The Harappan Civilization

3300 BCE - 2400 BCE

Citadelof

Mohenjo-Daro

Grid layout

Aerial View of Mohenjo-Daro

Wide View, Mohenjo-Daro

Main Street, Mohenjo-Daro

pottery, Mohenjo-Daro

Bison Seal, Mohenjo-Daro

Necklace, Mohenjo-Daro

Public Well, Harappa

Unicorn Seal, Harappa

Burial Pottery, Harappa

Harappan Writing

Undecipherable to date.

Aryan Migration

pastoral depended on their cattle.

warriors horse-drawn chariots.

Sanskrit writing

The Vedas 1200 BCE-600 BCE.

written in SANSKRIT.

Hinduism roots in Vedas

Caste system

Dharma

Rig Veda oldest work

Varna (Social Hierarchy)

Shudras

Vaishyas

Kshatriyas

Brahmins

Pariahs -- Untouchables

Hinduism• Many deities– Brahma-creator– Vishnu-preserver– Siva-destroyer

• Upanishads– Self denial—fasting– Yoga—discipline

• Reincarnation• Karma– Ahimsa

History of Religion

http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/history-of-religion.html

Religions of South Asia

Buddhism in the Subcontinent

The essence of Buddhism

The “middle way of wisdom and compassion.”

2,500 year old tradition. Buddha, the teacher. Dharma, the teachings.

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BCE)

Born in NE India (Nepal). Raised in great luxury to be a king. At 29 he rejected his luxurious life to

seek enlightenment and the source of suffering.

Lived a strict, ascetic life for 6 years. Rejecting this extreme, sat in

meditation, and found nirvana. Became “The Enlightened One,” at

35.

What is the fundamental cause of all suffering?

Desire!Desire! Therefore, extinguish the self, don’t obsess

about oneself.

Four Noble Truths1. There is suffering in the world. To

live is to suffer. 2. The cause of suffering is self-centered

desire and attachments. 3. The solution is to eliminate desire

and attachments4. To reach nirvana, one must follow

the Eightfold Path

Eightfold Path

NirvanaNirvana The union with the ultimate spiritual reality.

Escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Spread of Buddhism

• Missionaries and traders helped to spread the religion

Buddha

19c Thailand

Buddha’s head

2c Pakistan

Zen BuddhismSeeks sudden

enlightenment through meditation, arriving at emptiness

Beauty, art, and aesthetics: Gardens. Archery. Tea ceremony. Calligraphy.

China’s History

Huang He River

Shang Dynasty1700-1027 BCE

Oracle Bones

Zhou1028-771 BCE

Mandate of HeavenThe Zhou justified taking over from the Shang by saying that they had lost divine approval to rule

Zhou Dynasty1029-258 BCE

Leaders/Traits• Walled cities• Trade routes between cities• Mandate of Heaven• Feudalism

Philosophy• Daoism

– Laozi– 500’s BCE

• Confucianism– Analects– Chaotic government as Zhou

was in decline– 522 BCE

Confucianism

• Based on five relationships– Ruler/subject– Husband/wife– Father/son– Older brother/younger

brother– Friend/friend

• Not a religion• Women were

subservient to men

• Wanted to reform society by showing rulers how to govern wisely

• Laid groundwork for creation of a bureaucracy [a trained civil service who runs the government]

• Examination system

Qin Dynasty221-206 BCE

Shi Huangdi-First Emperor Ruthless—Totalitarian Legalism adopted Territorial Expansion begins 214 BCE Book burning-213 BCE Standardized weights and measures Single money system Uniform writing system Postal system Great Wall Bankrupted China Pottery Army-210 BCE Forced labor

First time China united as one empire Agricultural Trade/merchants

Great Wall

Terra Cotta Army