Ancient+India

By: Amanda Levin & Abi Lundstrom 1000 B.C.- 300 A.D.
 * "Work out your own salvation with diligence." -Buddha's last words**



Two of the first major cities in Ancient India were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. The cities were carefully planned and well civilized with an organized government having streets running north to south and east to west as did they have a drainage system. Power was based on belief in a divine assistance.

Around 1500 BC, the Aryans from central Asia began moving east eventually conquering the Harappans and then moving into the Deccan plateau. The Aryans changed from pastoralism to farming. They came up with their own writing system called Sanskrit and created a caste system. They primarily practiced Hinduism which believed in an ultimate reality or god, Brahman. Reincarnation, or life after death, was a karma played a large part in how a persons after life was.

In the sixth century BC Buddhism appeared in north India after Siddhartha Gautama became aware of the pain and suffering in the world and set out to find a way to change it. He reached enlightenment one day under a Bo tree and realized the meaning of life; suffering is caused by the desire to satisfy.

After 400 BC India faced threats from Persia, Greece and Macedonia. Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king, went to NW India but soldiers refused to fight. This gave rise to the first dynasty in ancient India. The Maurian Empire was at its peak under the reign of Asoka.

__5 Most Important People:__
Alexander was tutored by Aristotle until age 16. By thirty, he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He was undefeated in battle, and is considered one of the most successful commanders
 * 1.__Sidhartha Gautama-__** 536-438 BC called "Buddha" meaning the enlightened one, he expierienced Great Renunciation by seeing an old, dead, and sick man; created Buddhism
 * 2.__Ashoka-__**"second to Buddha", greatest ruler of Ancient India; the third rule from the Mauryan Dynasty: he ruled from 269 BC to 232 BC.
 * 3.__Alexander the Great-__**327 BC took control over NW India near the Indus River Valley
 * 4.__Chandragupta Maurya-__** 324 BC became the first Indian Emperor and moved the capital of the new empire to Pataliputra. He ruled during the Mauryan Dynasty
 * 5.__Sir George Everest-__** 324 BC became the first to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet, in 1865. it is located in the Himalayan Mountains

__**5 terms:**__
[|the British Museum has a collection on Ancient India] [|this site contains the basics on Buddhism] [|this site hass a timeline of all the events that have happened in Ancient India] [|click here to learn more about the caste system in Ancient India] [|this website contains an insight on culture form Ancient India] media type="youtube" key="FzOKUTJK8Wc" width="425" height="350" media type="custom" key="11404604" 3000BC: Indus River valley civilization begins 1500BC: Indo European speaking nomads Invaded Ancient India 1000BC: Sanskrit, the Aryan written language was born 563BC: Siddhartha Gautama was born then 100BC: Maharaja, the world’s longest poem of 90,000 stanzas, was written 300AD: Monks painted scenes of Buddha’s life in the Ajanta Caves 310AD: Gupta Empire began 324AD: Chandragupta Maurya became the first Indian Emperor 375AD: Chandragupta II became the ruler and the Indian Empire became its greatest size 1953AD: Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Mount Everest in 1865
 * 1.__Caste System-__** A system of social catagories that determine a person's occupation and economic potential and position in society based on birth.
 * 2.__yoga-__** A designated training to acheive ones with god meaning "union". Hindus developed the practice of this. The final goal of yoga is to leave behind the cycle of earthly life and achieve union with Brahman.
 * 3.__Karma-__** A force generated by their actions and a thought that what people do in their current life determines what their after life will be like.
 * 4.__Daharma-__** The concept of karma is ruled by Daharma. It's a divine law that people must follow depending upon class and social status.
 * 5.__Buddhism-__** A new doctrine made in the sixth centry. It appeared in Northern India and soon became a rival of Hinduism.
 * __TIMELINE__**