Classical India

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  1. 1. both the Mauryan and Gupta empires were located in the ________ River Valley, with their power centers concentrated around the fertile plains of this region
  2. 4. island country in South Asia / major exporter of elephants, horses, and luxury goods during the Classical Age / Theravada Buddhism is practiced there
  3. 7. called the world's "oldest religion" / the caste system is considered central to this religion / gradually displaced Buddhism as the most popular religion in India / attracted political support and patronage from the Gupta emperors
  4. 8. mathematical concept developed by Gupta mathematicians that represented the absence of quantity - made modern arithmetic and algebra possible
  5. 10. based on the concepts of varna and jāti, and divides Hindus into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras / both Buddhism and Jainism emerged as reactions against this rigid social hierarchy and the authority and practices of Brahmins
  6. 11. what is today Afghanistan and was at the time controlled by the Greeks / fertile area and formerly a center of Iranian resistance to the Greek Macedonian invaders
  7. 13. (358-281 BCE) Macedonian Greek general and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found an empire that controlled Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, and the Iranian plateau / little is known about the conflict between ________ and Chandragupta over control of the Indus Valley and the region of Gandhara
  8. 15. some of Kautilya's advice to Chandragupta survives in this ancient Indian political handbook - a manual offering detailed instructions on the uses of power and principles of government / recommended the use of spy networks
  9. 17. (340-295 BCE) laid the foundation for the first state to bring centralized and unified government to most of the Indian subcontinent / defeated the Seleucids - gaining territory in modern Afghanistan and Pakistan / converted to Jainism towards the end of his life and died through a practice called sallekhana (fasting until death)
  10. 18. (304-232 BCE) Chandragupta's grandson and the last major emperor of the Mauryan dynasty / rejected violence after the devastating Kalinga War in 261 BCE / his conversion and vigorous patronage of Buddhism furthered the expansion of that religion throughout India / had his policies carved on pillars throughout the empire - his edicts informed people about moral behavior, religious tolerance, and good governance
  11. 20. (375-283 BCE) Chandragupta’s guru who wrote the Arthashastra, a guide for statecraft that served as a foundation for future empires / helped create the bureaucratic structure, with a hierarchy of administrators, that helped Chandragupta govern his vast empire
  12. 23. an ancient Indian religion that teaches the path to enlightenment through nonviolence and asceticism / Jains believe in reincarnation, karma, and that all living beings have souls / also strict vegetarians
  13. 24. shrines housing relics of the Buddha and his first disciples that pilgrims venerated while meditating on Buddhist values
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  1. 2. (563-483 BCE) founder of Buddhism / came from a kshatriya family, but gave up his position and inheritance in order to seek salvation / wandered through the Ganges valley searching for spiritual enlightenment and an explanation for suffering
  2. 3. (322-185 BCE) first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent under a centralized government / founded by Chandragupta Maurya and expanded by his grandson, Ashoka, whose support for Buddhism helped spread the religion
  3. 5. basic doctrine shared by Buddhists of all sects / based on the actions and teachings of the Buddha, which Buddhists are encouraged to follow / Ashoka’s edicts promoted ________, a moral code developed to promote social order
  4. 6. demands right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior, right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation
  5. 9. Chandragupta and his adviser Kautilya built an extensive ________ - system of government and organization where important decisions are made by non-elected state officials
  6. 12. core of the Buddha's doctrine / teaches that all life involves suffering; that desire is the cause of suffering; that elimination of desire brings an end to suffering; and that a disciplined life conducted in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire
  7. 14. short poetic work that best illustrates the expectations of Hinduism and the promise of salvation that it held out to its practitioners / Krishna, the human incarnation of the god Vishnu, advised the kshatriya warrior Arjuna that his caste imposed specific moral duties and social responsibilities upon him
  8. 16. nomadic people from Central Asia who first occupied Bactria and then invaded northern India - weakening the Gupta state
  9. 19. (240-579 CE) like the Mauryans, this dynasty based their state in Magadha / arose on foundations laid by Chandra Gupta (not related to Chandragupta) / conquered many of the regional kingdoms in India and only the Deccan Plateau and the southernmost part of the subcontinent remained outside of their influence / presided over the “Golden Age of India,” with advancements in science, mathematics, literature, art, and architecture
  10. 21. Hindu god and preserver of the world who intervened frequently on behalf of virtuous individuals
  11. 22. (approx. 600 BCE onward) the dominant kingdom in the Ganges River valley and later the core of the Mauryan Empire / controlled trade passing through the Ganges River valley, as well as overseas trade btw. India and Southeast Asia