1. Classical India: Aryan Invasion Theory, Mauryan & Gupta Empires

2. To Review
Harrapan (Indus River Valley) Civilization declines around 1500 BCE
Several theories (floods, earthquakes, famine, and invasion)
Today we will learn about those invaders & their impact on Classical India
Classical: from roughly the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans
c. 700 BCE to 400 AD

3. Who Were the Aryans?
People from the larger Indo-European family of languages
From Central Asia
Nomadic cattle herders
C BCE they started to leave their homeland in Central Asia and spread out in many directions
C entered the Indus River Valley through the Hindu Kush Mountains

5. Indo-European Migration

6. Aryan Invasion of India

7. Aryan Migration Two Theories:
Originated in India
Migrated from somewhere in Central Asia

8. Aryan Contributions Caste System
Probably originally based on skin color (lighter skin on top, darker on the bottom)
Varna: meant “color”
Could not marry someone from another caste

9. Aryan Contributions
Sanskrit
Video

10. Aryan Contributions The Vedas: Aryan’s sacred literature
4 collections of prayers, spells, and instructions for performing rituals
Most famous: Rig Veda

11. Aryan Political Organization
Aryans were divided into tribes
Led by a raja, or prince
Small kingdoms
Often fought among themselves
1500 BCE to 400 BCE

12. Chandragupta Maurya Indian prince
Founded the Mauryan dynasty in 321 BCE shortly after Alexander the Great invades India (327 BCE)
Unifies India for the first time
Started by Chandragupta Maurya

13. Chandragupta’s Accomplishments
Centralized government
Meaning the ruler runs the government and everything to do with it from a capital city
Capital at Pataliputra
Built a strong army
Spy system so he knew what was going on in his empire
Postal System so he could communicate throughout his empire

14. Asoka Greatest Mauryan leader Ruled from 273 BCE- 232 BCE
Started as a strong military leader but came to hate war
After one bloody battle, he walked the battlefield looking at all of the dead bodies and made a promise
He would dedicate his life to the Buddha and start a life od peace

15. Asoka & Buddhism Adopted Buddhism
Spread Buddhism by sending Buddhist teachers to throughout India and Asia
Free Hospitals & Veterinary clinics
Built new roads to make trade easier
Built shelters and trees along the roads so travelers could rest
Allowed Hindus to keep their religion

16. Spread of Buddhism

17. Spread of Buddhism

18. Buddhism Ideals
Peace
Reincarnation (reborn into a new life after death)
Good deeds
Obey elders
Not to focus on material things

19. Fall of the Mauryan Empire
After Asoka’s death in 232 BCE the emperors were weak
Heavy taxes and seized peasants’ crops
183 BCE the last emperor was killed by one of his own generals

20. Gupta Empire For 500 years India had no strong ruler
Subcontinent divided into small kingdoms again that fought constantly
320 A.D. a prince from the area around the Ganges River became powerful
Named Chandragupta
Chose to rule from the old capital Pataliputra

21. Gupta Empire

22. Samdragupta Chandragupta’s son
Expanded the empire to include all of Northern India
Empire was smaller than the Mauryans and easier to rule

23. Gupta & Trade Gupta empire grew wealthy off trade
Traded salt, gold, and iron in India
Traded with China and the Mediterranean
Cities grew along the trade routes

24. Gupta & Hinduism Made Hinduism the official religion
Gave money to help build shrines

25. Gupta Empire & Learning
Literature
Ramayana
About a great king, Rama, and his queen, Sita
He was banished from his kingdom but later defeats the demon Ravana who had kidnapped Sita
Contained moral lessons for the people
Mahabharata
Longest poem in any written language
About a great war for the control of India
Most famous section in called the Bhagavad Gita, where a god Krishna preaches a sermon before a battle
Important to Hindu religion because Krishna tells his listeners that it is important to do one’s duty even when it is difficult or painful

26. Gupta & Learning Astronomy Medical Advances Mathematics
Idea that the universe was made of tiny particles (atoms)
Mapped the movement of the stars
Knew the earth was round & that the Earth revolved around the sun
Medical Advances
Learned how to set bones & perform operations
Early form of plastic surgery
Mathematics
Discovery of “zero”
Decimal system
Concept of infinity (something that goes on forever)
Symbols for 1-9 that we use today
Invented algorithms (a series of steps you follow to solve a problem)
Today computer programmers use algorithms to tell computers what to do