Chapter 3 India, China, and the Americas (ca. 2700–700 B.C.E.)

Ancient India Indus Valley civilization The Vedic Era Caste system Priests and scholars Rulers and warriors Artisans and merchants Unskilled workers The “Untouchables” Sanskrit Introduced by the Aryans Epic poetry Vedas The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

Ancient India (continued) Hindu pantheism The Vedic gods The Upanishads Brahman Atman Nirvana Karma Bhagavad-Gita The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3

Ancient China The Shang dynasty (ca. 1776–1027 B.C.E.) Warrior tribe that developed first urban culture and calligraphic script; ruled by divine right The Western Zhou dynasty (1027–771 B.C.E.) Put into practice world’s first administration system based on the ideas of advancement for merit or achievement The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4

Ancient China (continued) Spirits, gods, and the natural order Ancestor worship predominant Important emphasis on “balance” Daoism The Book of Changes Cosmological diagrams used by diviners to predict the future The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5

The Americas Groups of Asian nomads following glacial ice bridges to Alaska were probably first inhabitants in the Americas Subsequently settled heaviest in ancient times in modern-day Peru (Caral and Sechin Bajo; 3500–2600 B.C.E.) at sites which may have predated the Egyptian pyramids Mexico’s Gulf Coast (the Olmecs) 1300–400 B.C.E. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6