Sanskrit writing

Varna (Social Hierarchy)

Shudras

(manual laborers)

Vaishyas

(peasants or traders)

Kshatriyas (warriors)

Dalit 🡪 Untouchables

Brahmans (priests)

The Caste �System

People are born into their caste for life

• The mouth?
• The arms?
• The legs?
• The feet?

WHO IS…

Brahmins

Kshatriyas

Vaishyas

Shudras

Religions of South Asia

The Spread of Buddhism

Buddha’s head :

2nd Century (Pakistan)

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Buddhist Altar (Cambodia)

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Reclining Buddha – Wat Pho Complex (Bangkok, Thailand: 16^th Century)

Japanese and Thai Buddhas

The Minoans: Bronze Age Greeks

The Phoenicians: Sea Routes

The Hebrews: Abraham’s Genealogy

ABRAHAM/IBRAHIM

SARAH

HAGAR

Isaac

Esau

Jacob

12 Tribes of Israel

Ishmael

12 Arabian Tribes

The Cenotaph of Abraham (Ibrahimi Mosque, the West Bank)

King David’s Empire

• From 1020 to 922 B.C.E., the Hebrews unite under a new kingdom called Israel

• King David establishes Jerusalem as capital

Solomon, David’s son, expands the Kingdom, and builds a magnificent Temple

King Solomon’s Temple Floor Plan

By 922 B.C.E. kingdom divides in two—

Israel in north, Judah in south

Recreation of Ancient Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period (515 B.C.E - 70 C.E.)

The Israel Archeological Museum, Jerusalem

The Temple Mount, Jerusalem today

Solomon’s Temple Wall: The “Wailing” Wall

The Western Wall

Solomon’s Temple Wall: The “Wailing” Wall