1. History 1 History of World Civilizations Part 1
Session 4:Foundations of Indian Society

2. Recap
Last time we continued our examination of the creation of the state as a method to bring organization some of the earliest human civilizations.
Today we will turn our attention to early civilizations in the Indus River Valley, examining the societies of the Aryans as well as the creation of three major religions– Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

3. Big Questions of the Day
In what ways did ancient India follow patterns of development similar to those seen elsewhere?
What are the similarities and differences between the religious ideas and practices of early India and those that emerged in the Nile River Valley and southwest Asia?

4. Defining “India”
Term:
The Indian
Subcontinent

5. River Valleys of India Geography: Indus River Valley
Ganges River Valley

6. Harappan India (Neolithic India), 3000 BCE-1500 BCE

10. The Aryans and the Vedic Age
ca BCE
Unsure precisely where Aryans came from.
Speakers of an Indo-European language called Sanskrit
“Aryan” means ‘noble’ and ‘pure’
Named for the Vedas – ancient sacred works written in Sanskrit

11. Military Takeover or Cultural Transmission?
Military chief (raja) on top
High priest is second
Warrior class (advise the chief)
Common tribesmen
Conquered non-Aryans (menial workers)
Persian armies record existence of 16 Aryan kingdoms when they arrived in 513 BCE
Bronze Aryan sword

12. The Caste System The four strata (varna) Brahmins (priests)
Kshatriya (warriors)
Vaishya (merchants)
Shudra (peasants and laborers)
Also: outcastes/untouchables
The Rig Veda attributed the caste system
to the gods.

13. Was Aryan Society Pyramid-Shaped?
Top: Ruler (The King, Pharaoh,
etc…) 
Second tier: religious leaders, scribes, bureaucrats, etc.
Below: everyone else,
Often divided by
class or caste.
Often captives
and slaves at the
very bottom.
In a pyramid-shaped society, sovereignty rests at the top.

14. Religious Ideas of Brahminism
dominance of the Brahmins
The Upanishads
samsara
“reincarnation/transmigration of the soul”
karma
brahman (the unchanging, ultimate reality)

15. Jainism Founded by Vardhamana Mahavira (520 BCE?)
Image of a Jain ascetic

16. Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha
The Enlightened One

17. Buddhism Giant Buddha at Bodh Gaya, site where Siddartha found
Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
“An acknowledgement that the deepest human longings can never be satisfied, and even those things that seem to give pleasure cause anxiety because [people] are afraid of losing them. Attachment to people and things causes sorrow at their loss.”- McKay 71.
Term: Nirvana
Giant Buddha at Bodh Gaya,
site where Siddartha found
Enlightenment.

18. Subverting the State Religion?
Circumambulating the Stupa –
The Buddha reminded his disciples that each person must reach ultimate fulfillment by individual effort, but recognized the value of striving together for the same goal.

19. Hinduism Named for the Indus River An evolution of Brahmanism
Reaffirmed value of the Vedas
dharma: moral law
Central text: Bhagavad Gita
How does the vertical layering of this frieze differ from the picture of the Buddha earlier?

20. Vishnu in Uttar Pradesh
Comparison
Gandharan Buddha
Vishnu in Uttar Pradesh

21. The Persian and
Greek Interludes
(513 BCE – 183 BCE)

22. The Mauryan Unification
Chandragupta Maura
Unified Northern India from the Ganges River valley.
Established a complex bureaucracy
Financed public service through taxes on agriculture
Built a regular army
What is this an example of?

23. Reign of Ashoka, ca 269-232 BCE Grandson of Chandragupta
Ashoka embraced Buddhism and promoted it beyond India
Ashoka’s monuments are the earliest preserved examples of Indian writing in their original form (translated in 1837)
Mauryan Empire’s decline was followed by another period of decentralization.
Buddhist Temple at Sanchi

24. Next Up: “China’s Classical Age”
Next time we will examine the early history of China, from its early Neolithic settlements through the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and into the Warring States Period.