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Powerful Empires of India

Powerful Empires of India. Central Questions. What were the main characteristics of the Indus Civilization? How did geography affect the development of civilization in India and China? What are the essential beliefs and key teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism?

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Powerful Empires of India

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  1. Powerful Empires of India

  2. Central Questions • What were the main characteristics of the Indus Civilization? • How did geography affect the development of civilization in India and China? • What are the essential beliefs and key teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism? • How did the caste system shape India? • What leaders established “golden ages” in India and China? Why are these times considered “golden ages”? • What were some of the notable leaders in India and China?

  3. The Maurya Empire Creates a Strong Government • Empire: a group of countries or large area under the authority of a single ruler • Chandragupta began conquering areas in India in 321 BC and established the first Indian empire • United most of India under his strict rule • Well-organized bureaucracy: tax collectors, royal courts, construction projects, etc • Had women warriors guard his palaces had a secret police to cut down on dissent (ideas that opposed those of his government)

  4. Asoka Rules by Moral Example • Chandragupta’s grandson: Asoka • Asoka fought a long, bloody war for control of land after coming to power and saw the effects • Converted to Buddhism, which greatly affected his rule • Offered moral advice and a just, tolerant government • Built hospitals, rest houses for travelers, and Buddhist shrines • After Asoka died, the power of the Mauryan Empire declined • By 185 BC, various princes battling for power and invaders kept people divided

  5. The Guptas Bring About a Golden Age • 500 years after the Mauryas, the next big dynasty (ruling family) united most of India • Gupta emperors organized a strong central government that promoted peace and prosperity throughout their region • Looser rule than the Mauryas, but still strong • 320-540 AD: Golden Age in India • Golden Age: period of great cultural achievement • Trade and farming flourished…how can that help lead to a Golden Age?

  6. Golden Age Achievements in India • Students from all over Asia came to study mathematics, medicine, physics, languages, literature, and more at a large Buddhist monastery at Nalanda • Sculptures were carved on stone temples for the rajahs who sponsored (paid for) them • Gupta dance, music, and art all flourished • Gupta mathematicians developed the system of writing numbers we use today (1, 2, 3) and the idea of a decimal system based on ten digits. • Doctors could skillfully set bones, were doing simple surgeries with relative success, and were vaccinating against smallpox 1,000 years before Europeans started doing it!

  7. Gupta Empire Declines • Weak rulers, civil war, and foreign invaders combined to bring down the Gupta empire • When the empire was weak, the White Huns came from central Asia and destroyed its cities and trade • India split into many small kingdoms and villages again • It was almost 1,000 years before another great empire rose in India

  8. Family and Village Life in India • Even during the Golden Age, the majority of people in India didn’t experience the life of the emperors. • Most were peasants that lived in villages • Each lived and worked in his/her own caste • Families lived and worked close together • Family interests came before individual wishes • Culture was Paternalistic: men had more power

  9. Role of Women in Ancient India • In early Aryan society, women seemed to have more power than later • Gupta empire: • upper-class women were supposed to cover themselves before leaving the home • Lower-class women were expected to work • Girls grew up knowing that they would be wives • Parents arranged marriages for their daughters based on caste and family interests • In some areas, the bride’s family paid a dowry (payment/gift to the groom) and paid for the wedding • Women were thought to have a shakti: a creative/destructive force. It can go either way, so a husband must channel that force into a positive energy • A woman could be reborn (in early Hinduism) through devotion to her husband • In some areas, women were expected to join their dead husbands on their funeral fires to wipe out her and her husband’s sins • Some widows willingly and happily went; others didn’t

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