1. Eastern River Civilizations

2. Indus Valley Civilization
Government -- ?
Religion -- ?
Job specialization: assumed due to use of advanced technology
Social classes -- ?

3. What can ruins of cities tell us?
Well organized, so there must have been a strong form of government
Technologically advanced
Large population

4. Arts & Architecture Statuary Pottery Cotton cloth?
Advanced architectural concepts

5. Public Works Paved city streets
Wells and perhaps even running water in some locations
Some evidence for the possibility of a sewer system

6. Writing Simply called “Indus”
Limited examples and as yet indecipherable

7. So what happened to the Indus?
Did they cut down too many trees?
Was there a volcanic eruption?
Was there an earthquake?
Were they wiped out by invaders?

8. No one knows for sure!

9. The Aryans

10. Nomadic warriors who burned villages & towns
Rode in chariots
Loved drinking, eating, music, and dice games
Most of what we know comes from their holy writings, The Vedas
Eventually settled down to farming and built their own cities

11. Aryan social structure
Brahmins = Priest class
Kshatriyas = Warrior class
Vaisyas = herders, farmers, artisans, merchants
Sudras = (Non-Aryans) farm workers, servants, and laborers
Harijans = Untouchables, work in unclean trades

12. The caste system
Ensures spiritual purity by keeping “clean” and “unclean” peoples separated

13. Early China

14. Huang He & Chiang Jiang Rivers

15. “The River of Sorrows” Huang He (Yellow) River
Unlike in Egypt & Mesopotamia, river flooding in China was viewed as a disaster
Thousands died every year in floodwaters

16. Dynastic Rule
System of government where power passes to another member of the same family when the emperor dies

17. “The Mandate of Heaven”
The idea that emperors who are fair and just will win the favor of the gods, but those whom are unjust will not be protected

18. Yin & Yang Yin = forces of darkness, earth, and females
Yang = forces of light, heaven, and males
These forces must be in balance for the world to operate correctly!

19. Confucius 551 – 479 BC Chinese philosopher
Taught that good government was a responsibility
Duty to one’s family is above all other responsibilities
Teachings are called The Analects

20. The Five Confucian Relationships
Parent to child
Elder sibling to younger sibling
Husband to wife
Ruler to subject
Friend to friend (only equal relationship)
Everyone had responsibilities: superiors should care for their inferiors and set good examples, while inferiors owed loyalty and obedience to their superiors

21. Hanfeizi & Legalism Man is naturally evil
Man is motivated by greed & selfishness
To maintain order, laws must be very strict and punishments very harsh

22. Laozi & Daoism Rejects necessity of human conflict
One should live in harmony with nature
One should yield one’s desires and simply accept life
Saw government as unnatural & unnecessary

23. The Great Wall Not actually one continuous wall
Built in sections over hundreds of years
Designed to defend against invading Mongol tribes from the North

24. Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Army
The emperor commissioned thousands of life-sized clay soldiers to be buried around his tomb to protect him in the afterlife
No two soldiers look the same!

25. The Silk Trade
China carefully guarded the secret of silk making for thousands of years
Actual silk thread is the byproduct of the silkworm and is harvested from their cocoons

26. The Silk Roads: trade routes which connected China to the Mediterranean