Jasmine Ellis

AP World History

Period 2

Foundations of Indian Civilization

Geography

North – The Himalayas

East, South, & West – Indian Ocean

India’s most permeable frontier lies in the North West, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Thar Desert east of the Indus River.

Geography

The Indian Subcontinent can be divided into three topographical zones Mountainous Northern Zone – heavily forested

foothills and high meadows at the edge of the Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges

Basins of the Indus and Ganges Rivers – the rivers repeatedly overflow depositing layers of silt which create alluvial plains

The peninsula proper – separate by the Vindhya range and the Deccan Plateau, it is arid and rocky

The rim of the northern mountains shelters it from cold arctic winds & gives it a subtropical climate

The subcontinent is frequented by seasonal monsoons

Economic

The great basins of the Indus and Ganges Rivers as well as the monsoons, allow for India’s agricultural economy. In some places there are three harvests per year.

The Southwest monsoon begins in June, bring moisture to the Ganges Basin. On the Ganges Delta rice is grown, wheat, barley and millet are grown elsewhere.

Agriculture in the Indus Valley relies on extensive irrigation due to its lack of rain

The ocean surrounding the peninsula was no barrier to travel & trade. Mariners learned to ride the seasonal monsoon winds.

Political

There was bitter rivalry and warfare between two groups of people: The Aryas – relatively light-skinned & spoke

Indo-European languages The Dasas – dark-skinned speakers of

Dravidian languages The Aryas pushed the Dasas south into

central and southern India.

Social

India was a patriarchal society where the father was the head of the family

There is little known of the role of women however they did participate in sacrificial rituals and had the right to own property.

Skin color has consistently been a concern of Indian society and is, historically the basis social divisions.

Vedic Age System of Varna (meaning color, came to mean class)

Brahmin – priests and scholars Kshatriya – warriors and officials Vaishya – merchants, artisans, and landowners Shudra – peasants and laborers (may have initially been reserved

for Dasas who often had the most basic jobs, the term Dasa came to mean slave )

A 5th class known as the untouchables evolved, these people held demeaning jobs involving physical contact with dead animals/humans

Social

The population was further subdivided into numerous jati (birth groups a.k.a caste system), each with its own proper occupation, duties, and rituals.

Individuals who belonged to a given jati could not intermingle with others outside of that jati.

Members of higher status groups feared pollution from contact with lower-class individuals and practiced complex rituals of purification to remove any taint

This system was connected and justified by the belief in reincarnation based on karma of the atman or internal essence.

Religion

Vedic Religion emphasized the worship of male deities through sacrifices Sacrifices invigorated gods, sustained creative powers, promote stability

& were preformed by Brahmin priests only which gave them great political power

Sharp internal division with complex hierarchical groups, where roles of each individual were specific

The stringency of the social hierarchy and religious control of the Brahmin priests contributed to the rise of Jainism and Buddhism

Jainism Jainism was one of the most serious threats to the Vedic religion Mahavira, Jina “the conqueror” to followers, established Jainism Emphasizes the holiness of the life force within & strict nonviolence Those who were very committed, practiced extreme asceticism and

nudity, ate only what they were given by others, and eventually starved to death

Less zealous Jainists, didn’t do agriculture work as they were against killing. These people usually lived and worked in the cities, engaging in commerce and banking.

Religion

Buddhism Posed a more significant threat to the Vedic religion & later

spread through Central, Southeast & East Asia Founded by Siddhartha Gautama known as the Buddha

“Enlightened One” “Four Noble Truths”

Life is suffering Suffering arises from desire The solution to suffering lies in curbing desire Desire can be curbed if a person follows the “Eightfold Path” of views

i.e. aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and meditation

Buddhism centered on the individual, however it did not quite reject the existence of gods, rather denied their usefulness to a person seeking enlightenment.

Emphasized living with moderation in order to minimize desire and suffering, and searching for spiritual truth through self discipline and meditation

The ultimate reward was nirvana, with which came the release from reincarnation and achievement of a state of perpetual tranquility

Religion

Hinduism Vedic religion evolved into Hinduism after being challenged by

new spiritually gratifying and liberating movements, practiced today by millions in Southeast Asia

Although based on the Aryas Vedic religion, it incorporates elements of the Dravidian cultures such as the emphasis on intense devotion to the deity and the prominence of fertility rituals and symbolism

Brahmin priests maintained their high social status and influence, sacrifice became less central, and more opportunity for direct contact between gods and individuals arose

Gods were altered in identity and relationship with humanity Hinduism emphasizes personal devotion to a specific deity

usually Vishnu, Shiva, or Devi, these gods can appear in many guises

Offers the worshipper multiple approaches to God and obtaining divine favor. Knowledge of sacred truths, mental and physical discipline, or extraordinary devotion to one deity.

Hinduism responded to the need of people for personal deities with whom they could establish direct connections, this is one element relating to its success.

Intellectual

Teachings of Mahavira – the creator of the belief system

Jainism Siddhartha Gautama – the creator of

Buddhism

Artistic

Buddhist worshippers built stupas, large earthen mounds that symbolize the universe

Buddhists also made sculptures of the Buddha

Hindus built temples representing the celestial mountain of gods