Classical Civilizations II: India & China

Geography of Asia* Made up of peninsulas and archipelagos

1. India2. China3. Japan4. Korea

* Over 1/2 of the world’s population lives in Asia: (4+ billion Asia/ 7+billion world)

* Rivers in Asia were areas were great civilizations emerged:

India China

1. Indus River 1. Huang He/Yellow R.2. Ganges River 2. Chang/Yangtze River

* Mountains act as barriers; reducing the amount of arable land, trade, and has isolated cultures.

Ex. Himalaya Mountains in India acted as a barrier & create subcontinent &

Ex. Mountains in China have reduced arable land

* To increase food production, early cultures used intensive agriculture and later cultures started the Green Revolution.

Intensive agriculture = using terracing, irrigation, and hand labor to increase amount of food yielded.

Green Revolution = using technology to increase amount of food yielded.

Ex. Fertilizer, insecticides, improved seeds= MORE FOOD

* Monsoons= seasonal windsHave a great effect on Asian food production, especially in

India

India: Civilization on Indus River

* First farming civilizations emerged around 3200 BC.

* Largest Cities along Indus found are Kalibangan, Mohenjo- Daro, & Harappa.

Major contributions of early civilizations:

1. City Planning: Cities laid out on precise grid system & had citadels. (fortified area containing major buildings of city) Buildings made from baked bricks.

2. Sophisticated Plumbing & Sewage Systems: Comparable to systems built before 19th century! (1800’s)

3. Uniformity of cites SUGGESTS Indus people had strong central gov’t.

Social Characteristics of Indus Civilizations:

1. Language: has not been translated yet. Contains over 400 symbols that are believed to depict objects and sounds. Similar to hieroglyphics.

2. Culture: Housing suggests social divisions existed Artifacts suggest animals were important & they

were prosperous.

3. Religion: Believed to be very religious.

Possibly had a theocracy, Hinduism possibly

Economic Characteristics of Indus Civilizations:

1. Trade: Prosperous trade existed along Indus River; traded for gold, silver, semi-precious stones, & cotton

Indus Valley Culture Ends

* quality of city building ended

* satellite images in 1970”s suggest tectonic plates shifted causing earthquakes & floods

*ARYANS invade around 1500 BC

Aryan Influence on Indus River Culture

Aryans: Indo-European people that would invade and transform cultures in India along the Indus, Ganges & Yamuna River valleys in the 6th century BC.

Caste System develops….

Caste System: RIGID social class system created by Aryans to re-organize society based on occupation and skin color.

* Caste or Varnas: social class/rank in society.

* Vedas- sacred literature of Aryans that taught prayers, rituals, & outlined 4 basic castes.

*Castes (Varnas)

1. Brahmins (priests) = 1%

2. Kshatriyas (rulers & warriors) = 9%

3. Vaishyas (landowners & traders)=10%

4. Shudras (laborers & peasants) = 30%

Untouchables: (butchers, gravediggers, trash collectors; “unclean”, “impure” darker skinned Indians) = 50% Not part of caste b/c thought to endanger the purity of others. Draw social class triangle below and label with castes from previous page.

Rules of the castes

1. Live & die in same caste, a person may never change castes during their lifetime.2. Expected to perform duties to the caste; dharma.3. NEVER associate with untouchables.4. Not allowed to marry outside of caste.

******THESE POLICIES LED TO GREAT DISCRIMINATION!!******

India’s First Empires

*Aryans overthrown by Alexander the Great & then Chandragupta Maurya seizes power to create India’s 1st empire.

The Mauryan Empire (India’s 1st Empire)* Chandragupta’s empire stretched more than 2000 miles

& united India politically for 1st time

* Asoka; Chandragupta’s grandson, lead India to it’s Golden Age.

* Accomplishments during Golden Age: Ruled by Buddha’s teaching of being “peaceful”, built roads with rest areas every 9 miles, treated subjects fairly & humanely, improved communication within empire

* Asoka sent missionaries to spread Buddhism.

*After Asoka’s death, India faced 500 years of turmoil and invasion.

The Gupta Empire (India’s 2nd Empire)

*Started by Chandra Gupta.*India experienced great achievements in the arts,

religious thought, & science.

