1. Ancient Civilizations Chapter 6
Ancient India
Ancient Civilizations
Chapter 6

2. Section 1: Geography and Early India
Geography of India
A. Landforms & Rivers
*1. subcontinent-large landmass that is smaller than a continent, often separated from the main land mass by physical barriers like mountains

3. 2. barriers of India
a. Kush Mountains in the northwest
b. Himalayas in the northeast
c. Arabian Sea on the west side
d. Bay of Bengal on the east side
e. Indian Ocean in the south

5. 1. monsoons-seasonal wind patterns that cause wet & dry seasons
B. Climate
1. monsoons-seasonal wind patterns that cause wet & dry seasons
2. summer monsoons bring rain
3. winter monsoons bring warm, dry winds

6. Summer monsoon season

10. Harappan Civilization
A. India’s First Cities
1. centered along the Indus River
2. thrived between B.C.
3. Harappa & Mohenjo Daro two large cities
a. cities laid out in right angles
b. fortress helped guard against invasions

11. Harappan Civilization

12. Mohenjo Daro

13. Aerial view of remains of Mohenjo Daro

14. Statue of a priest
from remains of Mohenjo Daro

15. 1. bathrooms with indoor plumbing *2. developed India’s first writing
B. Harappan Achievements
1. bathrooms with indoor plumbing
*2. developed India’s first writing
system
3. believed to have kings & strong central gov’t
4. not sure why society ended

16. Mohenjo Daro-the Great Bath is in front

17. III. Aryan Invasion
A. Invaders from the West
1. by 1200 B.C. Aryan warriors invaded the Indus Valley from the west
2. Vedas-religious writings, poems, hymns

19. B. Government & Society
*1. Aryans lived in small communities based on family ties
2. no single ruling authority
3. raja-leader who ruled a village

20. C. Language
1. Sanskrit
a. most important language of ancient India
b. Vedas-poems & hymns of the Aryans written in Sanskrit
c. no longer spoken today

22. Page from the Bible in
Sanskrit

23. Page from the
Vedas written in
Sanskrit

24. Section 2: Origins of Hinduism
Indian Society Divides
A. The Varnas
1. Aryans developed a strict system of social classes
2. social divisions came from the Vedas
3. four main social divisions

25. 2. decided a person’s place in society
B. The Caste System
1. divided Indian society into groups based on person’s birth, wealth, or occupation
2. decided a person’s place in society
3. untouchables were lowest rank
a. not to have any contact with other castes
b. worst jobs only
c. seen as unclean

28. 1. not allowed to marry anyone from another caste
C. Caste Rules
1. not allowed to marry anyone from another caste
2. if rules are broken could be banned from home & caste: become untouchables
3. castes kept to their own caste
4. most important to follow all the rules

29. Brahmanism
A. The Vedas
1. religion of Aryans called Brahmanism
*2. Rigveda is the oldest book of the Vedas
hymns of praise to many gods

30. The Vedas include hymns to gods and rituals for sacrifices to gods.

31. *1. Vedic texts were Brahmins thoughts about the Vedas
B. Later Vedic Texts
*1. Vedic texts were Brahmins thoughts about the Vedas
2. Upanishads-reflections on the Vedas by students and teachers

32. Hinduism Develops
A. Hindu Beliefs
1. Hinduism is largest religion in India today
2. blend of Vedas & other religious traditions from Central Asia
3. polytheistic; 3 main gods

33. Brahma
the creator

34. Shiva
The destroyer

35. Hindu god-Vishnu
preserver

36. Hindu gods

37. 2. reincarnation-process of rebirth
B. Life & Rebirth
*1. atman-the soul
2. reincarnation-process of rebirth
3. rebirth is needed to reach the ultimate goal of uniting with Brahman-the universal spirit
4. Snakes and Ladders game helped to teach about reincarnation

39. C. Hinduism & Caste System
*1. rebirth depends on karma
2. karma-effects of good & bad actions
bad actions bad karma = rebirth into lower caste
3. good karma eventually leads to salvation (moksha) no more rebirth
4. duty to accept your place in the world because your actions in a previous life earned it

40. 1. women considered inferior to men 2. women not allowed to read Vedas
D. Hinduism & Women
1. women considered inferior to men
2. women not allowed to read Vedas
IV Jains React to Hinduism
A. Jainism-reaction to Hinduism
1. base on teachings of Mahavira
2. thought Brahmins put too much emphasis on rituals

41. Jain Temple

42. 1. injure no life 2. tell the truth 3. do not steal 4. own no property
B. Four Principles
1. injure no life
2. tell the truth
3. do not steal
4. own no property

