Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism
Mauryan Empire
Gupta Empire
Persia
Persia Pt.2
100

What were the 2 main Hindu texts and what were they about?

  • Vedas: Oldest religious writings about Hinduism

    • Written in Sanskrit, then spread

  • Upanishads: Teacher and student have a conversation about how a person can achieve freedom from suffering

    • Moksha: state of perfect understanding

    • Atman: individual soul vs. Brahman: world soul that unites all individual souls 

100

Who was the first leader of the Mauryan Empire and what did he do?

  • Chandragupta Maurya, 324-301 BC

    •  Unified northern India

    •  Defeated the Macedonians

    •  Strong and Effective Leader: Divided his empire into  provinces, then districts  for tax assessments and law  enforcement. 

    • Secret police

    • Converted to Jainism later in life

100

Who was the first leader of the Gupta Empire, what did he do, and what was the capital of this empire?

First leader: Chandra Gupta

  • Alliances with local leaders

Capital: Pataliputra


100

What was the Cyrus Cylinder?

A baked clay cylinder inscribed with a proclamation by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, declaring his conquest of Babylon in 539 BC

100

What did Cambyses do?

Led the invasion of Egypt
200

What are the 5 main Hinduism terms and ideas

  • Reincarnation: Rebirth - individual spirit born again and again until Moksha reached

    • Reincarnation can change your caste in the caste system

  • Moksha: Release from cycle of reincarnation (samsara due to good karma)

  • Karma: Good and bad deeds, follows an individual spirit through reincarnation. These deeds result in future consequences

  • Dharma: The Path of Rightness; duty, morality, social obligation

  • Nature: connection to the Ganges River

200

What kind of government did the Mauryan Empire have, what was their capital, and what were their views on religion?

  • Centralized government, divided by provinces who are run by kings’ appointed governors

  • Capital: Pataliputra

  • Religious freedom and respect for Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism

200

Who did the Gupta Empire trade with?

  • China, SE Asia, Mediterranean

  • Controlled by Gupta rulers with silver and gold mines

200

Who was the first ruler of the Persians and what did he do?

  • Cyrus the Great: 559-530 BC

    • Conquered Babylon

    • Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem

    • Seen as high quality leader

      • Merciful

      • Appointed Persians and natives as government officials

        • King not all powerful

        • Like Assyrians

      • Used Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian designs in architecture and politics

        • Big palaces

        • Impact of Hammurabi’s Code from Babylonians

    • Died while in battle against nomadic warriors, buried in a tomb at Cyrus’ palace

200

What were qanats?

Underground canals that distributed water to fields; built by free residents mostly

300

What are the basics of Buddhism? 

  • No concept of God

  • Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (500 BCE)

  • Originated in India, spread across Asia

    • Through the Silk Road

  • Leadership: Buddhist monks

  • No caste system

  • The Middle Way: importance of moderation

  • Four Noble Truths; suffering and such

  • Noble Eightfold Path; right beliefs, right speech, etc.

300

Who was Asoka and what did he do?

Asoka, 268-232 BC

  • Spread of Buddhism

  • Hospitals, trees and shelters for travelers, trade to Mediterranean Sea and Southwest Asia

  • Stone pillars marking the Buddha’s life

  • Construction of pillars, stupas (burial mounds), rock chambers (Buddhist)

  • Rock edicts: laws based on Buddhism

300

What advancements were made during the Gupta Empire?

  • Golden Age

    • Hindu and Buddhist arts

    • Science, math, literature: Earth’s circumference, solar calendar, algebra, Sanskrit and Hindu texts

    • Medicinal achievements: healing plants, classification of diseases, plastic surgery

    • Lasting relevance: Classical Empire

    • Concept of zero and pi

300

Who was Darius and what did he do?

  • Darius: 521-486 BC

    • Conquered land near India, Europe (Greece)

    • Capital: Persepolis

    • Allowed Jews to rebuild Holy Temple

    • Standardized coins and tax system

    • 20 provinces: satrapy

      • Satrap: protector of the kingdom

        • Collected taxes, provided justice, recruited soldiers

    • Royal Road

      • Way stations with food, shelter, fresh horses

        • Trade and royal communication

        • Eventually part of Silk Road

    • All subject king’s servants

    • Standing army of 20,000 soldiers

      • Immortals: dead immediately replaced

300

What goods did Persia produce?

  • Barley, wheat, peas, pomegranates, apricots, beer, wine

400

Who were the two major figures for Buddhism and what did they do?

  • Siddhartha Gautama: Later known as the Buddha

    • Cure from human suffering: freedom from desires

    • Importance of morality: more good deeds, fewer bad deeds

    • Meditation → Enlightenment (understanding) (Nirvana)

  • Asoka: As Mauryan Empire ruler (250 BCE), helped Buddhism spread across Asia, especially to Japan

400

How did the Mauryan Empire end?

183 BC: last leader killed, India in disunity

  • Government workers paid too much money

400

Why did the Gupta Empire decline?

  • Collapsed due to invasions from nomadic Huns

    • No united Indian empire until 1600s

400

Why did the Persian Empire decline?

  • Decline

    • Post Darius: Xerxes: cruel leader, crushed rebellions

    • Kings raised taxes, became too accustomed to luxury

    • Polygamy → civil wars between sons to get throne

    • Native Greeks protest against rule, beat Persians at battles of Marathon and Thermopylae - Greco-Persian War

    • Conquered by Alexander the Great of Macedonia

400

What was Zoroastrianism and what were its beliefs?

  • Zoroaster: prophet born in 628 BC

  • Official religion of the Persian Empire

  • Monotheistic

    • Ahuramazda: supreme god, creator

      • Beginning of world: opposed by Ahriman (evil spirit)

    • Not focused on conversion

  • Choice between right and wrong, good and evil

    • Paradise vs. abyss of misery and torment

  • Enjoy the world in moderation with correct behavior

  • Temples destroyed by Alexander the Great

  • Belief: god responsible for all creation; forces of good prevail; people strive to achieve highest moral standard; judgment

    • Influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam

  • Discouraged slavery

    • Slavery used mostly for domestic work in the Persian Empire

    • Slaves: conquered peoples

500

What are the basics of Jainism?

  • Ahimsa: nonviolence and compassion

  • Reincarnation dependent on karma

  • Soul ever-changing

  • Caste system not important - focus on individuals and self-improvement

500

What empire did the Gupta Empire conquer and what were they like?

Kushan Empire

  • Nomadic warriors take charge

  • Importance of trade

    • Silk Road

    • Indian Ocean trade

  • Greek traditions

    • Zoroastrianism

    • Alphabet

    • Calendar

500

What did trade look like in the Persian Empire?

  • Trade: Royal Road, sea (Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea)

    • India: gold, ivory, spices

    • Central Asia:  precious stones

    • Mesopotamia: textiles, glass

    • Turkey: gold, silver

    • Phoenicians: glass, timber, dyed fabrics

    • Egypt: gold, papyrus, grain

500

What was the social structure like in Persia?

  • Most people: free classes with fewer privileges: artisans, merchants, female textile weavers, farmers

  • Slaves: prisoners of war, subjects in debt, rebellers

    • Used for domestic labor - slaves not used heavily