5. Chapter 3 Early India & China

6.  The Aryans were Indo-European nomadic peoples who created a new Indian society.  The Aryans created India’s caste system.  The caste system was a social class system split into 5 categories.

7. Caste  The priests or Brahmans were at the top.  The second class was the warriors or Kshatriyas.  Third, was the Vaisyas or commoners.  The fourth class called the Sudras made up a bulk of the Indian peasant population.  The lowest class was called the Untouchables  Untouchable…

8. Caste: Untouchables  The Untouchables were given menial, degrading tasks such as trash collection, sewer cleaner, handling of dead bodies, etc.  To the other classes, untouchables were not considered human and were not to be treated as such.

9. Untouchables  To a certain extent, this unofficially continues to this day in parts of India. 

10. Hinduism  Hinduism has its origins with the Aryan peoples.  Hinduism teaches that one’s role in life is defined by one’s birth into a certain class, or caste.  Hindus worship a multitude of gods and believe in reincarnation to achieve a higher social status.

11. Hinduism  Dharma is the set of divine rules.  Karma is the force generated by one’s actions that determines where one will be socially in his next life.  Following the dharma will get you good karma!

12. Buddhism  Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism.  The Buddha (Guatama) believed that suffering is caused by attachment to the things of this world.  Buddhists are forbidden from worshipping any god, even Buddha himself.

13. Buddhism  For this reason, many consider Buddhism to be more of a philosophy than a religion.  Buddhism rejects the Hindu division of human beings into rigidly defined castes.  Instead, Buddhism teaches that all human beings can reach nirvana, or ultimate reality, as a result of their behavior in this life.

14. New Empires in India  The Gupta Empire traded with China, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean.  Asoka is generally considered to be the greatest ruler in the history of India.

15. Silk Road  The Silk Road was a trade route started during this time period.  It ran between the Roman Empire and China that ran through India’s Kushan Kingdom.

16. Science  Ancient Indians possessed an impressive amount of scientific knowledge.

17. Science  In astronomy, they charted the movements of the heavenly bodies and recognized that the earth was a sphere that rotated on its axis and revolved around the sun.

18. Math  In mathematics, they were the first scientists known to have used algebra.  Aryabhata was one of the first scientists known to have used algebra.

19. Math  Indian mathematicians also introduced the concept of zero and used a symbol (0) for it.  This system was adopted by Arab scholars and eventually spread through Europe.

20. Early Chinese Civilizations  Historians of China have traditionally dated the beginning of Chinese civilization to the founding of the Xia (SHE-A) dynasty, about which little is known.

22. Mandate of Heaven  The Zhou (JOH) dynasty claimed it ruled China because it had the Mandate of Heaven.  The Mandate said that the king ruled because his authority comes directly from Heaven.

23. Mandate of Heaven  But, the Mandate was a double- edged sword. The ruler could be overthrown by the will of Heaven if he did not rule according to the Dao or the “Way”.

25.  One element of the Confucian view of the Dao is the idea of humanity, consisting of a sense of compassion and empathy for others.

26.  Daoism was a system of ideas based on the teachings of Laozi (LOW DZUH).  Daoists believed the duty of human beings was to work hard and improve life here on earth.

27.  Legalism was a third philosophy unlike either Confucianism or Daoism.  It proposed that humans were evil by nature and they could only be brought to follow the correct path by harsh laws and stiff punishment. I am “Evil”

28. Rise and Fall of Chinese Empires  After a bloody civil war, the Qin (CHIN) dynasty emerged based on Legalism beliefs.

29.  The central bureaucracy of the Qin dynasty was divided into the civil division, the military division, and the censorate.

30.  The Qin dynasty created the censorate as a part of the central bureaucracy that had inspectors who checked on government officials to make sure they were doing their job.

31.  Qin Shihuangdi (SHE- HOO-ANG-DEE) unified the Chinese world in part by creating a single monetary system and ordering the building of a system of roads.  Qin Shihuangdi also was instrumental in starting the building the Great Wall.

32.  The founder of the Han dynasty was Liu Bang, a man of peasant origin.  He discarded Legalism and adopted Confucianism.

33.  An important concept that became a crucial part of Chinese history was the Confucian belief that the government should be open to all men of superior talent.  Liu Bang started civil service exams and established schools to train these candidates.

34.  Soon the Empire expanded and new technology prospered.  One of the technological advances of the Han dynasty was the invention of water mills, for grinding grain.

35.  The invention that led to major expansion of trade in the Han period was the development of fore-and-aft rigging and rudders on ships.

36.  In 1974, farmers digging a well about 35 miles east of Xian discovered an army of terra-cotta warriors who were buried in Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb showing a modern day glimpse into ancient Chinese culture.