Early Civilizations in India and China

1. Early Civilizations in India and China

2. India • Geography: The Indian Subcontinent • Indus valley is located in the region India • Subcontinent- large landmass that juts out from a continent • India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh • Mountain ranges, Hindu Kush and Himalayas are at the Northern border • Limited contact with India and other lands- Cultural Diversity

3. Three Regions • Northern Plain • Well watered, just south of the mountains • Many rivers- Indus, Ganges, Brahma putra • Carried melting snow down the mountains • Deccan Plateau • Dry and triangular shaped, juts into ocean • Lacks snow that come from the mountains, land is dry • Coastal Plains • Separated from Deccan by low lying mountain ranges-Eastern and Western Ghats • Rivers and seasonal rains provide water

5. Monsoons- Seasonal winds and rain • In Oct. winds flow hot dry air • In June, moisture flows over and drenches crops • Cultural Diversity • India’s big size & diverse landscapes made it hard to unite

6. Indus Valley Civilization • Emerged in what is present day Pakistan (2500BC) • Flourished for 1000 years • Archeologists discovered the once prosperous cities • Have not uncovered all • Indus Valley covered largest area of any civilization until the rise of the Persian Empire

7. Well Planned Cities • Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, twin capitals • Both large, 3 miles in circumference • Massive hilltop structure (fortress or temple) • Had warehouses to store food surplus • All houses built of uniform oven-fried clay bricks • Modern plumbing systems, with baths, drains, water chutes that lead to sewer beneath streets

8. Farming and Trade • Grew wheat, barley, melons and dates • First people to cultivate cotton and weave fibers into cloth • Merchants and traders • Ships carried cargos of cotton, grain, copper, pearls and ivory • Religion • Finding of many statues shows they were polytheistic • Mother goddess wildly honored • Worshipped sacred animals, (bull), -Indian beliefs

9. Decline and Disappearance • 1750 BC, quality of life was declining, order became unstable • Causes- Ecological disasters- Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, deforestation • Aryans, migrated and overtook land with horse drawn carriages

10. Kingdom of the Ganges • The Vedic Age • Aryans migrated across Europe and Asia seeking water and pasture for horses and cattle • Early Aryans didn’t build cities • Most of what we know comes from the Vedas- Collection of prayers, hymns, and other religious teachings

11. Aryan priests recited and memorized the Vedas 1000 years before they were written down • 1500BC-500BC known as Vedic Age

12. Aryan Society-Divided people by occupation • Brahmins- Priests, claimed they alone could conduct ceremonies needed to win favor of the gods • Kshatriyas- Warriors, first enjoyed highest prestige, priests eventually gained most respect • Vaisyas- Herders, farmers, artisans and merchants

13. Aryans felt superior to the Dravidians, people they conquered • Dravidians descended from original inhabitants of Indus Valley • Non-Aryans, separated into fourth group, the Sudras- farm workers, servants, laborers • Class divisions came to reflect social and economic roles more than racial differences • Became castes, social groups into which people are born and from which they cannot change

14. Varna (Social Hierarchy) Brahmins Kshatriyas Vaishyas Shudras Pariahs [Harijan]  Untouchables

15. Aryan Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic • Worshipped Gods and Goddesses that embodied natural forces • Honored animals • Brahmins offered sacrifices of food and drink • Eventually religious leaders wanted one spiritual power • Brahman-resided in all things • Mystics- People who devote their lives to seeking spiritual wealth • Meditation and Yoga- Mystics looked for direct communication with divine forces

16. Expansion and Change • Aryans travelled over mountain passages into Northwest India • Aryan tribes were lead by chiefs called rajahs, most skilled war leader

17. Colonization of Ganges • Made tools out of Iron • Made cities in the jungle, rajahs ruled them • Developed written language, Sanskrit • Priests began writing sacred texts

18. Heroic Deeds and Morals • Mahabharata • Ramayana

19. Early Civilization in China • Geography: The Middle Kingdom • Ancient Chinese called their land the Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom • Very isolated • Long distances and physical barriers kept it from Egypt, the Middle East and India • Isolation contributed to belief that China was the center of the Earth • Sole source of civilization