*Hindu culture was encouraged.Two Religions Emerge in India:

Hinduism & BuddhismHinduism

*started in India around 750-550BC

* 85% of Indians practice this religion

Beliefs

1. No founder

2. No church, priests, or clergy

3. Scriptures are the Vedas and Upanishads

4. 3 Main Gods, 1000’s of minor gods

1. Brahma = Creator2. Vishnu = Preserver3. Shiva = Destroyer

5. Reincarnation occurs until moksha, the freeing of the soul

6. Cow is sacred. (Holy Cow)

7. Ganges River is sacred

Practices

1. will not eat meat (vegetarians)

2. pray to personal gods

3. bathe in the Ganges to rid self of sin

4. followed rules of caste system (outlawed in 1955)

5. work to have good karma (the balance between good and evil) so the next life is better

6. follow rules of dharma, (duties to caste), to increase karma

7. cremate the dead

Buddhism

* started around 563-483 BC

* Outgrowth of Hinduism

* Founded by: Siddhartha Gautama= Buddha

* Buddha means: “enlightened one”

*20% of the world practices some form of Buddhism

*diffused from India to Japan to South East AsiaBeliefs1. reincarnation: reborn again & again2. no caste system

3. no god (s)4. 4 Noble Truths

1. all life is suffering2. suffering is caused by desire3. desire can be eliminated4. there is a path to end desire

5. 8 Fold Path1. know/recognize suffering2. have good intentions3. speak the truth & do not hurt others with your words4. act honestly & peacefully5. do not harm others6. learn useful things to mind of evil7. control one’s feelings and thoughts8. meditate (yoga)

Practices1. Nuns & priests live in monasteries & helps others find the middle way through teaching & meditation

2. Karma and dharma decide the next life

3. reincarnation occurs until one reaches nirvana

4. read the Tripitaka, the sacred scriptures, and meditate

5. Dali Lama is the reincarnated Buddha todayClassical Civilizations II: China

* First civilizations emerged in China about 400 yrs ago; 100

yrs AFTER other river valley civ.’s

Geography of China

Somewhat isolated by natural barriors:

North: Gobi Desert & Mongolian PlateauEast: Yellow Sea, East China Sea, & Pacific OceanSouthwest: Himalaya Mtns.West: Taklimakan Desert & icy 15,000 foot Plateau of Tibet

* 2/3 of China’s landmass is dominated by deserts & mountains

Isolation will help the Chinese develop an ethnocentric view of the world. Called their country The Middle Kingdom. For centuries, they thought of their country as the center of the world and themselves as culturally superior to all other people.

Civilization in China began near two rivers:

1. Huang He (Yellow River): in Northern Chinaflows from Mountains in west, eastward to Pacific Ocean

deposits yellow silt called loess (fertile soil)

2. Chang Jiang (Yangtze): in Central China flows from Mtns in west, eastward to Yellow Sea

Environmental Challenges

1. Huang He’s floods sometimes ruined entire cities

River earned nickname of “China’s Sorrow”

2. China’s geographic isolation forced early settlers to become self-sufficient rather than trade with outsiders

3. China’s natural boundaries didn’t completely protect them Invasions from west & north were constant

4. Only 10% of China’s land suitable for farming. North China Plain (land between yellow & Yangtze rivers) Is China’s heartland

Political Characteristics:

*Ruled by dynasties

Dynasty: succession of rulers from the same family.

Ruler of dynasty was believed to have Mandate of Heaven.

Mandate of Heaven: belief of the Emperor that their power to rule comes from a divine source. (gods)

*Dynasties followed a rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties known as the dynastic cycle.

Dynastic Cycle

Economic Characteristics: based on a feudal system…nobles owned land & peasants worked the land.

Social Characteristics:

*Family was central to Chinese society.

*Patriarchal Society: Men in society were viewed as the head of household, leaders of society.

* Women: treated as inferiors. Expected to obey fathers, husbands, and their own sons

Marriages were arranged; having sons was only way to HOPE to improve status *Social Classes divided between nobles & peasants. (rich vs. poor)

Developed writing system: *each character stands for one syllable* possibility person could read it, but not speak it*Advantage= people could learn same system of writing, even if spoken languages were different* Disadvantage: Person needed to know 1500+ characters to barely be literate, scholars needed to know 10,000+ = limited number of literate, educated people

Contributions from early Civilizations:* roads & canals built= improved farming & trade* Coined money introduced= more trade* furnaces produces iron developed = better tools

Religion/philosophies of China:

ConfucianismFounded by Confucius 550 BC

Beliefs: Taught social order, harmony, & good gov’t. could be restored if society was organized around five basic relationships.

