2015 RA 8 and 9 Notes

RA #8 & 9 – Essential Question
Pages – 31-34 & 173-182
I.
The Geography of India
A. India is a Subcontinent
1. Large Mountains
separate India from
the rest of Asia.
2. The Indian
Subcontinent is
crisscrossed by many
rivers
a) Flooding of these
rivers provided
fertile soil
b) Rivers flooded
irregularly and
often changed
course
B. Monsoons
1. India’s climate is dominated by seasonal winds
a) October-February dry winds blow westward
b) June-October moist winds blow eastward
II. Civilization Emerges on
the Indus
A. First settlements
developed along the
Indus River, 3200 B.C.
1. Evidence of
Complex Institutions
– Mohenjo Daro and
Harrappa
a. Government may
have been a
theocracy
b. Cities pre-planned in perfect grid lay out
c. Advance system of plumbing ensured healthy
living conditions
d. All buildings built with standard size bricks
2. Little is known of the civilization because their
writing has not yet been deciphered
3. Housing suggests that there was social divisions
B. Extensive internal and external trade networks
1. Overland trade with other Indian civilizations and the
Persians
2. Maritime trade with Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Africa
C. Decline and fall of the
Indus civilizations
1. Possibly due to a
large earthquake
a. Caused rivers
to change their
course
i. Civilizations
became
unable to
produce
enough food
to support
their
populations
III. The Indo-Europeans (1500-500 B.C.E.)
A. The Aryans: migrated from central Asia to India
1. Culture blended with the survivors of the Indus
civilizations
2. Aryans had no written language (Vedic Age)
a. History was kept through an oral tradition
b. The Vedas were a collection of hymns and prayers
B. The Caste System Developed (Applies Mainly to
Males)
1. Aryan society divided into three social classes
a. Brahmins – priests who could perform rituals
b. Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors who provide
protection
c. Vaishyas – artisans and merchants
2. A 4th class consisted of non-Aryan / dark skinned
(Dravidian) peoples
a. Shudras – laborers who provided manual labor
3. Born into your Caste for life – No Social Mobility
a. Untouchables (Dalits) – Those who were
unclean / impure
Vaishyas
IV. The Spread of Aryan Culture
A. Aryan culture spread through conquest along the Ganges
River
B. The Mahabharata reflects cultural blending and struggles
during the expansion
1. Krishna – non-Aryan god – Dark (blue) skinned
2. Changes evidence of cultural syncretism
C. Hinduism Emerges
1. 550 B.C.E. the Vedic Hymns recorded for the first
time – Upanishads – Sanskrit writing
a. Upanishads introduce the concept of moksha
i. Moksha the merging of one’s soul (atman)
with the world’s soul (Brahman)
ii. Achieved through reincarnation (samsara)
iii. Each caste was assigned a set of duties
(dharma)
iv. Doing your dharma ensures good karma
v. Good karma ensures rebirth into the next
caste
vi. After living a minimum of four lives one could
reach moksha
V. The Origins of Buddhism
A. Siddhartha Guatama
(563-483 B.C.E.) was a
Hindu in the Kshatriya
caste
1. Sought an end to all
suffering
2. Searched for
enlightenment / failed
many times
3. Succeeded through
meditation – achieved
Enlightenment
a. Buddha = the
Enlightened One
The 4 Noble
Truths
The Eightfold
Path
VI. Buddhism and Society
A. Many Hindus converted to Buddhism
1. Buddhism rejected the caste system
2. Can reach Nirvana in one life
a. Can still be reincarnated if you fail
3. Males and Females = spiritual rewards
4. Encourages Non-violence