3.1, 3.2, 4.4, 7.3

Indo-Europeans

a group of nomadic people who may have come from the steppes

steppes

dry grasslands that stretched north of the Caucasus 

migration

movements of a people from one region to another

Hittites

an Indo-European people who settled in Anatolia around 2000 BC

Anatolia

the Southwest Asian peninsula now occupied by the Asian part of Turkey—also called Asia Minor

Aryans

An indo-European people who, about 1500 B.C. began to migrate into the Indian subcontinent

Vedas

four collections of sacred writings produced by the Aryans during an early stage of their settlement in India.

Brahmin

in Aryan society, a member of the social made up of priests

caste

one of the four classes of people in the social system of the ryan’s who settled in India—priests, warriors, peasants/traders and non-Aryan laborers or craftsmen

Mahabharata

a great Indian epic poem, reflecting the struggles of the ryan’s as they moved south into India

reincarnation

in Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding

karma

in Hinduism and Buddhism, the totality of the good and bad deeds performed by a person, which is believed to determine his or her fate after rebirth

Jainism

a religion founded in India in sixth century B.C., whose members believe that everything in the universe has a soul and therefore should not be harmed

Siddhartha Gautama

the founder of Buddhism; born into a noble family

enlightenment

in Buddhism, a state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe

nirvana

in Buddhism, the release from pain and suffering achieved after enlightenment

Confucius

China’s most influential scholar, desire to restore order, developed Confucianism 

filial piety

respect shown by children for their parents and elders

bureaucracy

a system of departments and agencies formed to carry out the work of government

Daoism

A philosophy based on the ideas of the Chinese thinker Laozi, who taught that people should be guided by a universal force called the Dao

Legalism

A Chinese political philosophy based on the idea that a highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social order

I Ching

A Chinese book of oracles, consulted to answer ethical and practical problems

yin and yang

in Chinese thought, the two powers that govern the natural rhythms of life

Qin Dynasty

a short-lived Chinese dynasty that replaced the Zhou Dynasty in the third century B.C.

Shi Huangdi

autocracy

a government in which the ruler has unlimited power and uses it in an arbitrary manner

where does aryan mean

noble or pure

what language did the Aryan bring

Sanskrit

what did the aryans bring

religious and cultural beliefs

The Aryans ___ in with the indigenous population

blended

Vedas

four collections of hymns passed down orally

Who brought the Vedas?

aryans

what was the case system originally based on?

skin color

what was the most important Veda?

Rig Veda

caste systems ranking

(Gods), Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, (untouchables)

caste system

put every person in society in a class where they could not advance

benefits of caste system

effective in keeping social order

disadvantages of caste system

lack of motivation, rigid, strict, people at the top look down at those on the bottom

what was the motive in the caste system

to get people to listen so you can use their fear to motivate

what enforced the caste system

religion; positive, your soul

Hinduism

polytheistic, evolves over centuries

brahma

ground of all beings; goal is to reach brahma

dharma

moral law

why is Hinduism so adaptive to other religions?

the gods can change over time

what does following Hinduism include

follow dharma, love all different lives to reach enlightenment and dissolve illusions, remove self from illusion of everyday life

what is the relation between Hindu and Buddhist gods?

people remained Hindu but adapted Buddhist gods to have Hindu god characteristics

Braham parts

creation, protection, destruction

Brahmin

priests, academics

Kshatriya

warriors, kings

Vaishya

merchants, landowners

Shudra

commoners, peasants, servants

Untouchables

outcast; out of cast; street sweepers, latrine cleaners

Upanishads 

750-550 BC ; written in Upanishads and became the Vedic Orthodoxy (official teachings)

Moksha

state of perfect understanding of all things; enlightenment

atman

individual soul of a living king

brahman

word/soul that unites all atman

goal of Hinduism

liberate soul from illusions, disappointments, mistakes of life; live many lives

reincarnation

rebirth of soul based on one’s karma from previous life(why life throws at you and how you deal with it)

3 paths to Moksha

path of right thinking, path of right action, path of religious devotion

what choice does Hinduism include regarding their deities and what does this create

they can choose the dirty they want to worship as long as they fit into karma; creates diversity

Jainism

established by Mahavira who believed everything in the universe had a soul and preached nonviolence

Buddhism

founded by Siddhartha Gautama who dedicated his life to searching for religious truth and an end to life suffering

How did Siddhartha Gautama create Buddhism?

