Ancient Civilizations of India and China

1. Ancient Civilizations of India and China

2. Outline: Ancient Civilizations of India and China • Indian Civilization • The Indus Valley Civilization • The Aryans • Buddha • The Emperor Ashoka • Hindu and Buddhist ArtThe Gupta Empire and Its Aftermath • Gupta Literature and Science • The Collapse of Gupta Rule • Civilization in China • The Chou Dynasty • Confucianism and Taoism • The Unification of China: • The Ch'in, Han, and T'ang Dynasties • The Arts in Classical China

3. Timeline: Ancient Civilizations of India and China 3000-1700 BC - Sites occupied at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro  1700-500 – (India) First evidence of the Sanskrit language c. 1600-1100 – (China) Shang Dynasty - System of writing based on picture signs. c. 1000 B.C. - The Vedas committed to writing. Upanishads develop. c. 563 – 483 B.C. - Life of Siddhartha Gautama, who becomes known as the Buddha c. 570 B.C - Lao-Tzu (Taoism) 551 – 479 B.C - Life of Confucius (Confucianism) c. 403-221 B.C. - Period of the Warring States 326 B.C. - Invasion of Alexander the Great 3rd Century B.C. - Tao te ching written 261 B.C. - Emperor Ashoka unifies India, making Buddhism the official state religion. 221-210 B.C. - Ch'in Dynasty 221-210 B.C. - Shih Huang-ti ("First Emperor") conquers all rivals to unify China. 221 B.C. - Construction begins on China's Great Wall 202 B.C..- Han Dynasty / A.D. 480-500 - Invasion of the White Huns / A.D. 618-906 T'ang Dynasty

4. The Indus Valley People. The earliest culture to develop in the subcontinent of India appeared in the Indus Valley around 3000 B.C. Its people supported themselves by farming, growing grain and rice, and cotton. The two main centers were Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, which became large urban settlements with imposing public buildings and elaborate drainage systems. They mass-produced pottery and invented a hieroglyphic script (still undeciphered) which they carved on seal-stones. Around 1700 B.C., their civilization went into decline, in part as the result of the arrival of a new people, the Aryans. Mohenjo-daro, 950 Torso, Mohenjo-daro, third millemium B.C. Early Indus Valley Settlement, 3000 B.C.

5. The Aryans. The founders of the culture we think of as Indian were the Aryans, a people whose origin is uncertain, and who brought to India two of its most vital aspects: religion-Hinduism, and language-Sanskrit. The Hindu religion, as it developed, acquired a mass of deities and legends, but its basis remained, and remains to this day, the sacred texts of the Vedas, which were first written down around 1000 B.C. Over time, Hinduism evolved into a complex philosophical vision of life, which aims to distinguish between the illusions of everyday life and the ultimate reality. One way to achieve this reality is by yoga, a renunciation of worldly pleasures. Another is by fulfilling the requirements of one's caste, or destiny, and living according to one's duty (karma). Aryan society was divided into castes (social classes) of which the priestly caste was the highest.

6. The Rigveda is the oldest surviving religious text in world (1500-1000 BC) Rig Veda 1000 B.C

7. Buddha. At the end of the sixth century B.C., the figure known to posterity as Buddha inspired a new approach to life that emphasized the more austere aspects of Hinduism. Buddhism claimed that human suffering came from indulgence in superficial pleasures. Whereas Hinduism taught that life consisted of an endless series of deaths and reincarnations, according to the Buddha this cycle could be broken by renouncing all worldly ambitions and satisfactions. In this way it was possible to achieve nirvana, the ultimate freedom and release from the ego. The truth came not from external ritual or ceremony, but as a result of personal internal meditation. Thus, while Hinduism encouraged its followers to enjoy the pleasures of life permitted to them by their caste, Buddhism viewed life pessimistically and emphasized the rejection of the world in favor of spiritual redemption. Noble Fourfold Path: • Existence is suffering • Suffering comes from craving and attachment (desire) • There is a cessation of suffering (nirvana) • The path to nirvana is eightfold

8. The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path

9. King Ashoka. The spread of Buddhism owed much to Ashoka, the third-century-B.C. Indian ruler, who abandoned his early military campaigns, supposedly horrified at the human suffering they caused, gave up traditional Hindu beliefs, and converted to Buddhism. Under his rule, Buddhism became the predominant religion in India, although, like Buddha himself, Ashoka encouraged religious tolerance. The Lions of Sarnath, Pillar/column c. 242 - 232 B.C memorializes Ashoka’s visit

10. Ashoka's reign strengthened the influence of Buddhism in two important ways: he established a standard edition of Buddhist texts-the Canon-and encouraged Buddhist missionaries to spread the master's teachings outside India. As a result, Buddhism became widespread throughout southeast Asia, most notably in China The Spread of Buddhism See Text, p. 127.

11. Hindu and Buddhist Art. Most Indian art of the period of Ashoka and his successors was religious in inspiration. Hindu artists depicted their gods, in their various incarnations, as representative of all aspects of life, and Hindu myths often stressed sensual elements: Sexual union served as a symbol of union with the divine. By contrast, Buddhist art aimed to inspire spiritual meditation and a rejection of worldly values. The Fasting Buddha, second or third century A.D. Erotic sculptures of Khajuraho, 950 - 1050 A.D.

