Warm Up

 Based on the activity we did yesterday, how would you describe the treatment of women in Classical India? Remember that just because something is written, does not necessarily make it so.

Warm Up:  What is the difference between nationality, ethnicity, and ancestry?

Warm Up  Who is the enemy?

Classical India Mauryan and Guptan Empires

Who are the Aryans?  Indo-European nomads that immigrated to northern India around 1500 to 1000 B.C.E.

What are they Vedas? Who wrote them? In what language were they written?  Religious texts written by the Aryan people to their gods in the Sanskrit language

What accounts for the collapse of the Harappan civilization upon the arrival of Aryan migrants? Mountain Passes: Khyber Pass

What are some of the fundamental changes brought by the Aryan people to India?  Change in religious structure  Change in social organization  Change in written language

What is Hinduism? What are some of its key features?  The religion of the Aryans practiced throughout India and parts of Indonesia.  Key Features  Belief in reincarnation  Belief in multiple gods as part of a greater, single god  Belief in a spiritual social order

What is the Hindu Caste System? What determines your rank in this system?  A spiritual social order with the most pure individuals at the top and the most sinful at the bottom  Karma: spiritual currency, you want as much good karma as possible  When you die, you are reborn either into a new caste or the same caste, depends on your karma

What accounts for the development of a religious social class in the Hindu faith?

What is Buddhism? Who is its founder? What religious philosophies did it reject?  Teaches the rejection of desire to rid the body of suffering  Founded by Siddhartha Gautama  Rejects Hindu cycle of Reincarnation

What are some of the more appealing elements of Buddhism? Which castes in India would be most likely to convert?

What are the 5 major geographic regions present in India?  Indo-Gangetic Plains  Himalayan Mountains  Deccan Plateau  Thar Desert  Coastal Plains

In the Classical Age, why was India so difficult to unify politically?

What is Bactria? Who founded this kingdom?  Kingdom in N. India  Founded by Alexander the Great  Collapsed after his death

What effect did the founding of Bactria have on the political organization of India in the 3 rd Century BCE?

What was Ashoka Maurya’s relationship with Buddhism?  Converted to Buddhism  Stops conquests and military expansion  Regional kingdoms start to break away  Empire is weakened

Who were the Kushans? What effect did they have on the strength of the Mauryan Empire and Buddhism in India?  Warriors that invaded N. India  Led to downfall of Mauryan Empire  King adopted Buddhism  Lowered popularity

Who were the Guptas?  Second major dynasty in Classical India  Controlled less territory than the Mauryans  Were more active in science, art, & mathematics

How did Indian regionalism affect the style of rule used by the Mauryans and Guptas?  Emperors allowed local kings to continue ruling  Sent representatives to local court  Kings swore allegiance to Emperor

What are some of the most important scientific and mathematic accomplishments of scholars in Classical India?  Sterilization of Wounds  Calculation of the curvature of the Earth  Development of Base 10 and the concept of “0”