Ancient India

1. Ancient India

2. GEOGRAPHY • India is a subcontinent, a large land mass that is somewhat separated yet still part of a continent. • The Indus River Valley was an ideal place for people to settle because the river flooded often—spreading fertile soil—and the monsoons brought regular rain fall.

4. The Indus Valley Civilization • Supported by a stable food supply, people settled in the Indus River Valley and eventually built cities.

5. GOVERNMENT • The Indus River Civilization probably had a strong central government with information flowing freely between towns. • Trade took place with communities as far away as Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf.

6. Contributions of the Indus River Valley People • After lasting 1000 years, the Indus River Valley civilization finally declined. • The Indus River Valley people were the first to raise chickens for food. Today chicken is eaten worldwide. • The Indus Valley people made jewelry and cotton cloth, both of which are still made today.

7. The Aryans • The Aryans were part of a larger semi nomadic group we now call the Indo-Europeans. • The Indo-Europeans left their homeland around 2000 B.C. and migrated throughout Europe, Asia, and India. • Aryan beliefs and daily life were described in Vedas, a collection of sacred hymns and poems, passed down orally from generation to generation.

8. Social Structure • As the Aryans and the Indus Valley people combined cultures, they ended up with a four -class system. • Divisions within classes were called castes. People did not change castes.

9. Religion • The Aryans worshipped a number of nature gods, and priests became very powerful in their society.

10. Contributions of the Aryans • Sanskrit, the language spoken by the Aryans, is the root of Hindi, one of the most common languages of modern India. • Many people in modern India still follow the caste system created by the Aryans thousands of years ago.

11. The Beginning of Buddhism • Siddhartha Gautama established Buddism, one of the world’s major religions. • After much searching and meditation, Siddhartha reached a height of understanding that Buddhists call enlightenment. • After his enlightenment, Siddhartha was called the Buddha. He preached Buddhist dharma for many years until he died.

12. Teachings of Buddhism • The Buddha preached that everyone could find peace, without the Vedic priests or animal sacrifices. • The Buddha’s teaching centered on how people should think and act.

13. The Buddha taught that the Eightfold Path leads to enlightenment. • Buddhism gradually traveled to China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Burma and other areas of Southeast Asia.

14. A Great Buddhist Ruler • Asoka, a powerful emperor, converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries around and beyond the subcontinent. • Asoka announced his Buddhist beliefs to his people in edicts, and ordered his empire to follow them.

15. Hinduism • Hinduism is both the major religion of India today, and a way of life, with roots in the Vedic religion of the Aryan people. • Hinduism teaches its followers to do the duties of their caste. • Certain Hindus go through different stages of life: the last stage is as a wandering holy person.

16. The Gupta Empire • Both India and Hinduism grew and flourished under the Gupta Empire. • Under the Guptas, India traded with Rome and the rest of the Mediterranean, Saudi Arabia, Central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. • Guilds grew as trade increased under the Guptas.

17. Achievements of Ancient India • Under the Guptas, two important epics of Hinduism were written down for the first time. • An Indian astronomer determined the world was a sphere that rotated around the sun and accurately calculated the length of a solar year.

18. Indian mathematicians devised the number system we use today, featuring nine numerals, the zero, and the decimal.