43. C. Nonviolence
1. avoidance of violent actions
2. part of Jainism’s practice to hurt no one
3. vegetarians-do not kill or harm any creature
4. Martin Luther King Jr. practiced nonviolence

44. Section 3: Origins of Buddhism
Siddhartha’s Search for Wisdom
A. The Quest for Answers
1. Siddhartha
a. a prince who grew up in luxury
b. felt something was missing
2. left the castle grounds & for the first time saw suffering in the world
3. by age 30 he left his home to look for answers, but found none

45. B. The Buddha Finds Enlightenment
1. freed his mind of daily concerns
2. fasted-went without food
3. meditated-focused his mind on spiritual ideas
4. meditated under a tree & found the answers he was searching for

47. 5. realized where human suffering comes from
6. becomes known as the Buddha or “enlightened one”
*Basically-material goods cause suffering

48. Siddhartha
Statue depicting Siddhartha meditating on the causes of suffering

49. Siddhartha meditating with followers

50. Teachings of Buddhism
A. Four Noble Truths
1. teachings of Buddha based on four principles
2. nirvana-a state of perfect peace
3. following the 8 fold path leads to salvation
a. method to overcome ignorance & desire

51. B. Challenging Hindu Ideas
1. did not believe in animal sacrifice
2. each individual works for their own salvation, priest cannot help them
3. opposed to caste system
4. appealed to all people

52. Buddhism Spreads
A. Buddhism Spreads in India
1. Buddha’s followers spread his ideas
2. ideas were popular & easy to understand
B. Buddhism Spreads Beyond India
1. powerful king Asoka becomes Buddhist
2. built Buddhist temples & schools
3. sent missionaries to spread Buddhist beliefs

53. Ancient Buddhist Temples

54. Inside a Buddhist temple

56. 1. began to change as it spread; split into two major branches
C. Split within Buddhism
1. began to change as it spread; split into two major branches
a. Theravada tried to follow Buddha’s teachings exactly
b. Mahayana felt other people could interpret Buddha’s teachings

57. Picture depicting Buddhists missionaries spreading peace and harmony with the teachings of Buddha.

58. Buddhist monks today traveling on a missionary journey.

60. Section 4: Indian Empire
Mauryan Empire Unifies India
A. The Mauryan Empire
1. Chandragupta Maurya a military leader
a. 320s B.C.
b. Seized control of entire northern part of India
2. became a Jainist monk
3. passed throne on to his son

61. Chandragupta Maurya

62. 1. grandson of Candragupta 2. became strongest of all Mauryan kings
B. Asoka
1. grandson of Candragupta
2. became strongest of all Mauryan kings
3. converted to Buddhism, stopped waging wars
4. worked to spread Buddhism & its ideals

63. King Asoka

64. Temple ruins from the Mauryan Empire

66. Gupta Rules
A. A New Hindu Empire
1. Gupta Dynasty
a. united India
b. became prosperous
2. Indian civilization flourished
3. Hinduism became India’s major religion

67. Buddhist temple in
Sri Lanka

69. B. Gupta Society
1. Chandra Gupta II
a. empire continues to grow
b. economy is strengthened
c. people prosper
2. believed in the strict Hindu caste system

71. Notice the detail on the coin like the horses mane

72. Coins with Chandra Gupta’s image

73. 3. Gupta ruled remains strong until late 400s
a. Huns invade
b. India divided into smaller kingdoms
4. Gupta society declines after the rule of Gupta II

74. Section 5: Indian Achievements
Religious Art
A. Temples
1. artists of Maurya & Gupta periods created great works of art-many religious based
2. temples for Hinduism became more complex & ornate

75. B. Paintings & Sculptures
1. many of the finest paintings are found in temples
2. showed importance of religion in ancient India
3. carved images often covered the walls

78. Carved temple walls

79. Sanskrit Literature
A. Religious Epics
1. Mahabaharta
a. Religious epic-one of the longest literary works
b. Contains passages about Hindu beliefs
c. Bhagavad Gita-most famous passage about Hindu beliefs

80. Scientific Advances
A. Metalworking
1. metallurgy-science of working with metals
2. created alloys-mixtures of two metals

81. Mahabharata
Ghatokach a mythical warrior from the Mahabharata

82. B. Mathematics & Other Sciences
*1. Hindu-Arabic numbers
a. created by Indian scholars & brought to Europe by Arabs
2. Hindu doctors
a. made medicines from plants & minerals
b. practiced inoculations-shots given to build up defenses against diseases
c. performed surgery

83. b. knew earth was a sphere c. could predict eclipses
3. astronomy-study of stars & sky
a. knew 7 of the 9 (8) planets
b. knew earth was a sphere
c. could predict eclipses

84. The transformation of Hindu-Arabic numbers into modern numbers.