Chapter 7 Section 1

1. Chapter 7 Section 1 INDIA’S FIRST EMPIRES

2. Chandragupta Maurya • Born in Magadha • Gathered an army and killed the Nanda king. • Started the Mauryan Empire in 321 BC

3. Rise of the Mauryan Empire • Maurya battled one of Alexander the Great’s generals, Seleucus I, between 305 BC and 303 BC. • After defeating Seleucus I, the Mauryan Empire stretched more than 2,000 miles. • The Mauryan army had 600,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 on horseback, and 9,000 elephants. • Citizens had to pay heavy taxes in order to feed and clothe the army.

4. Mauryan Government • Chandragupta’s advisor, Kautilya (priest), wrote a ruler’s handbook, Arthasatra. • This book promoted policies to keep an empire together, such as spying on people and employing political assassination. • Chandragupta created a bureaucratic government. • Divided the empire into four provinces, each ruled by a prince. • Each province was divided into districts.

5. Asoka Maurya • In 269 BC Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, assumed the throne of the Mauryan Empire. • After a bloody war against a neighboring state, Asoka began to study Buddhism. • He had roads built throughout the empire with rest houses and wells every 9 miles.

6. Asoka’s Beliefs • Ruled by Buddha’s teaching of “peace to all beings.” • Preached nonviolence • Urged religious toleration- acceptance of people who held different religious beliefs

7. Asoka’s Death • Soon after Asoka died, in 232 BC, the kingdoms of central India regained their independence. • The Andhra Dynasty emerged to rule central India for hundreds of years, and flourished through their extensive trade. • Floods of Greeks and Persians flooded into Northern India for 500 years, beginning in 185 BC. • Southern India was home to three kingdoms that were never captured by the Mauryans, the Tamil. • They were always at war with one another.

8. Chandra Gupta • Around 315 BC, Chandra Gupta started the Gupta Empire. • Dominated by Hindu culture. • He came to power by marrying the daughter of an influential royal family. • Took the title “Great King of Kings”

9. Daily Life in India • Most Indians lived in small villages; many farmers. • Craftspeople and merchants had shops in districts. • Farmers had to give a day’s worth of labor to maintain their irrigation systems; tax on water. • Unlike the rest of India, Southern India was matriarchal.

10. The Gupta Empire • Chandra Gupta’s grandson, Chandra Gupta II, defeated the Shakas and expanded the empire far west • Opened up trade in the Mediterranean Sea • He reigned from AD 375 to 415

11. Chapter 7 Section 2 • TRADE SPREADS INDIAN RELIGIONS & CULTURE

12. Centuries of turmoil and invaders in the Indian subcontinent brought new ideas, while the Golden Age of the early Gupta Empire encouraged cultural advancements.

13. Changes in Buddhism • Buddhism originally had no gods and taught that people could achieve nirvana through lifetimes of following the Eightfold Path • Focused on self-denial and individual discipline to get rid of desire and thus escape the suffering of life • This original Buddhism became known as the Theravada sect • By the first century AD, the Mahayana sect had emerged • Taught that the Buddha was a god and people could become Buddhas by giving up nirvana and living as bodhisattvas, working to save humanity through good works and self-sacrifice • Offered salvation to all and allowed popular worship of the Buddha

15. New Trends in Indian Art • Huge statues of the Buddha for people to worship • Stupas - mounded stone structures surrounding holy relics – became holy sites and were walked around for Buddhist meditation • Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cave temples were carved out of solid rock and decorated with sculptures and paintings • Big structures often paid for by Buddhist merchants as “good works”

17. Hinduism Becomes More Personal • Hinduism had hundreds of gods, but they all came to be seen as parts of a single divine force (Brahman) • Most important gods: Brahma, creator of the world; Vishnu, preserver of the world; Shiva, destroyer of the world • Only Brahmin priests could perform sacrifices, but people became more personally devoted to their favorite gods, Vishnu and Shiva • Personal devotion made Hinduism more popular

18. Growing Dramatic Literature and Poetry • Writing academies in the Tamil kingdoms of southern India produced thousands of poems • Traveling troops of male and female actors combined drama and dance in performances across southern India • Much classical Indian dance today based on their ancient techniques • India today continues ancient drama traditions • Bollywood produces more than twice as many movies as US - many popular ones are love stories that blend music, dance, and drama

20. Advances in Science • Astronomy knowledge increased to help sailing merchants navigate • Adapted Western methods of keeping time from Greek invaders, based on sun cycles and using a seven-day week • Proved Earth was round 1,000 years before Columbus by observing eclipse • Invented the modern numeral and decimal systems, including the zero • Aryabhata calculated value of pi and length of a solar year • Compiled two important medical guides describing over 1,000 diseases and 500 medical plants • Hindu doctors performed surgeries, including plastic

21. Indian Trade Spreads • Valuable items in India included: spices, sapphires, gold, diamonds, teak and ebony and sandalwood • Already traded with Africa and Mesopotamia over 4.000 years ago • Spread to China, Central Asia, and Rome over 2,000 years ago when they began using the Silk Roads and increasing use of sea routes • Indian merchants also got rich as middlemen, selling between the Chinese and the Romans • Banking increased as bankers were needed and made money from interest on loans to merchants

23. Spread of Culture • Buddhist monks traveled along trade routes to convert people along the way, and Buddhist missionaries set up monasteries in China and other countries in Southeast Asia • Some Indian merchants moved to other countries and spread culture • Indian styles heavily influenced art, architecture, and dance throughout Southeast Asia, especially nearby • Buddhism is now a major religion in many Southeast Asian countries • Hinduism spread to Nepal and Sri Lanka and Borneo