1. India and Persia

2. Geography
India is a subcontinent because it extends out from the main continent and is surrounded by water.
The Earth is made of huge moving plates.
A subcontinent was formed by breaking off from a large plate and moving slowly northward until it collided with Eurasia.
The smaller plate pushing up under the larger plate formed the Himalayas.
Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world is in the Himalayas.

3. Indian Subcontinent

4. Geography
Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains border the northern part of the subcontinent.
Indian Ocean is at the southern tip.
Arabian Sea is to the west.
Bay of Bengal is to the east.
Below the mountains are the Indo-Ganges Plains.
Crops: barley, wheat, rice, peas, beans
Subsistence farming: live on the food you grow; do not sell much; trade with small groups of people in village

5. Geography
Monsoon Season-June to September most of the yearly rain falls
Major industries throughout India:
Farming
Fishing
Manufacturing textiles

6. Indus River Valley Civilizations
Two major cities discovered: Mohenjo-Daro and Harrappa
Mohenjo-Daro:
Architecture
City planning
Standardized weights
and measures
Mud brick homes in grid pattern
Public bath
Garbage collection

7. Indus River Valley Civilizations
Harrappa: 2500B.C.-1700B.C. Culture thrived and spread throughout river valley.
Written language has not been deciphered
Farmers
Stored grain
Worked with metal and pottery
Wove cloth
Traded and sold goods
Religious beliefs (polytheistic)
Toys and jewelry
Thought to have been destroyed by natural disaster (monsoon, flood, earthquake)

8. Aryans Migrated from Central Asia around 1500 B.C. Nomadic herders
Brought chariots to Indus Valley
Spoke Sanskrit-biggest contribution
to civilization
Vedas- “Books of Knowledge”; stories and songs about wars and contests between gods and humans.
Mahabharata and Ramayana are popular tales

9. Aryan Class System

10. Persian Empire Cyrus II created the Persian Empire.
Darius I expanded the empire to India.
From 550 to 320 B.C. it extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River Valley.
Persian Contributions to India:
Roads connected India to Central Asia, increasing trade and spreading culture and technology.
Zoroastrianism—religion founded by Zoroaster; believed in one supreme god who is the enemy of evil.

11. Mauryan Empire Founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 320 B.C.
Extended borders to Persia, creating 1st empire.
His grandson, Ashoka, took power in 270 B.C. and created a government-controlled state.
Strong civil service workers
Powerful army
Spies
Territory markers/news announcements
Later rulers couldn’t hold control and
the empire ended in 185 B.C.

12. Gupta Empire
Took control of India in A.D. 320 and lasted about 200 years.
Many great achievements:
Math—zero, nine digits, and the decimal point
Architecture—used stone instead of wood
Higher education became available to men.
Trade—silk, cotton, and linen
Astronomy

13. Hinduism Main religion in India; one of the world’s oldest.
Developed from a blend of Aryan beliefs with those of the first people in the Indus River Valley.
The Vedas (Aryan songs and stories) are sacred texts.
Hinduism has many gods and beliefs that can vary depending on location and changes over time

14. Hinduism All Hindus share certain beliefs:
Brahman is the supreme and eternal spirit, or force, of the universe.
3 principal forms of Brahman: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer)
Karma is the sum of the actions of a person’s current life. Determines a soul’s next life.
Dharma is the order of the universe.
If one obeys dharma and has good karma, then they can be reborn into a higher caste (social class).
The goal of every soul is to eventually, through many lives, become part of Brahman.

15. Hinduism Essential Truths Peaceful living Freedom of thought
Respect for nature and animals
Becoming one with Brahman
Good and bad actions will one day affect us
Reincarnation—The process through which a person goes from one life to the next. When a person dies, he/she is reborn into a new life.

16. Hinduism
Caste System—a lifelong social group in which a person was born
Caste determined occupations
Could only marry within your caste
Made illegal today
Every caste could participate in Hinduism.

17. Buddhism
Created by Siddhartha Gautama, a.k.a. Buddha, or “The Enlightened One” in the 4th century B.C.
Spread from India throughout East and Southeast Asia.
All people could achieve enlightenment, or a state of pure goodness.
Taught peace and tolerance.

18. Buddhism Four Noble Truths Suffering is a part of life for all people.
People suffer because they want so many things in life.
If people can free themselves from wanting so many things, they will not suffer.
People can free themselves from wants and from suffering by following the Eightfold Path.

19. Buddhism Eightfold Path-emphasizes wisdom, morality, and meditation
right understanding
right thought
right speech
right action
right livelihood
right effort
right mindfulness
right concentration