Chapter 7: India and China Establish Empires

Chapter 7: India and China Establish Empires

Essential Questions: • How did the Mauryan Empire, the Golden Age, and Asoka affect the development of India? • How did the development of Hinduism and Buddhism affect India? • How did the Han dynasty affect China?

I. Chandragupta Maurya Builds an Empire A. Chandragupta Unifies North India • Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus, Alexander the Great’s general • 321 BC- Chandragupta wins, claiming land in Indus River valley= Mauryan Empire • Empire stretched 2,000+ miles uniting North India under one ruler- Chandragupta

B. Running the Empire • divided empire into 4 provinces, each headed by a royal prince • Each province divided into local districts, officials imposed taxes, enforced laws

C. Life in the Mauryan Empire • Not much known b/c of a lack of records • capital city very beautiful • large army assembled • farmers exempt from military service • heavy taxes to pay for army and building projects

II. Asoka Runs the Empire • Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, took control of Mauryan Empire • At first ruled much like his grandfather, waging bloody wars to expand his empire • After a bloody war killing 100,000 soldiers he changed his mind • Began to study Buddhism, which taught nonviolence

He put up pillars with edicts or policies of equality, nonviolence, & religious toleration written on them, throughout the empire • He also had roads built that connected the 4 corners of India • After Asoka’s death a power struggle began • For the next 500 years Greeks, Persians, and Asians invaded northern India

III. The Gupta Empire • After the 500 years of turmoil, another strong leader arose to form India’s 2nd great empire, the Gupta Empire • Founded by Chandra Gupta (no relation)

A. Chandra Gupta Builds an Empire • Chandra Gupta came to power by marrying into an influential royal family • Took the title “Great King of Kings” in 320 AD • Included the city of Magadha and the area north of it, central region of the Ganges River being the power basin. • 335 AD Gupta’s son took over- a lover of poetry and music, but had a warlike side too

B. Daily Life in India • Gupta Empire is 1st period from which historians have information on daily life • Lived in small villages • Merchants, crafts ppl clustered in districts, shops street level, homes in rooms above • Families were patriarchal- house hold run by the eldest male • Whole family worked in raising crops • Drought common, had to irrigate crops

Section Two: Religions In India I. A More Popular Form of Buddhism • By 250 BC Buddhism and Hinduism were India’s two main faiths • Buddha stressed that each person could reach a state of peace called nirvana. • Two types of Buddhists • Mahayana-Offered salvation to all and allowed popular worship • Theravada- Emphasized individual discipline

A. Hindu Rebirth • Hinduism began to change, during this time most practices could only be performed by the priest. • Three most important gods • Brahma- creator of the world • Vishnu- preserver of the world • Shiva- destroyer of the world • People began to devote themselves to Vishnu or Shiva

II. Flowering of Indian Culture A. Literature and Performing Arts • Kalidasa- great Indian poet, wrote Shakuntala • In Southern India they began to hold writing academies, more than 2,000 poems still exist • acting groups began to travel through Southern India, women and men participated in these shows

B. Astronomy, Mathematics, and Medicine • Indians began to use a calendar based on sun rather than on cycles of the moon • 7 day week- broke each day into hours • Discovered earth was round, based on shadow on the moon from a lunar eclipse • zero, decimal system invented in India • had medical guides that classified 1,000 diseases and 500 medicinal plants • Knew how to perform surgery-even performed plastic surgery

III. The Spread of Indian Trade A. Overland Trade, East and West • Silk roads- caravan routes that were used by Asian traders • Indians learned of these routes and became middlemen- made huge profits • Rome, Africa, and China were all big traders with India

Silk Road- Trade Routes

p. 196 • P. 196- Map Skills- answer the questions in your Journal

Section Three: China’s Dynasties CC- Silk Road

I. The Founding of the Han Dynasty • Gov’t fell apart under Qin(chin) Dynasty led to a Civil War • During civil war 2 powerful leaders emerged - Xiang Yu and Liu Bang • two fought for control of China

Bang was victorious, declared himself emperor of the Han Dynasty, which ruled China for 400 years • Established a centralized gov’t- adopted Confucian philosophy • Lowered taxes and softened harsh punishments

A. The Empress Lu • Bang died in 195 BC • His son became emperor in name only- real ruler was Bang’s wife, Empress Lu • After her death, loyalist to Liu Bang executed Lu’s existing family

II. A Highly Structured Government A. Structures of Han Gov’t • Relied on a complex bureaucracy • 18 different civil service jobs • It was expensive to run an empire- besides high taxes, peasants owed a month’s worth of labor or military service • This required labor would build roads, canals, and irrigation ditches

III. Han Technology, Commerce, and Culture A. Technology Revolutionized Chinese Life • Invented paper= helped spread edu b/c paper cheaper than silk • Collar harness made it possible for horse to pull heavier loads • Wheel barrel and windmills

B. Agriculture Versus Commerce • b/c of huge population- farming viewed as most honored occupation • Commerce not seen as important (even thought it really was very important) • gov’t had a monopoly (complete control) on mining of salt, forging of iron, minting of coins, and brewing of alcohol • Gov’t also had a large part of the silk industry

Chinese Dynasty Song • To the tune of Frere Jacques: 2x- Shang (shaang), Zhou(joe), Qin(chin), Han 2x- Sui(sway), Tang(tong), Song 2x- Yuan, Ming, Qing(ching), The Republic 1x- Mao Zedong 1x- Deng (Dung) Xiaoping (Shaouping)

p. 208 • Complete the Main Ideas questions in your journals. Write the questions.

Chapter 7: India and China Establish Empires