12. Hindu art, unlike Buddhist art, shows the human figure curved, voluptuous and filled with potential motion.  Parvati below is shaped and dressed (only in jewelry to emphasize her sexuality and a crown) like the Yakshi.  Ganesha, the elephant-headed god in the center, is corpulent, the result of "good living."  Vishnu on the right is portrayed with a fit, but soft body, and with four arms to show his many powers Ganesha," stone figure, 13th Century AD Standing Parvati, 10th Century AD, India, Tamil Nadu, Tanjore region. Bronze, 27 3/8" high. Standing Vishnu, 10th Century ce, India

13. Hindu sculpture: • Sensuality of gods • and goddesses • Yakshi (female), Yaksha (male) • sculptural • figures from Northern India • Yakshi are said to be tree • spirits with • “prana” or inner breath • They are fertility • figures • that • have undergone • expressive transformation Yakshi, 4lh - 3rd century BC

14. Yakshi , 4lh - 3rd century BC

15. Hindu Architecture: • manifestations of universal power- • Brahma – god of creation – underlying basis of reality • Shiva - god of destruction and regeneration • Vishnu – god who preserves and sustains creation • Krishna – god of living creation – incarnation of Vishnu • Temple construction • 3 inner halls • Inner center room-womb room • Rigors of daily life falls away Jagadamba Temple at Khajuraho, Northern Style, 5th Century AD Pallava (AD 600-900), Temple Sculpture Southern Style

16. Hindu Painting • flat and decorative Churning of the Sea of Milk Chamba or Mandi, Punjab Hills early 18th century

17. Buddhist Art Tradition • Buddha achieved extinction in • Nirvana: result was that he could not • Be legitimately endowed by art with any • likeness of a body • Large mounds called stupas were erected • after his death. • Images hinting at presence of Buddha were • a. wheel (cyclical nature of existence) • b. lotus (spiritual rebirth) • c. footprint

18. Buddhist figurative art: Enabled beginning of veneration and worship of Buddha Seated Buddha image format a. symmetrical posture=harmony, perfection, enlightenment b. Lotus position=discipline, strength c. Moves from Greek influence to more abstract versions d. Frontal and schematic, 3D e. Harmony between Individual and Universe

19. buddha

20. The Gupta Empire. After the collapse of Ashoka's empire, India split into a series of local states, until it became united again in A.D. 320 under the rule of Gupta emperors. Hinduism regained its position as the dominating religion in India, and art, literature, and science flourished. The Gupta court became a center of learning and culture, and commerce developed with China and other parts of southeast Asia. Shortly before A.D. 500, the invasion of the White Huns from Central Asia caused the collapse of Gupta power, however, and India once again fragmented into separate local kingdoms. Only with the arrival of Muslim rule-almost a thousand years later did India reunite under a central authority. Golden Age of Indian Culture Sacred Gupta Cave Painting, 4th century A.D.

21. Early China: The Shang Dynasty. The first organized urban society in China came under the rule of the Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1100 B.C.). Trade and commerce began to develop, a system of writing was invented, and craftsmen achieved a high standard of workmanship in bronze. Spouted ritual wine vessel (guang), Shang dynasty, early Anyang period (ca. 1300– 1050 B.C.), 13th century B.C.Possibly Anyang, Henan Province, ChinaBronze; W. 13 in. (33 cm)

22. The Chou Dynasty (c. 1100-221 B.C.). The Chou rulers, who replaced the Shang Dynasty around 1100 B.C., served as the coordinators of a series of regional kingdoms rather than as a central governing authority. In a system that somewhat resembles the feudal system of Medieval Europe, the Chou ruler relied on the support and military resources of the nobles who ruled the local kingdoms. Over time this support fluctuated eventually collapsed: the end of Chou rule is known as the "Period of the Warring States" (403-221 B.C.). Hawk-shaped gold hat ornamentEastern Chou Dynasty (Hsiung-nu)(8th - 3rd century B.C.)

23. Confucianism and Taoism. The two schools of philosophy that have influenced Chinese culture for much of the past two thousand five hundred years developed around 500 B.C., toward the end of the Chou Dynasty. Confucianism, an essentially optimistic system of belief, argued that those who were naturally virtuous should, while behaving with loyalty and respect, help to govern their country by maintaining their independence and criticizing their rulers if necessary: The government served its citizens, rather than the reverse. Taoism, by contrast, taught that humans should withdraw from culture and society, devoting themselves to meditation and, like water, adapt themselves to natural forces. Fachang Muqi (active 13th century)Portrait of Lao-Tzu Hanging scroll; ink on paper

24. The Ch'in, Han, and T'ang Dynasties. The disorder of the latter part of Chou rule led finally to the brief Ch'in Dynasty (221-202 B.C.). Shih Huang-ti, the Sh'in leader, forcibly united the warring kingdoms, removed from power the regional noble rulers, and created a centralized state with an imperial army, unified a writing system, and standardized weights and measures. By a policy known as "the Burning of the Books" he eliminated philosophical writings he viewed as dangerous (including Confucian texts). So cruel was his reign that it barely survived his own death in 210 B.C. Great Wall of China, 1400 miles long First construction: Late third century B.C

25. The succeeding dynasty, that of the Han emperors (202 B.C.-A.D. 221), sought to establish a compromise between central government and local independence. During the first two centuries of their reign, China prospered, the arts flourished, and the philosophical teachings banned under the Ch'in returned to circulation. As their authority began to wane, however, under challenge by the regional states, China once again fell into chaos. Order was only restored under the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906), which saw an artistic and cultural revival often known as China's Golden Age. Ceramic army – Tomb of Shih Huang-tiSian, China, late 3rd century B.C.

26. The Arts in Classical China. Under the Han and T'ang dynasties, China enjoyed a cultural revival. A standard body of literature, the Five Classics, circulated widely. Among the new subjects to inspire writers, painters, and sculptors was Buddhism, which spread throughout China following its introduction in the first century A.D. The most important poet of the T'ang Dynasty -and one of the best-loved of all China's writers-was Li Po. Standing Court Lady, Han Dynasty, eigth century, A.D., ceramic Prancing Horse, Han Dynasty, second century, A.D.