Harappa
large ancient city of the Indus civilization located in present-day Pakistan
Mohenjo Daro
Ancient City of the Indus civilization, located in present-day Pakistan
Acculturation
the blending of two or more cultures.
Vedas
A collection of prayers,hymns, and other religious teachings developed in Ancient India beginning around 1500 B.C.
Rajahs
In Ancient India, the elected warrior chief of an Aryan Tribe.
Varna
In the Vedic society of Ancient India a personality trait that determined a person's occupation: later a category in India's caste system.
Brahmin
priests
kshatriya
leaders or exercised power
Vaishya
Those who sought to own land or engage in business.
Shudra
Those who worked with their hands.
Rig Veda
Describes how the universe was created from the body of a divine universal being referred to as purusha.
Sanskrit
the written language of the Aryans.
Brahman
In the belief system established in Vedic India , a single spiritual power that resides in all things.
Mystic
person who devotes his or her life to seeking direct communication with the divine.
mahabharata
India's greatest epic
bhagavad-gita
Sacred Song reflects important Hindu religious beliefs about the immortality of the soul and the value of performing one's duty.
Ramayana
Recounts the fantastic deeds of the daring hero Rama and his beautiful bride Sita.
What observations about the IRV civilization can you make by looking at the seals they left behind?
That it was a well planned city and organized government, they traded and exchanged with other countries, most of them were farmers, they were polytheistic and had a mysterious decline that was most likely caused by severe flooding.
What evidence suggests that the IRV had a strong central government?
Harappa & mohenjo-daro are designed almost the same and both have huge storage warehouses, they had a lot of surplus food and all laid out in a grid pattern, wide streets, houses built of clay bricks of a standard size, complex plumbing systems and lastly they had uniform system of measuring/weighting advanced irrigation systems
The Upanishads
a section of the Vedas that address mystical questions related to Hinduism.
Atman
To Hindus, every person has an essential self
Moksha
The ultimate goal of existence, Hindus believe in
reincarnation
the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form.
Karma
refers to both action and result.
Dharma
the religious and moral duties of an individual.
Ahimsa
nonviolence
Caste system
social groups into which people are born and which can rarely be changed
Untouchables
they had jobs such as digging graves,cleaning streets, or turning animal hides into leather and were so impure
Siddhartha Gautama
The guy who found Buddhism and whose teachings spread throughout Asia
Bodhi Tree
is a large sacred fig tree located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or Bodhi circa 500 BCE under it.
The Buddha
Also known as Siddhartha Gautama was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
4 Noble Truths
More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.
Eightfold Path
right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi
Nirvana
The final goal in Buddhism
Tripitaka
Buddha's teachings that are in a sacred texts
Missionary
People who spread Buddhism across India into many parts of Asia
sects
subgroups
Theravada Buddhism
Religion that closely followed Buddha's original teachings. It required a life devoted to hard spiritual work. Only the most dedicated seekers, such as monks and nuns could hope to reach nirvana
Mahayana Buddhism
easier for ordinary people to follow. Even though the Buddha had forbidden followers to worship him. Mahayana Buddhists pictured him and other holy beings as compassionate gods. People turned to these gods for help in solving daily problems as well as in achieving salvation.
Explain the roles of karma, dharma and reincarnation in the process of achieving moksha according to Hindu beliefs.
You have to have dharma so then you can achieve karma and get reincarnated and can achieve enlightenment or moksha.
How did Hinduism become a diverse religion with many gods and goddesses and many forms of worship?
through overlapping beliefs of different groups in India
How did the caste system provide a sense of order in Indian society?
gave people a sense of identity and independence, provide the social framework for an efficient/tightly controlled society, A citizen had a single role to fill and created stability
What is the relationship between the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path? How do the two concepts explain the most important principle of Buddhism?
The four noble truths help to understand the eightfold path and commit oneself to the eightfold path. These two very important concepts help to reach nirvana or enlightenment.
What sequence of events after Buddha's death caused Buddhism to spread beyond India?
After Buddha's death his followers gathered all of his teachings and put them into a sacred text called the " Tripitaka".
Chandragupta Maurya
Greek ambassador to the Mauryan court.
Dissent
ideas that opposed those of the government
Ashoka
The most honored Maurya emperor was Chandragupta’s grandson
Tamil Kingdoms
This kingdom left a rich and diverse literature. these poets described fierce wars, heroic deeds, and festive occasions, along with the ordinary routines of peasant and city life. These kingdoms were Cheras, Cholas, Pandyans and Pallavas
Golden Age
period of great cultural achievement.
Kalidasa
The greatest Gupta poet and playwright
Joint Family
in which several generations of parents and children shared a common dwelling.
Patriarchal
the father or oldest male headed the household. Because he was thought to have wisdom and experience, the head of the family enjoyed great authority.
Dowry
payment to the bridegroom, and financed the costly wedding festivities
shakti
the female divine, who is believed to be ruthless against evil.
How did the actions of Ashoka as emperor reflect Buddhist beliefs?
After he fought a bloody war he turned his back on further conquests and he converted to Buddhism by rejecting violence and resolved to rule by moral example. He also stopped eating meat and limited animal sacrifices and lastly sent missionaries to spread Buddhism throughout Asia.
Choose 3 achievements of the Gupta period and explain why they made the Gupta period a golden age.
mathematical advances (invention of the decimal system)
the golden age because of all the extensive developments and brilliant works
rich literature (Kalidasa, folk tales/songs in Sanskrit)
art and architecture
What characteristics of family and village life shaped Indian society?
A daughter would learn that as a wife she would serve and obey her husband and his family, a son learned the rituals to honor ancestors, and parents were arranging good marriages for their children based on the caste system
How did agriculture and trade help shape life in Indian Villages?
beyond the villages were farm land that grew wheat, rice, cotton sugar cane and more crops. Farming depended on if the summer brought monsoons. If there was two little rain then that meant famine and if there was too much rain that meant famine. And lastly they had to give the landowner a part of each harvest and the villages produced all their food and goods but they also traded for other manufactured goods.
How did the formation of the Maurya and Gupta empires contribute to the development of civilization in India?
both civilizations focused on trade
Gupta advances ( mathematics, astronomy arts/literature)
religious beliefs ( Ashoka's edicts/pillars, caste system, and religious texts)