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Classical INDIA: Maurya and Gupta Empires
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Varna (Social Hierarchy) Those with no caste: Untouchables
Draw This! What is a JATI? Brahmins Kshatriyas Jati = divisions of jobs within varnas Vaishyas Shudras Those with no caste: Untouchables
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The Caste System SOCIAL CLASSES= Purusha’s mouth arms legs feet
Brahmins SOCIAL CLASSES= Purusha’s mouth arms legs feet Kshatriyas Vaishyas Shudras
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Maurya & Gupta India
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The Maurya Empire 321 BCE – 185 BCE
The Mauryan Empire encompassed almost all of the Indian subcontinent. 321 BCE – 185 BCE
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CHANDRAGUPTA Chandragupta Maurya unified northern India. Extremely centralized! Divided empire into provinces & districts for tax assessments and law enforcement. Feared assassination food tasters, slept in different rooms, etc. 301 BCE gave up his throne & became a Jain (religion focusing on complete non-violence). A Jain is a person who follows Jainism, a religion which focuses on complete non-violence.
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Kautilya Chandragupta’s advisor. Wrote the Arthashastra:
A guide for the king and his ministers Supports royal power. The great evil in society is anarchy. Therefore, a single authority is needed to employ force when necessary! Kautilya can be compared with Machiavelli, a European Renaissance writer who advocates strong royal power.
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Ashoka 304-232 BCE Ashoka = most important ruler of Maurya
Religious conversion after gruesome battle of Kalinga Religiously tolerant Patronized Buddhism Put up pillars all over India, declaring the peaceful intent of his empire Ashoka is a ruler name which students must remember. He often appears on the AP exam multiple choice section.
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Mauryan Empire under Ashoka –
HUGE! Note that Ashoka placed his law code pillars across all of India – his authority was widespread.
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Ashoka’s law code Written mostly in Sanskrit, but one was in Greek and Aramaic – Cosmopolitan (diverse) empire! Buddhist principles dominate his laws. Focus on: nonviolence, morality, & religious toleration
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Turmoil & a power Vacuum: 220 BCE – 320 CE
Tamils The Mauryan Empire gets divided into many kingdoms
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Gupta Empire: 320 CE – 647 CE Gupta India was a much smaller empire. The Guptas controlled with CULTRAL INFLUENCE, not necessarily political power. Everyone admired their culture and tried to emulate it.
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Gupta Empire Chandragupta II was the most important ruler. (Why that name?) Profitable trade of cotton & pepper Guptas were Hindu, not Buddhists Buddhism began to merge back within Hinduism (Buddha became just another Hindu god) Less centralized & smaller than Mauryan Theater State – Cultural dominance Note the names of the rulers - - they are trying to emulate the earlier Mauryan Empire, b/c the thought it was so great!
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Empire under Chandragupta II
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Xuanzang: Life in Gupta India
Chinese Buddhist monk traveled along the Silk Roads and visited India in the 5th century. He was following the path of the Buddha. He reported the people to be happy, relatively free of government oppression, and inclined towards courtesy and charity. Other references in the journal, however, indicate that the caste system was rapidly assuming its basic features, including "untouchability," the social isolation of a lowest class that is doomed to menial labor. Don’t copy all of this info - - just read it and think about what we can learn from Fa-Hsien’s primary source. 1) Buddhism had spread all the way to China 2) the Gupta’s government was tolerant and good 3) the caste system was beginning to fully develop, including creating a permanent underclass
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International Trade Routes during the Guptas
Note: Gupta India was very economically influential…LOTS of cotton fabric exports
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Extensive Trade spices silks cotton goods spices cotton
Please do a ROUGH sketch of the outline map and note the main imports and exports cotton goods spices cotton
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Greatly influenced Southeast Asian art & architecture.
Gupta Art Greatly influenced Southeast Asian art & architecture.
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500 healing plants identified Printed medical guides
1000 diseases classified 500 healing plants identified Gupta Achievements Printed medical guides Medicine Plastic Surgery Vaccinations Gupta India Noted Achievements: medicine (c-sections, inoculations); math (decimals, concept of zero and pi; astronomy (round earth – not flat, 365 day solar calendar; C-sections performed Solar Calendar Astronomy Mathematics Decimal System The earth is round PI = Concept of Zero
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The Decline of the Guptas
Invasion by White Huns in the 500s = end of the Gupta Golden Age Decline of Gupta empire – North India broke into many separate Hindu kingdoms ruled by rajputs (Hindu princes) Indian History is marked by a big debate: Unity vs. Disunity Note the similarity in cause of the Gupta’s fall, in comparison with Rome and Han.
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