Ancient Asia

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Ancient Asia
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Ancient India

• Geography
• Himalayas separate India and China
• Hindu Kush Mountains do not provide complete
  isolation because of mountain passes
• Monsoons (seasonal winds that bring rain)
  drenching the western coast
• 2 River Valleys
• Indus
• Ganges

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Ancient India

• While Egypt were building pyramids, India were
  planning cities along the Indus River
• Harappa
• Mohenjo-Daro

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Ancient India and Sumer

• Both shared the flooding of their rivers
• Both traded with each other around the time of
  Sargon of Akkad
• Both had polytheistic religions

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Ancient India Cities

• Fortified walls
• Very gridlike layout of cities
• Created by oven-baked bricks
• Plumbing systems rivaling 19th century cities

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Ancient India

• Early civilization on the Indus River eventually
  ended and no one knows why
• Could be a war, but no damage
• River could move, but parts of cities still there
• People could have wore out the land, but no proof

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Aryans
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Aryans

• A group of Indo-Europeans called Aryans invaded
  India by the use of the Khyber Pass
• Destroyer Empire

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Aryans

• Sacred literature is the Vedas
• Bible of the Aryans
• Originally orally passed down
• 4 collections of prayers, magical spells, and
  instructions of rituals
• Rig Veda most important (1028 hymns)

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Aryans start game

• Caste System- social class structure
• Determines role in society
• Permanent member of that caste
• Cannot move up from your caste
• 4 classes
• Top is Priests (Brahmins)
• Second is Rulers and Warriors (Kshatriyas)
• Third is Peasants and Traders (Vaishyas)
• Last is Laborers (Shudras)
• Untouchables outside of caste
• Their touch would endanger the Hindus (pariah)

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Aryans

• Literature
• Mahabharata
• Famous hero was Krishna
• 106,000 verses longest single poem
• Never written down for hundreds of years
• Epics-moral story
• Written in Sanskrit

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Aryans Religion

• Hinduism
• Oldest Religion and polytheistic
• Bible is the Vedas
• Upanishads written later to help explain Vedas

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Aryans

• 3 gods and you get to choose which you worship
• Brahma (creator)
• Vishnu (protector)
• Shiva (destroyer)

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Aryans

• Reincarnation or rebirth of the soul
• Karma-total good or bad deeds in your lifetime
• Decides where you go in your next life

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Aryans

• Once you discover the perfect understanding they
  will be released from life

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Aryans

• Jainism
• Founded by Mahavira
• Everything has a soul and should not be
  harmednonviolence
• Sweep ants off the path and wear masks so not to
  accidentally swallow insects
• Tolerant of other religions, so not many converts

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Aryans

• Buddhism
• Created by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
• Prophecy
• Travel spiritual leader
• Do not travel great king

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Aryans

• Goal-Reach enlightenment (wisdom)
• Know 4 Noble Truths
• Everything in life is suffering and sorrow
• Cause of suffering is peoples desire for
  temporary pleasure
• Way to end suffering is to end desire
• To overcome desire follow the Eightfold Path
• Follow the Eightfold Path to reach Nirvana
  (release of selfishness and pain)

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Aryans

• Believed in reincarnation and cycle world
• Women could be Buddhists, but Buddha feared
  womens presence would distract the men

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China
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China

• Geography
• Surrounded by the Himalayas
• Gobi Desert
• Pacific Ocean
• Civilization started on the Huang He (Yellow)
  River

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China

• Xia is a mythical dynasty under Yu who controlled
  flooding
• No records exists of this dynasty
• Shang Dynasty was the 1st dynasty recorded
• Anyang, a wooden city, with huge walls was the
  capital

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China

• Social
• Family was most important in Chinese society
• Elder men controlled family life
• Girls have arranged marriages at 13-16
• Spirits of their ancestors helped or hindered the
  family depending on how much you respect them

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China

• Writing
• 1st Writing was carving on bones or tortoise
  shells
• Later Chinese writing started using characters
  for ideas (one could read Chinese and not speak
  it)10,000 characters

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China

• Technology
• Shang had bronze for tools and weapons
• Shang also made silk

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China

• Zhou Dynasty took over from the Shang
• Started the Mandate of Heaven (divine approval
  for just Chinese rulers)
• Dynastic Cycle formed-rise, decline, and
  replacement of Chinese dynasties

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China

• Zhou also created iron, however their weak
  government led to a period of warring states

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China

• For 500 years the people of China were fighting
  for control of the empire
• Qin Dynasty under Shi Huangdi (first emperor)
  reconquered China

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China

• With executions, uprooting of noble families Shi
  Huangdi unified China
• Started autocracy (government where ruler has
  unlimited power and uses it)
• He started road and irrigation building using
  peasants

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China

• He also built the Great Wall to protect China
  from invaders from the north (1400 miles long)

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China

• Shi Huangdi died and the Qin dynasty with him

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China

• Yin and Yang
• Two opposite forces that compliment each other

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China

• Scholar Confucius urged harmony during the
  warring years
• He started Confucianism which is a social order

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China

• Confucianism
• Talks about the 5 relationships
• Ruler and subject
• Father and son
• Husband and wife
• Older brother and younger brother
• Friend and friend
• Told how to govern wisely
• His lessons were put in Analects by his students

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China

• Started bureaucracy (trained civil service)
• Education was very important

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China

• Daoism
• Created by Laozi who wrote The Way of Virtue
• His belief was the Way guides all things
• No right or wrong, good or bad because those
  arguments are pointless
• Nature has no right or wrongfollow nature
• Many are scientists

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China

• Legalism
• Highly efficient and powerful government
• Use punishment to enforce laws
• Burn books that tell people to criticize the
  government