9/15/2015 1 Classical India Aryan Migration, MauryanDynasty, and Gupta Empire Chapter 3 Topography • Himalayas separate India from the rest of Asia – Mountain passes in the Northwest allowed contact with Persian and Hellenistic cultures • Monsoons were the difference between good and bad harvests
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9/15/2015
1
Classical India
Aryan Migration, Mauryan Dynasty,
and Gupta Empire
Chapter 3
Topography
• Himalayas separate
India from the rest of
Asia
– Mountain passes in the
Northwest allowed
contact with Persian and
Hellenistic cultures
• Monsoons were the
difference between
good and bad harvests
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2
Harappan Decline
• Evidence of natural disasters
– Flooding and earthquakes
• Indus cities abandoned by 1500 BCE
Aryan Migration
• Indo-Europeans herders from central Asia
– Introduced iron weapons, caste system and Sanskrit
• Vedic Age (1500-1000 BCE)
– Rig Veda: Hymns to the Aryan pantheon; passed down orally
• Epic Age (1000-600 BCE)
– Mahabharata and Ramayana: Epic poems about war, honor, love
– Evidence of a more settled society
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3
Caste System
• Varnas
– Brahmans: Priests
– Kshatriyas: warriors
– Vaisyas: traders and farmers
– Sudras: common laborers
– Dalits: Untouchables
• Hereditary
• Interaction between castes was
restricted
Hinduism• Upanishad established idea of a universal
force, Brahman
– Hindu gods represent different aspects of
Brahman
• Reincarnation allows soul to prepare for union
• Dharma- moral law guides decision making
• Caste is based on karma from previous lives
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4
Buddhism
• Siddhartha Gautama (6th century BCE):
Buddha “Enlightened One”
• Four Noble Truths: Life is full of suffering
caused by desire
• Following the Eightfold Path (Middle-Path)end
suffering and leads to Nirvana (Enlightenment)
– Achieved individually
• Believed in reincarnation but rejected the
caste system
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5
Political Institutions
• Regional states dominated until 4th century
BCE
– Alexander the Great’s invasion in 327 BCE led to