6 years; meditated 44 days under a fig tree

Four noble truths of Buddhism

Pain and suffering are inescapable parts of life, suffering is caused by human desire and attachment, people can understand and overcome their weakness, easiest way to triumph is to follow the Eightfold path

eightfold path

right knowledge, right inspiration, right speech, rich behavior, rich livelihood, right effort, eight mindfulness, right contemplation

goals of Buddhism

reach nirvana/enlightenment, spread the teachings of Buddha

beliefs in Buddhism

reincarnation, desire causes suffering, must overcome desires to reach Nirvana, reach Nirvana by releasing from selfishness and pain

who can reach nirvana?

anyone, resulting in the lower class liking this better because they can reach enlightenment faster

was there a caste system in Buddhism?

no, they needed to let go of desires to get them through life

Sangha

missionaries who helped establish Buddhism

Where is Buddhism popular?

Southeast Asia; Japan, China

warring states period

300 BCE, 100 years of conflict, bureaucracy under Zhou, feudalist system of lords fighting for land, Qin comes into power

What were the three Chinese philosophies?

Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism

Were the Chinese philosophies a religion?

No, they were ways to live life better

Confucianism

created by Confucius with the intention of people needing a sense of duty to be good - outlined a way of behaving to give people duty 

what was Confucianism’s ideas about government

everyone should be able to work in government; lower levels liked because up until then it had only been rich people

how could someone be in the government under Confucius beliefs

civil service exam to test if a person would be good at a government position (higher class tested better because they would get more education)

5 basic relationships in Confucianism

ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, older sibling and younger sibling, friend and friend 

how would the basic relationships work in Confucianism

the person at the top would have the best intention of the person at the bottom and would respect them; lower people would follow the top people because they know they have their best interest 

Confucius’ quote about mistakes

“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake”

Confucius’ quote about how to not treat people

“Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do to you”

what does Confucianism honor

ancestors and ancient rituals

Daoism

created by Laozi/Lao Tzu/Lao Tze

beliefs of Daoism

give up worldly desires, behave in harmony with nature, don’t push against difficult things, help individuals who need the most help, Yin and Yang balance force nature

what is Daoism similar to

buddhism in regards to balances and desires

what was Daoism’s beliefs in ruling

ruler should rule as little as possible and should let nature take course, only taking steps in what’s necessary 

Legalism

created by Han Fei/Han Feizi who was a prince and a ruler

beliefs of Legalism

ruler should have absolute power backed by the military, harsh haws backed by harsh punishments to keep order in society

Legalism was the foundation for what

the Qin dynasty

The Qin Dynasty

221-206 BCE; 1st emperor was Qin Shihuangdi who united China after warring states period and lays the foundation for successful dynasties

Qin dynasty government

used Legalism, abolished idea that sons go straight into power after father, only the emperor had authority to fill empty positions meaning the people he chose would be on his side; sets government position on merits

Qin dynasty accomplishments

building of highway network that set standard kart axle length (allowed wagons to be easily pulled), currency, weights, standards for writing 

what kind of ruling happened during the Qin Dynasty

harsh ruling that used Legalism to punish those who went the opposite direction

Raiders in Qin Dynasty

clans to the north are raiding

Great Wall of China

built to protect from Xiongnu, a punishment to work on, project continues after Qin Shibuangdi’s death

What was the myth about the building of the Great Wall of China

every stone is equal to a life lost in building

Qin Shihuangdi

strong figure who kept everything in order

Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb

Terracotta army, each uniquely designed, placed in his tomb

Han Dynasty

founded in 202 B.C. by Liu Bang

Han Wudi

141-87 BC; called the “Martial Emperor” because he conquered the land through war; started civil service exam