Five Relationships : the person listed first expected to be a good role model, teach

1. Ruler and subject

2. Father and son

3. Husband and wife

4. Older brother and younger brother

5. Friend and friend (only equal relationship)

Practices:

1. use five relationships as guideline to living

2. follow ideas in Analects (book of Confucius’s thoughts)

3. stress education

4. Follow Golden Rule: “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”

5. Rulers should set good example for their people

6. set foundation for civil service

Daoism

* Founded by Laozi in 6th century BC

* Taught to search for: knowledge and understanding of nature.

* Dao (tow)= “The Way” – a universal force that guides all things.

* Rejects conflict

Legalism

*Founded by political thinkers in 6th century BC

* Disagreed with Confucianism and Daoists

*Taught: * powerful gov’t would keep order in society. * Ruler should reward good people & severely punish disobedient people.

ex. Travel outside village without permit= nose or ears chopped off!!

China’s Greatest Dynasties

Qin Dynasty 221-206 BC

* leader assumes name of “First Emperor”* Battles fought doubled the size of China* Ruled with total power* Made all noble families live in capital city so he could watch them* to prevent criticism, leader murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars & ordered “useless” books to be burned. Ex. Books written by thinkers, poets, etc. Books about medicine farming were spared.

Accomplishments: * built highway 4000+ miles*standardized writing, law, currency, weights & measures

throughout China * irrigation projects increased farm production * better trade = new merchant middle class

* peasants built Great Wall of China-

Qin dynasty unpopular: harsh taxes, repressive gov’t, book burnings, poor forced to build wall

Han Dynasty 206 BC- 220 AD (400 + years)

* highly structured society (copy social class pg. 202)

* Created civil service jobs: gov’t jobs that civilians got by taking exam and scoring high.

* Silk Road becomes source of wealth: Trade route that connected China to Europe.

* treacherous route through deserts and mountains* Silk valuable because strong, lightweight*Silk so valuable Chinese gov’t made it illegal to share

secret of how to make silk.*Silk was symbol of wealth, soldiers used for armor *Many goods traded along this route; silk, gold, ideas

Accomplishments: * paper invented= increase of books*invention of collar harness, wheel barrow, watermills, iron tools, improved plows

Accomplishments led to: better education, improvements in Record keeping, & ability to feed larger population.

Tang Dynasty 618-906 AD

* expands China* Empress Wu: only woman Emperor to ever rule in China * revived & expanded civil service exam

* strengthened gov’t* helped China reach Golden Age * population greatly increased

Accomplishments:* completion of 1000-mile Grand Canal-waterway

connecting Huang He & Chang Joang Rivers. Provided trade route.

* strengthened gov’t*expanded roads & canals*Invented porcelain, Mechanical clock, block printing,

& explosive powder

Song Dynasty 960-1225 AD

* population doubled during Tang & Song dynasties * Population =100 million; 10 cities w/ 1 million people = most populated * China became most advanced empire in world* status of women declined, especially for upper class women

ex. Foot binding for upper class girls introduced. This symbolized wealth & prestige for husband, who could afford such a beautiful but impractical wife

* Accomplishments:* movable type* creation of explosive weapons- bombs, small rockets, canons* paper money

* use of magnetic compass for sailing* advances in algebra- using negative numbers*improvements in farming= could feed expanding

population*invented acupuncture*artistic prosperity; poems, paintings

Mongols Invade China

* Mongols: ruthless, nomadic invaders from Asian steppe

*Genghis Khan conquered much of Asia -was brilliant organizer, strategist, & used terror/cruelty as a weapon.* Mongols conquered from China to Poland; largest unified area in history.* heavily taxed & humiliated Chinese*Kublai Khan becomes “Great Khan” after Genghis’ death. Founded Yuan Dynasty.* Marco Polo worked for Khan. He traveled to Chinese cities on gov’t missions because he could speak many Asian languages. Polo most famous for “stories” he told about China while a war prisoner. Nobody believed his stories. Ex. Use of “black stones”* 1368 after Khan’s death Chinese rebels finally overthrow Mongols. China’s anger was fueled by years of famine, disease, growing economic problems & official corruption. China will eventually go in to isolation.