South Asia (India)
Done by Roberto Preza
Political
- Mauryan Empire: started in 326 B.C.E. and ended in 184 B.C.E. It encompassed all but the southern tip of the subcontinent. Had an impressive political structure on par with that of the Persian, Chinese, and Roman empires, but didn't last as long. Had a population of maybe 50,000 million people, with these many people the military force was bound to be large. The military force was made up of 600,000 infantry soldiers, 8,000 chariots, 9,000 elephants, and 30,000 cavalry. The civilian bureaucracy had ministers and spies which provided the ruler with local information. The Arthashastra helped Mauryan rulers develop a sense of political philosophy.
- Ashoka: Emperor of the Mauryan Empire r. 268-232 B.C.E. who left a record of his activities and his thinking in a series of edicts carved on rocks and pillars throughout the kingdom. Sought to govern in accord with Hinduism and Buddhism values and morals. Despite his good intentions his policies broke apart soon after his death.
- Gupta Empire: started in 320 C.E. and ended in 550C.E. Gupta era witnessed a flourishing of art, literature, temple building, science, math, and medicine. Trade with China thrived and elements of Buddhist and Hindu culture took root Southeast Asia. The indian trading network reached as far as the Roman world.
Economy
- Trade: India's vibrant economy allowed it to be the focal point of an extensive network of trade in the Indian Ocean basin. Its cotton textile industry supplied cloth throughout the Afro-Eurasian world. Some merchant guilds were successful at providing political leadership in major towns and cities, with their wealth they were capable of supporting lavish temples, public buildings, and religious festivals.
Religion
- Brahmanism/ Hinduism: Brahma ( the single impersonal divine reality); karma; rebirth;goal of liberation (moksha).
- Buddhism: Suffering caused by desire or attachment; end of suffering through modest and moral living and meditation practice.
- Jainism: All creatures have souls; purification through non violent means; opposed to caste system.
Society
- Caste System: System in which social status was determined by birth for most people, very little social mobility was available. There were great inequalities and distinctions between each level. Inequalities were usually defined by religious and cultural traditions, they could be natural, eternal, and ordained by the gods. Lower class people/ peasants were separated from the higher class from fear of being contaminated, peasants also made up most of the population. There are five distinct classes; the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, and the untouchables.
Innovations
- Mathematics and Science: Astronomy was quite impressive for the movements of the stars and planets were plotted by scientists, they also discovered that the Earth was round quite early. The positional number system and the concept of the zero were developed in India. The concept of the zero was discovered by Aryabhatta, he also discovered that the Earth spun on its axis, that it moves around the sun, and that the moon rotates around the Earth. He also explains the eclipses of the sun and moon.
Architecture/Art
- Painting: Some of the greatest fresco-paintings in India can be found in the Ajanta caves, these caves have paintings on the walls and ceiling. Bright colors are used and the presence of spirituals themes can be seen such as Buddha, etc. The paintings look most natural and life-like.(Only includes the part done during the Gupta empire)
- Architecture: Most examples of Indian architecture during the Gupta empire which were mainly temples are now almost gone. One of the most famous structures is the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. The Gupta's not only used stone but also brick. Gupta monuments were built under the Puranic religious concepts,they represented balance and beauty.
Near Geographic
- Movement: India's first empire which was the Mauryan under the rule of Ashoka expanded all the way to the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges, but failed to get the southern tip of the sub continent.The second empire which was the Gupta Empire was not as big as the first one it only went from the Himalayan mountain range to a little below the Godavari River.
Sources
http://www.frasouzu.com/Other%20scholars/History%20and%20Philosophy%20of%20Science.htm
http://incredblindia.blogspot.com/2009/02/aryabhatta-and-evolution-of-zero.html
http://www.importantindia.com/9217/gupta-empire-art-and-architecture/
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/g/019pho000001003u00748000.html
http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/India/Maharashtra/Ajanta.htm
http://olivosp.wikispaces.com/Ashoka
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_survey/resources/images/chapter_maps/wh05_guptaempire.jpg
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_survey/resources/images/chapter_maps/wh05_mauryaempire.jpg
Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World. 2nd ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.
http://incredblindia.blogspot.com/2009/02/aryabhatta-and-evolution-of-zero.html
http://www.importantindia.com/9217/gupta-empire-art-and-architecture/
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/g/019pho000001003u00748000.html
http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/India/Maharashtra/Ajanta.htm
http://olivosp.wikispaces.com/Ashoka
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_survey/resources/images/chapter_maps/wh05_guptaempire.jpg
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_survey/resources/images/chapter_maps/wh05_mauryaempire.jpg
Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World. 2nd ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.