10/13/2015 When you hear the word family, what do you think of? What does the concept mean in the United States?

Ancient Indian Life and Culture

Cultural Achievements Panchantantra or “Five Books” - stories Fables from Gupta period = Stories with morals that taught traits such as adaptability, shrewdness, and determination Panchatantra has been translated into more languages more than any other book Except the Bible!

Economy Most people barely got by Lived off of the land Rulers claimed ¼ of each harvest for taxes Trading picked up and Indian goods were found in the Far East, Asia, Africa, and Europe

Society 200 B.C. and A.D. 200 - Hindu Laws of Manu Polygyny: Suttee: Girls were required to obey their fathers Women obeyed their husbands and then their sons Women couldn’t own property or study any writing Polygyny: Men could have more than one wife – became widespread Suttee: Women committed suicide by throwing themselves on top of husband’s burning body at death Sometimes required in upper castes

Art and Architecture Only art to survive-mural paintings found in caves They depict daily life and religious practices Hindu temples - built with square walls that surrounded a statue of a god Buddhist Stupas: Dome-shaped shrines that contained artifacts or objects associated with Buddha inside

Education Higher castes Lower castes Nalanda – Buddhist University Studied the Vedas, astronomy, mathematics, warfare, and government Lower castes Only studied crafts and trades (to be workers) Nalanda – Buddhist University Center of higher learning in India Studied Vedas, Hindu philosophy, logic, grammar, and medicine Thousands of students attended for free

Mathematics and Astronomy Understood abstract and negative numbers Gave way to algebra The digits 1 through 9 were probably invented by Indian mathematicians Understand concepts of zero and infinity Understood the rotation of the earth Accurately predicted eclipses of the sun and moon

Medicine Understood importance of the spinal cord Invented bone setting and plastic surgery Major invention – Inoculation: Practice of infecting a person with mild form of disease so they do not get sick with serious form They were able to inoculate against smallpox which was brought to Europe until 1700s A.D. 400s - Indian rulers built free hospitals Practices cleanliness in surgery and disinfected wounds

Ancient CHINA!!

Geographic and cultural Influences

China Proper The heart of China Three great rivers flow through this area: Huang, Chang, and Xi

Rivers of China Huang River Chang River Xi River Flows 2,900 miles and has fertile soil it deposits during flooding seasons Early farmers built dikes higher and higher to guard water, but the water and soil kept building. Water couldn’t flow back so it sat until it evaporated Today it sits 12 feet higher than surrounding land Chang River Flows 3,434 miles and large ocean ships can travel 600 miles up it Xi River Flows 1,200 miles and also used for ships

China’s Isolation Because of Mtn ranges, China was pretty well isolated from rest of civilizations They developed all on their own and looked down upon any foreigners as barbarians They thought they were superior than anybody else and invaders would eventually lose their identity over time into China’s growing population

The Shang Dynasty

Legends of Ancient china – DON’T WRITE! Supposedly a figure named Yu came and drained the floodwaters to establish China Yu put in the Xia as leaders The Xia made advances in agriculture and irrigation but were eventually swept out by the Shang between 1750 B.C. and 1500 B.C.

Government and Culture Shang Kingdom spread across 40,000 square miles They established a bureaucracy: A government with different levels and tasks A king ruled over all the land with an army of chariots and bronze weapons This organization allowed gaining of territory and spreading of culture

Economy and Handicrafts They grew wheat and rice They also raised pigs and chickens to eat, horses for labor, and silkworms for product Artisans worked in bone, ivory, jade, and ceramics They developed a way for pottery to be glazed so it would have a shiny finish and be more durable

Astronomy and the Calendar They had two calendars, one for the sun and one for the moon They used the one for the moon more Skilled priest-astronomers added days here and there to make a full 365 day year The popularity of the King depended on how well the harvest ran with the calendar so priests- astronomers were really important

Religion The religion that developed combined animism with ancestor worship What is animism? The belief that spirits inhabit everything People believed in an all powerful and kind dragon that lived in seas and rivers and could go into the clouds, this became the symbol for Chinese rulers They also worshipped gods of the wind, sun, clouds, and moon They held a religious festival every spring and fall for harvests

There was one god whose name was Shangdi He controlled human destiny and forces of nature Rulers used Shangdi’s control over destiny to justify their decisions Priests Tried to predict future events, interpret messages from gods and ancestors Oracle Bones The shoulder bones of cattle or tortoise shells Priests heated bones and interpreted cracks that would appear

Language and Writing The early Chinese spoke many different dialects of the same language They developed a written language for all the different dialects It was a mix of pictographs and ideographs Drawings of objects and sound signs Each character was memorized and writing was in lines from top to the bottom of pages from the right Writing became an art called calligraphy

Fall of the Shang Dynasty During 1100 B.C.s, Shang’s battled surrounding areas In 1050 B.C. people from the north joined forces and called themselves the Zhou and overthrew the dynasty The Zhou justified the revolt by saying the Shang were corrupt and unfit to rule Common excuse in Chinese history