WHI.4-5

India

•Location – South Asian subcontinent (juts out from the rest of the continent)

Map of Ancient India – Find the Himalayans, Hindu Kush, Indus River, Ganges River and Indian

Ocean

India

• Hinduism – religion– Belief in many forms of one God– Reincarnation – Rebirth based on karma– Karma – knowledge that all thoughts and

actions result in future consequences– Vedas and Upanishads – sacred writings– Spread along major trade routes

Caste system – influenced all social interactions and choices of occupations

Brahmin - priests

Warriors

Common Workers

Servants

Untouchables

India

• Buddhism– Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)– Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to

Enlightenment, Enlightenment = salvation (nirvana)

– Asoka’s missionaries and their writings spread Buddhism from India to China and other parts of Asia.

Buddhism http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/Buddhism.html

• Four Noble Truths: The Buddha realized that life is ruled by Four Noble Truths:

• Life is filled with suffering • Suffering is caused by people's wants. • Suffering can be ended if people stop

wanting things, like more pleasure or more power. 

• To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold Path

India

• Gupta Empire– Decline of Buddhism and growth of Hinduism

3 Contributions of Gupta Empire: 1. Mathematics (concept of zero)

2. New textiles

3. Literature

- This period is called the Golden Age

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Hinduism Buddhism

Similarities - Reincarnation

- Ultimate goal = Enlightenment

Differences -Belief in one god,

- Giving up physical for spiritual

China

•Location – East Asia

•Important River – Huang He (Yellow River)

•China was very isolated due to great distances, rugged mountains, and deserts (Gobi Desert). This would help them to have a distinctive culture and not much contact with the outside world.

China

• A Chinese form of Buddhism spread throughout Asia

• Buddhism:– Introduced to China through Asoka’s

missionaries– Spread because it offered comfort during hard

times

China

• Invaders raided Chinese settlements to the North. The Great Wall was built by Qin Shi Huangdi as a line of defense against invasions.

• China was governed by a succession of ruling families called dynasties (first dynasty – Shang).

• Chinese rulers were considered divine, but they served under a Mandate of Heaven only as long as their rule was just.

China

• Silk Roads – trade route from China to the Mediterranean (facilitated trade as far away as Rome)

China

• Contributions of classical China:1. Civil Service system – ran day to day

business of government2. Paper3. Porcelain4. Silk

What is the civil service exam?

- Exam people take to work in the government (civil service)

Emperor Wudi began using this exam, why?

- to select the most qualified candidate and to open up jobs to everyone

China

• Confucianism – Chinese philosophy began by the philosopher Confucius

• Major beliefs – Belief that humans are good, not bad– Respect for elders– Code of politeness, still used in Chinese

society today– Emphasis on education– Ancestor worship

China

• Taoism – Chinese philosophy introduced by the philosopher Lao Tsu –

• Major beliefs - “go with the flow”, emphasis on nature

• Contributions of Taoism in forming Chinese culture and values:– Humility – putting others first– Simple life and inner peace– Harmony with nature

China

• Two sidedness of nature = Yin and Yang– Yin – dark and passive (bad)– Yang – bright and active (good)

• Yin/Yang represented opposites for Confucianism and Taoism.

Greece•Location and place

-Major bodies of water: Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea (most of the trade happened here), Black Sea, Dardanelles

-Important city-states: Athens, Sparta, Troy

-Macedonia – ancient kingdom of northern Greece (birthplace of Alexander the Great)

• Find the following:• Aegean Sea• Mediterranean • Black Sea • Dardanelles • Macedonia• Sparta• Athens

Greece

• Economic and social development– Farming/agriculture was hard – limited

amount of farmable (arable) land– Made money through commerce (business)

and the spread of Hellenic (Greek and Mediterranean) Culture

– Shifted from a barter (trade) to a money economy (coins)

Greece• Political development

– Many mountains in Greece – kept invaders out, but hindered the development of city-states.

– Greek city-states were designed to promote civic and commercial life.

– Colonization related to overpopulation and the search for arable land.

Greece

• Greek mythology– Based on polytheistic religion– Explanations of natural phenomena, human

qualities, and life events

– Gods and Goddesses include: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite

Greece

• Social structure and citizenship in the Greek polis (Greek word for city-state)– Citizens were free adult males. They had

political rights and the responsibility of civic participation in the government.

– Women slaves and foreigners had no political rights.

– Duties of the citizen: vote, pay taxes, military service

Athens Sparta

• Athenian government: monarchy aristocracy tyranny democracy– Tyrants who worked to

reform:1.Draco – created

Athen’s first law codes2.Solon – extended

citizenship (outlawed slavery)

– direct democracy (everyone participates), public debate, duties of the citizen

• Form of government was an oligarchy – rule by a small group– Rigid social structure– Militaristic and

aggressive society– Ex. Unhealthy baby

boys left in the wilderness to die

Persian Wars (499 – 449 B.C./B.C.E) – conflicts between Greece and Persia

– Athens and Sparta against united against the Persian Empire

– 2 important victories – Marathon and Salamis

– Greece won.– Athens preserved its independence and

continued innovations in government and culture.

Socrates - Philosopher

– Great Greek philosopher – came up with “Socratic method” where you answer a question with a question – it helps people figure things out for themselves

– Put on trial for “corrupting the youth”– He taught people to think for themselves and

question democracy and other teachings – He was found guilty and sentenced to death –

he killed himself, rather than be put to death

Greece

• Golden Age of Greece under Pericles (mostly occurring between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars)– Pericles extended democracy; most adult

males had equal voice.– Pericles had Athens rebuilt after the

destruction in Persian Wars.– Built the Parthenon – temple for Athena

Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 B.C./B.C.E), Athens vs. Sparta

– Caused in part by competition for control of the Greek world

– Fought by Athens and the Delian League vs. Sparta and the Peloponnesian League

– Sparta won.– Resulted in the slowing of cultural

advance and the weakening of political power.

Alexander the Great

• Phillip II of Macedon – Father of Alexander– Was assassinated, leaving Alexander as ruler

at the age of 20

Alexander the Great

• Ruler at age 20• Better military commander than his father,

Phillip (had loyalty of his troops)• Established an empire from Greece to

Egypt and the margins of India – wanted all the world under one empire

• Extended Greek cultural influences• Died of fever (from battle wound infection)

around age 33

Alexander the Great

• Alexander failed to conquer the world, but spread Greece’s culture

• The new culture created due to Alexander’s conquests was called Hellenistic culture (Blending of Greek and oriental elements) Learning and Commerce

• Greece was eventually conquered by the Romans

Greece

C ontributions of Greek culture to Western Civilization:

- Drama: Aeschylus (wrote plays on mythology) and Sophocles (wrote plays that defended Greek values

– Poetry: Homer (Iliad and Odyssey)– Historians: Herodotus and Thucydides (said

studying the past helps human nature)– Sculpture: Phidias (created statues of Athena)

Greece

• Contributions of Greece cont’d.:– Architecture: Types of columns included Doric

(Parthenon), Ionian, and Corinthian– Science: Archimedes and Hippocrates

(Hippocratic Oath – doctors)– Mathematics: Euclid and Pythagoras

(Pythagorean theorem)– Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle