*Bell Ringer

*Classical Societies built Roads, Trade Networks, & complex Bureaucracies. How did these things help them to govern vast

Empires?

The Land of various Empires and Buddha

Classical India

The Aryan Invasion

*Aryans conquered the Indian Subcontinent by 1500 B.C.

*They may have crossed the Himalayas from central Asia (this is still up for debate)

*They were nomadic herders and warriors

*They brought with them Hinduism and the caste system

*By 900 B.C. they developed city states and a form of writing called Sanskrit which was only taught to higher castes

Hinduism

Major beliefs of Hinduism

*Many gods but they all come from one central God

*At death a person’s soul is reborn into another living thing creating an endless cycle of rebirth (reincarnation)

*Karma is your behavior in life and good karma means better placement in the next life

*Hindu’s belief in sacred objects such as the cow and the Ganges River which has the power to wash away evil and sin

Caste System

Priests

Warriors

Landowners

Peasants

Untouchables

*The Aryans created this to secure their stature among the Dravidians (only Aryans could occupy the higher castes)

*Caste is based on birth, and one could only move up through reincarnation

Buddhism

*Began around 500 B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama

*He was a wealthy prince in Nepal who was disgusted by the suffering around him, so he left it all for truth

*He realized after 6 years of searching that all suffering is from human selfishness

*You become enlightened by blocking out selfish desires and accepting the world as it is

*Reincarnation is believed and you escape it through following the Eightfold path

*Buddhism spread rapidly throughout southern Asia

*Things to look up and read for your notebook(4 noble truths, Eightfold path, read the Sutras)

*Mauryan Empire321 B.C.E – 232

B.C.E

*Founded by Emperor Chandragupta

*He fought off the Hellenistic Greeks who sought to conquer the land

*Created Vast Armies

*600,000 ft Soldiers

*30,000 Calvary

*9,000 Elephants

*Mauryan Empire321 B.C.E – 232

B.C.E

*Chandragupta conquered a lot of land

*When he died his grandson Asoka assumed the throne.

*Asoka continued conquering lands for a short period of time

*Mauryan Empire321 B.C.E – 232

B.C.E

*Horrified after some particularly bloody battles Asoka changed

*Decided to rule by Buddhist teachings

* Peace to all

*Governed instead of conquered

*Built Roads

* Tolerated different Religions

* Equal Laws for all

*500 years of War

*After Asoka’s death the Mauryan Empire fell apart.

*Groups went to war with each other and carved out little kingdoms

*Time of change and cultural blending

*Gupta Empire 320 A.D. – 535

A.D.

*Starting in 320 A.D. a new empire slowly emerged in Central India

*The Gupta family ruled for over 300 years.

*Brought a FLOWERING OF HINDU CULTURE

*Known as the “Golden Age of Hindu Culture”

*Gupta Empire320 A.D. – 535

A.D.

*Literature & Cultural stories

*Touchstone for some modern stories

*Astronomy – calculated the Earth was round and spun on its own axis

*Medical Advances – performed surgery & skin grafts

*Gupta Empire320 A.D. – 535

A.D.

*Created modern numbers (0,1,2,3,4)

*Understood the concept of infinity

*Calculated Pi to 4 decimals

*Calculated a year to have 365.3586805 days.

*Almost as accurate as an Atomic Clock

*Fall of the Gupta

*The Empire prospered till around 500 A.D. when they were invaded by the Huns.

*Yes the same Huns that invaded Rome and will also invade Han China.

*There are a lot of Huns.

*Writing Assignment

*Write a paragraph about highlighting a few similarities and differences between the Classical Indian and Roman Empires.