HIS 105 Chapter 4 Iran, India, and Inner Asia 600 B.C.E C.E.

Iranian Achaemenids and Mauryan India In both areas there were: Sophisticated bureaucracies Professional armies Strong communication systems New cultural, political, and religious developments

Iran Found in SW Asia in the middle of east-west trade routes As a consequence, cities flourished Iranians were descendents of Aryan peoples who settled there in 1100 B.C.E. 2 major groups of Aryans there: The Medes The Persians

Achaemenids Powerful Persian clan in 7 th century B.C.E. Took over the Medes by 550 B.C.E. Cyrus the Great was the Persian or Achaemenid ruler at the time Allowed for local rule and former practices in the newly captured territory Little disruption for the people

Cyrus the Great

Religion Emphasis on “right” moral order Monotheistic ; god named Ahura Mazda Zarathustra (Zoroaster) was a trained priest and religiuos reformer Wanted moral reform in an age of materialism, power grabbing, and ethical indifference Asked followers to worship Ahura Mazda, do good, and overcome evil Said there would be a final judgment

His religion was called Zoroastrianism It perhaps influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- also monotheistic Zoroastrianism was wiped out when Islam entered It is still practiced in western India

Zarathustra

First Iranian Empire ( B.C.E.) The Achaemenids & Cyrus the Great During the rise of this Persian power, Cyrus I ruled Iran moved toward greatness under Cyrus the Great (r B.C.E.), grandson of CyrusI Cyrus the Great expanded Persian territory: took Assyria, Cilesia, Lydia, and defeated the last Babylonian king When he continued his battle for territory eastward, he was killed

Cambyses ( r B.C.E.), his successor took Egypt Darius I succeeded Cambyses (r B.C.E.) Under his rule the Achaemenid Empire reached its furthest extent Territory extended from Egypt to southern Russia to the Indus Valley After Darius, the Achaemenids lost power and control

Cambyses & Darius

Achaemenid Government It was a stable government until the 3 rd century B.C.E. The king was called Shahanshah or “King of Kings” Ahura Mazda would bless the king (divine rule) Achaemenids showed tolerance of other cultures and religions They established Pax Achaemenica

Governors in the provinces were called Satraps Taxes were collected Emphasis on rule of law Had a good highway system Helped trade Helped army Helped couriers

Economy Coin system Standard wages Basic occupation was agriculture Serfs and slaves made up most of the labor force

India First true Indian Empire was established by Chandragupta Maurya (r B.C.E.) After Alexander the Great’s victories in NW India and the defeat of small kingdoms, there was a need for new Indian leadership Chandragupta Maurya provided that leadership He re-conquered NW India taking it from the Greeks left by Alexander

Chandragupta

Chandragupta began conquering territory along the Ganges plain Chandraguta was succeeded by his son, Bindusara (r B.C.E.) who extended the boundaries further south Bindusara was succeeded by his son, Ashoka (r ) who completed the conquests His reign was one of political unity, prosperity, and rich culture

Bindusara & Ashoka

He became a Buddhist He stopped his conquests after seeing te suffering he caused Ashoka then worked to promote the welfare of his people He built roads and hospitals Promoted vegetarianism Would not sanction war or animal slaughter

Brahmans were no longer his political advisors, and they did not like losing their power Local warrior elite were also losing their power However, many people benefited: Merchants Artisans Buddhist monks and nuns Women

Ashoka’s reign was followed by weaker rulers The empire divided chaos followed Brahmans pushed to take back power Brahmans persecuted Buddhists and pushed them to the fringes of society and brought back Hinduism

Brahman Recovery Brahmans and kings with Brahman advisors began to take power in northern India as other weak leaders fell Practices of the Buddhists made them vulnerable to the Brahman push Buddhists isolated themselves in monasteries They were supported by the wealthy and lived in luxury They lost touch with ordinary people

Brahmans tried to make Hinduism more appealing to the Indian people by incorporating some Buddhist gods and by stressing a more personal relationship with their gods Brahmans also opened temples to people of all castes Women could act as singers and poets They created more ceremonies Hindus adopted Buddhists’ idea of salvation

New rulers promoted Hinduism As a result, Buddhism slowly died out The Mauryas: Had centralized bureaucracy Had good communications, civil and military organization, tax collection, and a secret service Had trade and productive cities Encouraged cultural development Had some contact with the West