Ancient China and India Chapter 5

Geography of India  Indus River Valley civilization  Himalayan Mountains  Indus River  Ganges River  Mohenjo-daro  Harappa

Why did they settle there?  Fertile land  Available food and water  Protection from invaders  Hindu Kush  Himalayan Mountains  Bay of Bengal  Arabian Sea

Aryans  Civilization of people who settled in India after the decline of the Indus valley civilization  Little is known about these people  Nomadic – left behind no buildings  Followed herds of cattle  Moved using horses and chariots  Settled down and began to farm

Hinduism  Polytheistic  Vedas and Upanishads – religious text  Caste system – different levels of society  Priests  Warriors  Merchants  Peasants

Hindu Beliefs  Universal Force  Goal of life is to free the individual soul (atman) by joining it with the universal life force (brahman)  Reincarnation  Many different lives to reach highest level  Life focus on bettering yourself  Ahimsa – not injuring any living thing  Yoga – Physical and mental exercise  Fasting  Religious pilgrimages

Buddhism  Grew from people questioning Hinduism  Based on the teachings of Buddha  Siddhartha Gautama  Basic principles of poverty, meditation and study

Buddhist Beliefs  Rebirth  Selfish desire causes human suffering  Focus on bettering the world  Ultimate goal is to let go of greed, hatred and ignorance  Nirvana – blissful state after reaching goal  Different forms of Buddhism

Mauryan Empire  Chandragupta – first emperor  Brilliant and ruthless leader  Led India to be peaceful and prosperous  Asoka – Chandragupta’s grandson  Led similarly to Chandragupta  Had a spiritual awakening and changed how he led  Ruled following the Buddhist philosophy

Geography of China  Protected by ocean, desert and mountain  Only 10% of land could grow crops  Wet and fertile river valleys  Long, navigable rivers

Cause and Effect CauseEffect Natural protection Chinese culture developed in isolation Little land to support crops Limited trade Wet fertile river valleys Large variety of crops Long rivers Huge transportation network

Silk Road  Series of different merchants trading from one to another over thousands of miles  Not an actual road  China traded silk and spices for horses from the north  Northerners took silk as they traveled to Mesopotamia

Dynasties of China  Shang  Zhou (shoe)  Qin (chin)  Han

Shang Dynasty  Government – led by king and noble families  Achievements – used bronze tools armor, bows and arrows and chariots  Religion – ancestor worship

Zhou Dynasty  Warring states  Believed they had a “heavenly mandate” to rule  Iron tools and weapons

Qin Dynasty  China unified under one Emperor  Creation of the modern day “China” name  Great Wall started  Shihuangdi’s tomb with the terra cotta soldiers

Han Dynasty  Governed by Confucian ideas  Age of scholars  Imperial Academy created  Pass exams to become part of the government  Important because even the poor could be part of the government

Confucianism  Based on the teachings of Cunfucius  Treat others the way you would want to be treated  Polite, respectful behavior  High regard for learning

Taoism  Also known as Daoism  Based on the teachings of Lao-tzu  Order and harmony come from nature  Find calmness in everything around you  Don’t strive for useless things or have unnecessary arguments

Yin Yang