World Civilizations
Fall 2008
Emergence of Civilization in India
Harappan Civilization
DUE: Wed. 9/24/08 Directions: Use these reading guides to help you read and take close read notes. Read pages 37-42 in your textbook - be sure to read the introduction to the chapter. You should know the significance (definition and context) of the following vocabulary terms:
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Himalayan / Karakoram mountains |
Ganges and Indus rivers |
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Deccan Plateau |
Dravidians |
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Harappa |
Mohenjo-Daro |
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clay seals |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
How did the geography of the Indian subcontinent impact the emergence of civilization?
How was the climate potentially different in the Indus River valley during the third and fourth millennia B.C.E. compared to today? Why might this be significant?
Why do scholars believe the Harappan civilization is probably not dead?
What are the main characteristics of the city center of Harappa?
What kind of government structure most likely existed in the Indus River valley?
On what was the Harappan economy based? How did Harappan civilization extend beyond the Indus River valley?
What was the role of art in Harappa? What examples of art remain? Why significant?
Why must the Indus River valley civilizations remain an enigma? (What’s an enigma?)
DUE: Fri. 9/26/08 Close read pages 42-47 up to “Daily Life in Ancient India” in your textbook. Be sure to read the primary sources, “The Duties of a King” on p. 45 and “The Law of Manu” on p. 46. You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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Aryans |
Central Asia |
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Hindu-Kush |
Rigveda / Vedas |
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raja |
kshatriya |
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maharajas |
dharma |
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Alexander the Great |
Chandragupta Maurya / Mauryan Empire |
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Arthasastra |
bureaucracy |
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varnas |
brahmins |
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Brahman |
vaisya |
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twice-born |
sudras |
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untouchables/pariahs |
jati |
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“caste” |
Law of Manu |
Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
What are the theories about how the Harappan civilization ended?
Who are the Aryans? Where did they come from? How did the Aryans adapt to the geography of their new place?
What political and social structures did the Aryans bring to India? How did this grow over time? Why do you suppose?
How did the Greeks impact India?
How did the Mauryan Empire emerge? What role did dharma take?
What political structure emerged in the Mauryan Empire?
Primary Source: The Arthasastra
To whom was the author of this document directing his advice? What does this source tell us about how a king should rule? What are the duties of a king?
What are the four classes? What are the roles and duties of each? (role of dharma?)
How did the Jati form the basis for social organization in India?
What is the difference between class (varna) and caste (jati)?
Primary Source: The Law of Manu
Why do you think the class system described here developed in India?
Daily Life and the Economy in Ancient India
DUE: Thurs. 10/2/08 Close read pages 47-49 in your textbook. You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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patriarchal |
matriarchal |
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guru |
polygamy |
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sati |
Mahabharata |
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Deccan Plateau |
vicissitudes* |
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monsoon |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Why was the family the most basic unit of society? (and not the individual?) What role did the family play?
How did gender influence family roles, rights, and responsibilities?
What were the traditions surrounding marriage? What rights did men and women have in a marriage?
What role did women have? In what ways did women exert influence over men in early Indian society?
How did the Aryans spread farming culture to the rest of the Indian subcontinent?
Why was life so harsh for Indian farmers? How did the weather impact this?
How did India become such an advanced trading and manufacturing civilization? How did this impact the growth of the Indian state/empire?
Hinduism
Directions: Close read pages 49-51 up to “Buddhism” in your textbook. Be sure to read the primary source, “In the Beginning” on p. 50. You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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Hinduism |
Vedas |
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Indra |
asceticism |
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Upanishads |
metaphysical* |
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yoga |
reincarnation |
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Brahman / Great World Soul |
Brahmanism |
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karma |
pantheon* |
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Brahman / Brahma |
Vishnu |
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Shiva |
transcendental |
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Atman |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Big Overarching Question: How is Hinduism a blend of the Harappan and Aryan cultures?
Hinduism
What were the early Aryan beliefs? How do we know this?
What role did sacrifice and asceticism play? How are these early religious beliefs treated in modern times?
Reincarnation
What is reincarnation? How is this idea connected to the social structure of India?
What role do dharma and karma play in reincarnation?
What is the ultimate “goal” of Hinduism?
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Who are the primary Hindu gods and goddesses? What is their role?
What roles do the other gods and goddesses play in Hinduism? Why so many?
Primary Source: The Upanishad
Re-write this quote in your own words. What is the main idea of this passage? What is the nature of the ultimate reality?
Escaping the Wheel of Life: The Religious World of Ancient India
Buddhism
Directions: Close read pages 52-56 in your textbook. Be sure to read the primary source, “The Sermon at Benares” on p. 54. You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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Buddhism |
Siddhartha Gautama |
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Nirvana |
bodhi |
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Varanasi / Benares |
Four Noble Truths |
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Middle Path / Eightfold Way |
egalitarianism |
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enlightenment |
stupa |
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Jainism |
Mahavira |
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Ashoka |
rock edicts / stone pillars |
Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Big Overarching Question: How are Hinduism and Buddhism similar and different?
Buddhism: The Middle Path
The Life of Siddhartha Gautama
Who is Siddhartha Gautama? What aspects of Hinduism did he keep?
What aspects of Hinduism did Siddhartha reform? Why? Be specific here!
How does one “escape the wheel of life” in Buddhism?
Primary Source: The Sermon at Benares
What are the “two extremes”? Why should one avoid them?
What is the Middle Path? Why should one follow it?
What are the four noble truths? Describe them in your own words.
Jainism
What is Jainism? How is it similar to and different from Buddhism?
Ashoka, a Buddhist Monk
Who war Ashoka? How did he rule? Why do you suppose he converted to Buddhism?
Why is his Buddhist legacy a great one?
The Rule of the Fishes: India After the Mauryas
The Exuberant World of Indian Culture
Directions: Close read pages 56-62 in your textbook. Be sure to read the primary sources, “The Mahabharata” on p. 58, and “The Ramayana” on p. 59. You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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“rule of the fishes” |
Vedas / Rig Veda |
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Sanskrit |
Prakrit |
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Mahabharata / Bhagavad Gita |
Ramayana |
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stone column/pillar |
stupa |
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rock chamber |
amalgamation* |
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paucity* |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Big Overarching Question: What legacy does ancient India leave us with today?
The Rule of the Fishes: India After the Mauryas
Why did the Mauryan Empire fail? What are the theories that exist today?
The Exuberant World of Indian Culture
Literature
What is significant about the development of the written languages of India?
Why is its literature considered one of India’s greatest achievements? What did the Mahabharata and Ramayana contribute to this legacy?
Primary Source: The Mahabharata
What is the purpose of the author in reciting this tale of Draupadi’s humiliation?
Primary Source: The Ramayana
How does this story reflect some of the basic values of traditional Indian civilization? Why do you think it was necessary to have an unhappy ending to the story?
Architecture and Sculpture
What is significant about the stone column, stupa, and rock chamber? What do these pieces tell us about the role of religion and Asoka’s empire?
Science
Why do we know so little about Indian science? What do we know about it?