Week 4 Schedule
Week 4 Schedule:
| Due Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Feb 11 |
Read & Examine: Week # 3 Module Textbook: Chapter 3 Watch: All Videos |
| Feb 11 | Discussion: Religion |
| Feb 11 | Assignment: Homework # 2 |
| Feb 11 | Quiz: Quiz # 4 and Map Quiz # 2 |
Image: Artifact from Mohenjo Daro
Topic:
Ancient India
The subcontinent of India is substantially separated from the rest of Asia by mountains and seas. Its geographic diversity has fostered political fragmentation, yet the Ganges and Indus rivers worked in the other direction, assisting the emergence of India’s first river valley civilizations.
As elsewhere, settled agriculture led to population growth which, in turn, led to the emergence of towns and cities around 3000 B.C.E., notably Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. The evidence suggests that these cities had a high degree of urban planning and central authority. Farming was the foundation of Harappan civilization, which centered on farming, fertility, and family. Indus Valley culture declined after 2000 B.C.E., at the same time that the migration of Indo-European pastoral nomads (called Aryans) into the Indus Valley began. The Aryans established small kingdoms ruled by rajahs. Conflict and disunity became hallmarks of Indian society. The culture that developed in Aryan India is often called Vedic after the literature that has given us most of our information about the culture. Vedic culture was characterized by a rigid social structure and a complex caste system. While Indian society limited freedom and mobility, it provided considerable stability.
The Vedic-age religion, Brahmanism, set forth three basic concepts that have since been central to the Indian worldview: samsara, dharma, and karma. These concepts reinforced the social order. At the end of the Vedic era, around 500 B.C.E., several new religions emerged that challenged the status quo. Jainism focused on ahimsa, or nonviolence, and rejected caste inequalities. Buddhism too rejected caste differences and focused on the escape from all suffering. The challenge of Buddhism and Jainism stimulated the evolution of Brahmanism into Hinduism.
Political disunity continued in post-Vedic India. The dominant kingdom in the north was Magadha. Around 518 B.C.E., Persian forces began the conquest of the Indus Valley, bringing new connections and conflicts to the region, including an invasion by Alexander the Great. In the aftermath of Alexander’s death, Chandragupta Maurya seized the opportunity to form the Mauryan Empire (321–184 B.C.E.). Chandragupta’s grandson, Ashoka, proved one of the most memorable and important Indian rulers. The eventual collapse of the Mauryan Empire led to five centuries of Indian disunity. Nonetheless, Indian connections with other cultures continued to deepen and grow. India remained unified by shared cultural traits, with marked regional differences. The Kushans came to dominate parts of northern India from around 50 C.E., reinforcing ties between India and Central Asia. Buddhism spread and divided into different forms. Buddhism’s decline in India coincided with Hinduism’s evolution into a popular religion. Under the Gupta rulers, much of India was again united politically. The Gupta Empire saw the growth of India’s trade connections in all directions and the promotion of Hinduism.
Hindu society was dominated by the caste system. Every aspect of one’s life was determined by one’s caste. Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males. In the post-Vedic era, opportunities for women declined. Indian sculpture, art, and architecture were distinguished by delicacy, intricacy, and subtlety. Early thinkers made crucial contributions in science and mathematics. The main works of early Indian literature were the Upanishads and the great epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
Goals:
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how and why Early Indus Valley societies developed and then declined.
- Analyze the significance of outsiders as conquerors, creators, and connectors.
- Discuss how Indian culture and society provided stability and continuity within a divided, conflict-ridden subcontinent.