans
Brahmin
symbolizes the head on a body, consists of priests and academics (intellectual leaders)
Kshatriyas
symbolizes the arms on a body, consists of warriors and kings
Vaishyas
symbolizes the legs of a body, consists of the business community (traders, merchants, etc.)
Kshudras
symbolizes the feet of a body, consists of servants (most people they conquered)
Sudras
Caste slide (body)
Untouchables/Dalit
people who don’t have a cast, do all the work that is considered “unclean”
Mahabharata
nearly 100,000 verses long, about 5 brothers - Pandavas, How they lose their kingdom and their fight to reclaim it, passed down, mixes history, mythology, and religion
Bhagavad-Gita
an episode in the Mahabharata
a lot about the Hindu faith
Krishna - a god → does a sermon → get the main ideas of Hinduism
Moksha - union with the universe when you do right
Ramayana
another epic story but much shorter
Very well known in India
Meant to teach different lessons about morality and virtue
reflects Indian ideas on the ideal man and ideal woman
Rama - ideal man → a hero, perfect son and husband
Sita - ideal woman → perfect, loyal woman
Brahman
a single spiritual power that exists beyond the many gods of the Vedas and resides in all things
ultimate reality of a god
creator and preserver of the universe
Hindu’s believe you can’t really understand him
Ultimate goal to be one with him
Atman
essential self, cannot be destroyed, just keeps getting reborn, want to get to Brahman
Moksha
getting rid of selfish desires to be with Brahman
Reincarnation
rebirth, your soul gets reborn into another bodily form, continue to work towards Brahman
karma
what happens to you based on your actions
Dharma
duties, if you follow your Dharma, you get good Karma, depends on your caste
Ahimsa
nonviolence, Hindu’s believe all animals and things should be respected
Samsara
symbolized by the wheel, cycle of death and rebirth → every life brings you closer to Brahman
Caste/Varna/Jati
position in society, determines what your opportunities are, cannot marry outside of your caste
Jainism
believes everyone can do religious rituals
meditation
self-denial
extreme ahimsa
Siddhartha Guatama
Hindu prince from the Kshatriya class in what is today Nepal
His mother dreamt that he was going to have a big impact on the world, prophet also tells this
Mom dies after childbirth → dad worried about keeping Kshatriya safe, doesn’t let him leave the house
Gets married at 16, first 29 years of his life stays inside the walls, sneaks out → sees suffering
Because of this denies himself of worldly goods, fasting, surround himself with holy people
Buddha
enlightened one
4 Noble Truths
There is suffering in the world
Suffering is caused by selfish desires
Suffering can be removed if we do away with out selfish desires
The way to overcome selfish desires is to follow the Eightfold Path/Middle Way between a life devoted to pleasure and one of self-denial
Stressed virtuous conduct and compassion for all living things
A philosophy or way of life more than a religion since if did not include the worshiping of gods or performing rituals
Eightfold Path/Middle Way
What you have to follow to get rid of your selfish desires to get to Nirvana
Nirvana
ultimate reality, end of the self and union with the universe, release from Samsara
Mahayana
one of the 2 religions after Buddhism split, religion, god become Buddha, starts worshiping as a god
Theravada
one of the 2 religions after Buddhism split, way of the elders, original (the way Buddha wanted), meditation, self reflection, way of life
Chandragupta
Emperor in the Morria empire
Ashoka
Grandson of Chandragupta, Only Indian Buddhist King, horrified by violence
Laws of Manu
legal code written in ancient India defining dharma and proper behavior for people based on caste and gender
Impact of Geography on Ancient China
surrounded by natural barriers → no cultural diffusion, North: Gobi Desert, South/West: Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, East: Water (Pacific Ocean)
Veneration of Ancestors
trying to stay connected through the spiritual world
Oracle bones
Believe in an afterlife because of the Oracle Bones, get a bone or shell from an animals and write on it and put it over fire and depending on how it cracked it was a message from the ancestors, only the priests could do the ceremony
Chinese Writing
not phonetic, symbols, 10,000 characters, originates in the Shang Dynasty, similar today
Mandate of heaven
Divine right to rule, have the authority to command from Heaven, if you become weak or corrupt you can revolt and overthrow,
Dynastic cycle
A dynasty that provided a good government enjoyed the Mandate, a dynasty that was corrupt would have the mandate removed by the Heavens and would no longer rule
Feudalism
system of government where local lords govern their own lands but owe military service and serve the ruler
Yin and Yan
reflects the Chinese belief that the universe was a delicate balance between 2 forces
Yin
Earth, darkness, female
Yang
Heaven, light, male
Confucianism
based on the ideas of Confucius, a philosophy (a way of thought) NOT a religion
Concerned with how to create stable social order and good government
Analects
Make sure that the males (yang) are in charge
His ideas on the importance of family and loyalty to government will dominate Chinese life for 2,500 years.
Emperor as “father” to all in China
Daoism
Laozi (creator)
Dao - the way
Dao de Jing - way of the Dao, what Laozi wrote to explain the way
Going with nature
Go with the flow, let the universe control you
Government bad
Started as a philosophy but became a popular religion when Laozi began to be worshiped as a god
Legalism
Founded by Hanfeizi
Known as the “school of Law”
Nature of man is evil and corrupt
All about following the rules
People are bad so you need extra harsh rules, government harsh
About laws, about a good ruler/man
about strict punishment, about compassionate/family
Strong tough rule
Great Wall of China
Shi Huangdi created
Connected the walls of the people around China
Soldiers can travel along the wall
A pathway
Work on the wall or die, even if you had another job
Most were slaves or peasants or prisoners of war
Terra cotta soldiers
created for the after life to show off how powerful he was
Each soldier looks different
8,000 life size soldiers in the form of terra cotta statues guard his tomb
Civil Service exams
government jobs test, do they have the education and qualifications to be part of the government?
Role of family and women China and similarities with India
Take a role underneath men, Belived there should be harmony in husband-and-wife relationship, respected but not equal, going to serve the man in their life
Ban Zhao
Wrote Lessons for Women, a book about women’s role in society
Silk Road
Helps with cultural diffusion
Use a network of roads to carry luxury items to places from China to the Roman Empire
Helps with cultural diffusion and trade
Note
Flashcard