1. Ch.5

2.  Subcontinent – a large landmass that is smaller than a continent  Himalayas  Hindu Kush  Major rivers: Indus and Ganges  Monsoons – seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

3.  Developed in the Indus River valley  Cities: Harappa and Mohenjo Daro  Achievements:  Indoor plumbing  Writing system  Mysteriously disappeared

4.  Vedas – collection of poems, hymns, myths and rituals  Raja – leader who ruled a village and the land around it  Sanskrit – most important language of ancient India

5.  Varnas – social divisions  Brahmins – priests  Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors  Vaisyas – farmers, craftspeople, traders  Sudras – laborers and non-Aryans  Untouchables  Caste system – divided Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation

6.  Hinduism – largest religion in India today  Polytheism  Reincarnation – process of rebirth  Karma – the effects that good and bad actions have on a person’s soul  Jainism – teaches all life is sacred  Nonviolence – avoidance of violent actions

7.  Injure no life  Tell the truth  Do not steal  Own no property

8.  Founded by Siddhartha Gautama  Fasting – going w/out food  Meditation – the focusing of the mind on spiritual beliefs  Buddha – “Enlightened One”  Teachings became known as Buddhism

9.  Four Noble Truths – guiding principles  Nirvana – state of perfect peace  Frees the soul from suffering and from the need to further reincarnation  Missionaries – people who work to spread their religious beliefs

10.  Mauryan Empire – ruled India for 150 years  United India  Asoka – strongest emperor  Gupta Empire – reunited India  India flourished under their rule  Defeated by the Huns

11.  Scientific Advances  Metallurgy – science of working with metals  Alloys – mixtures of two or more metals  Hindu-Arabic numerals – the very numbers we use today  Inoculation – injecting a person with a small does of a virus to help him or her build up defenses to a disease

12.  Astronomy – study of stars and planets  Seven of nine planets  Sun was a star and that the earth revolved around it  The earth was a sphere that rotated on its axis  Predict eclipses of the sun and the moon