20. Geographic Barriers • To the West and Southwest of China, high mountains, Tien Shan and Himalayas • Southeast, full of thick jungles divided China from Southeast China • North, Gobi Desert • East, Pacific Ocean

21. The barriers didn’t stop the Chinese from trading with other people, the Middle East • Nomads and invaders entered China and accepted Chinese superiority

22. Main Regions • Chinese heartland lay along the east coast and the valleys of Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze • Fertile farming region supported large populations

23. Other Regions: • Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria • China also extended influence on Himalayan region Tibet and Xizang

24. River of Sorrows • Huang He got its name from the loess, fine windblown yellow soil • Earned nickname, “River of Sorrows”, as loess settles to the river bottom, it raises water level • Overflowing river killed many

25. Shang Dynasty • 1650BC, people called the Shang gained control of Northern China, near Huang He • Dominated region until 1027BC, during this time Chinese civilization took shape

26. Government • Archaeologists uncovered large palaces and rich tombs of Shang rulers • Noble women had considerable status • King controlled small area, princes and nobles loyal to King governed most of the land • Heads of important clans, groups of families that claimed a common ancestor

27. Social Classes • Royal Family • Shang warriors- used leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse drawn chariots • Artists and Merchants- Produced goods for nobles, organized trade • Peasants- Clustered together in farming villages, all families worked in the fields, had to prepare damns for the flooding rivers

28. Religious Beliefs • In Shang Dynasty the Chinese developed complex religious beliefs • Prayed to many Gods and nature spirits • Shang Di- Mother Goddess • Veneration of Ancestors • Shang Di would not respond to mere mortals, only to spirits of greatest mortals • Prayed to Ancestors to pray to God

29. Yin and Yang • Delicate balance between two forces • Yin- Linked to Earth, darkness and female forces • Yang- Stood for Heaven, light and male forces • Forces were not in opposition, depended on harmony

30. System of Writing • Ideographs- Signs that expressed thoughts or ideas • Consulted ancestors with Chinese writing written on oracle bones, used by priests to predict the future

31. Written Chinese took shape almost 4,000 years ago • Over time, evolved to include tens of thousands of characters • Most difficult language to learn • Chinese scholars turn to calligraphy, fine handwriting, into an art form

32. The Zhou Dynasty • Around 1027BC, the Zhou people overthrew the Shang dynasty • Zhou dynasty lasted until 256BC

33. Mandate of Heaven • The Zhou justified their takeover of the Shang by declaring they had a divine right to rule • Declared cruelty of last Shang ruler outraged the gods • Gods passed mandate of heaven (Devine right to rule)to the Zhou, who then treated the people well

34. Dynastic Cycle • The rise and fall of dynasties • As long as a dynasty provided good government it would enjoy the mandate of heaven • If rulers became corrupt, Chinese believed Heaven would withdraw support

35. Feudal State • Rewarded supporters by granting them control over different regions • China became a feudal state • Feudalism- a system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler • Zhou kings ruled China and enjoyed great power and prestige for 250 years • After 771 BC, feudal lords exercised the real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants, within in their domains (rule)

37. Economic Growth • China’s economy grew under the Zhou period • Learned ironworking in 500BC • Iron axes, ox-drawn iron plows, replaces wooden and stone tools • Peasants grew new crops, such as soybeans • Feudal lords organized large-scale irrigation works • Chinese began to use money for the first time • Copper coins had holes in the center to be strung on cords • Merchants benefited from new roads and canals

38. Economic expansion lead to an increase in population • People from the Huang He heartland overflowed into central China and began to farm the immense Yangzi basin • Feudal nobles expanded their territories and encouraged peasants to settle there • China increased in size, population and prosperity

39. Chinese Achievements • Astronomers studied the movements of planets and recorded eclipses of the sun • Developed an accurate 365 ¼ calendar • Chinese discovered how to make silk around 1000BC • Became China’s most valuable export, trade route between China and Middle East was the Silk Road • Chinese made the first books • Bound thin strips of wood or bamboo