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Empires, Dynasties, and China. The Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire in India that lasted for 150 years. He raised an army of 700,000 soldiers, equipped with thousands of chariots and elephants.
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The Mauryan Empire • Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire in India that lasted for 150 years. • He raised an army of 700,000 soldiers, equipped with thousands of chariots and elephants. • He was a clever and harsh leader who administered operating mines and centers for spinning and weaving. • He made many enemies and slept in a different room every night because he feared assassination. • Most of the guards who protected him were armed women.
Asoka the Great Pillar of Asoka
Asoka the Great • He was one of India’s greatest rulers and grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. • He enlarged the kingdom through terribly bloody wars in which thousands were killed and captured. • Sickened by the slaughter of battle, he became a devout Buddhist. • He urged religious tolerance and spread the religion throughout India and parts of China through missionaries. • After his death, the Mauryan empire began to crumble.
The Golden Age under Gupta • Through intermarriage and conquest, the Guptas became India’s next great rulers. • Both society and the arts flourished under their reign, thus ushering in a Golden Age in India. • The Guptas favored Hinduism instead of Buddhism.
The Gupta Empire • Under Gupta rule, students were educated in religious schools. • Many students from Asia were attracted to Hindu and Buddhist centers in India, because these centers taught mathematics, medicine, physics, languages, literature, and other subjects. • Indian mathematicians developed the decimal system. • Gupta rule ended in 550 A.D. under the pressure of weak rulers, civil war, and foreign invaders.
China • Geographic barriers set China apart from civilizations such as Egypt, the Middle East, and India. • To the west and southwest of China, brutal deserts and the Himalayas block the west movement of people. • To the southeast, thick rainforest divide China country from Southeast Asia. • The Gobi desert blocks outsiders in the north and to the east the Pacific Ocean.
China • Under the rule of three successive dynasties, the Zhou, the Qin, and the Han, China gradually became a large and powerful country. • The Zhou dynasty lasted 900 years. • Zhou rulers called themselves “Sons of Heaven.” • During Zhou rule internal trade expanded, copper was coined into money and an introduction of iron began. • Between 300-800 C.E, Buddhism takes root in China.
Zhou Dynasty • China developed into a feudal state. • China’s population increased and peasants begin to grow new crops, such as soybeans. • Chinese copper coins were made with holes in the center so that they could be strung on cords.
Zhou Dynasty • The Zhou dynasty did not have a centralized form of government. • King You cheated on his wife with another woman named Bao-Si. • For a joke they would light warning fires and beat large drums to signal an attack. • They would watch the army coming galloping in to protect the King. They would laugh at the warrior as they came in. • When there was a real invasion, the army did not show up. The Zhou dynasty was replaced by the Qin dynasty.
Qin Dynasty • The Qin dynasty controlled China more firmly by creating a central government. • This dynasty created the first Chinese empire, which established standardized weights, measures, and coinage. • The Qin dynasty developed the Great Wall of China. One of the Seven Wonders of the World. • The Great emperor Shi Huangdi became famous from his burial tomb full of Terra Cotta soldiers.
Shi Huangdi • Zheng (Renamed Shi Huangdi) proclaimed himself FIRST EMPEROR. • He established a political philosophy known as Legalism, which advocated clear rules and harsh punishments as a means of enforcing the authority of the state. • He replaced the feudal states with 36 military districts and appointed loyal officials to administer them.
Han Dynasty • The name originated from Liu Bang – King of Han. • The Han dynasty ruled a centralized and expanding empire. • The longest ruling Han emperor was Wu Di. He succeeded in expanding the empire into present-day Manchuria, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. • Wu Di ushered in a time period known as the Chinese Peace through military conquest and military colonies.
Han Dynasty • During this period of Chinese Peace, trade prospered along the famous Silk Road from China across Central Asia to the Mediterranean region. • During the Han Dynasty, China’s population grew to almost 60 million people. • Han rulers so influenced China that even today, many Chinese refer to themselves as Sons of Han. Emperor Wu Di
Confucius • Lived in poverty at the age of three after his father died, Confucius obtained a good education. • He taught about the importance of the family, respect for one’s elders, and reverence for the past and for one’s ancestors. • These three concepts form the basis of Confucian philosophy.
Confucianism • Confucius believed that every person should accept an appropriated role in society and perform the duties of that role. • Government should be virtuous and set a good example for people to follow. • Confucius put filial piety, or respect for parents above all other duties.
Confucianism • Confucianism introduced a long-lasting Chinese belief that the universe reflected a delicate balance between two forces, yin and yang. Yin was linked to Earth, darkness, and female forces. • While yang stood for heaven, light, and male forces. • To the Chinese, the well-being of the universe depended on maintaining balance between yin and yang.
