AP World- Chapter 6 Flashcards
(29 cards)
monsoon
- strong seasonal winds that allow sailors to ride across the open sea
- brings large amounts of rainfall on parts of India, Southeast Asia, and China for cultivation of some crops
Vedic Age (1500 - 500 BCE)
foundations for Indian subcontinent were laid
Vedas
- religious texts, long preserved and communicated orally by Brahmin priests and eventually written down
- main source of information about Vedic Age
varna
- two categories of social identity
- four major social divisions: Brahmin priest class, Kshatriya warrior/ administrative class, Vaishya merchant/farmer class, and Shudra laborer class
jati
within the system of varna are many jati, regional groups of people who have a common occupational sphere and who marry, eat, and interact with other members
Rig Veda
a collection of more than a thousand poetic hymns to various deities
women during Vedic Age
- limited resources indicate that women studied sacred lore, composed religious hymns, and participated in the sacrificial rituals
- could own property, strong, and resourceful
threat to Brahmin power (700 BCE)
- some charismatic individuals offered an alternate path to salvation
- individual pursuits through disciple, special diets, and meditation
- taught that distancing oneself could achieve moksha
Jainism
emphasized the holiness of the life force, practiced strict non violence and asceticism
Buddhism
taught the “Four Noble Truths” and the “Eightfold Path” to reach nirvana
Mahayana Buddhism “Great Vehicle”
branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia that embraced the popular new features
Theravada Buddhism “Teachings of the Elders”
- followed in Sri Lanka and most of Southeast Asia
- remains close to the original principles set forth by Buddha, emphasizes austerity
Hinduism
- term for a wide variety of beliefs and ritual practices that has roots in Vedic religion, Buddhism, and south Indian religious concepts and practices
- Brahmin priest maintain their high status, but sacrifices were less central
- offers the worshiper a variety of ways to approach God
- successful transformation drove Buddhism out
Mauryan Empire (324 - 184 BCE)
- first state to unify most of the Indian subcontinent
- founded by Chandragupta Maurya
- grew wealthy from taxes on agriculture, iron mining, and control of trade routes
Kautilya
- Chandragupta relied heavily on
- wrote Arthashastra, which teaches how to hold a vast empire together
Mauryan government
- highly bureaucratic
- divided into four provinces, each controlled by prince
- each province divided into local districts, headed by officials
- heavy taxes supported king, gov’t, and large army
Pataliputra
- capital of Mauryan empire
- where five tributaries join the Ganges River
Asoka
- third emperor of Mauryan Empire
- engaged in military campaigns that extended the boundaries, converted to Buddhism (pillars)
- extensive roads to improve communication
- death in 232 BCE left power vacuum, broke up
political fragmentation
- there were many signs of economic and cultural vitality
- network of roads and towns fostered lively commerce and India was at the heart of international trade
Mahabharata
epic chronicling the events leading up to a battle between related kinship groups
Bhagavad-Gita
- included in Mahabharata
- dialogue between a warrior and god on duty and the fate of the spirit
Tamil kingdoms
kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian
Gupta Empire (320 - 550 CE)
- powerful Indian state based on same capital
- controlled most of the subcontinent through military force and its prestige as center of sophisticated culture
- founder called himself Chandra Gupta
Gupta gov’t
- never as effectively centralized
- administrative bureaucracy and intelligence network were smaller and less persuasive
