Ancient+India

Emily Meyer and Rhiannon Clark 3000 B.C.- A.D. 500

"The mighty Thunderer with his fair-complexioned friends won the land, the sunlight, and the waters." (Rig Veda I.100.18)



Ancient India was located in the subcontinent of south Asia, modern Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. The Indus and Ganges Rivers played a big part in Indian Life. The Ganges River was called the "River of Life"; it was a sacred Hindu river. To the north was the Himalayan Mountains also called the "Place of the Snow." The tallest of the mountains is Mt. Everest measuring at 29,035 feet high. Its Tibetan name was Chomolungma which translates to "Goddess Mother of the World". Through the Hindu Kush Mountains was Khyber Pass which migrating and invading tribes use. Deccan also known as Southland was a triangle shaped plateau. The coastal rim was used for agriculture and fishing. The Bay of Bengal is to the east and the Arabian Sea is to the west. They had seasonal winds called monsoons that in the summer brought heavy rains and in the winter brought drought.

Indian civilization started in the Indus River Valley in 3000 BC. The twin capitals were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, "Place of the Dead", those were the major cities in the Indus River Valley. They had the first planned cities with city blocks and public buildings. A theocracy controlled each city. The Aryans invaded Ancient India in 1500 BC. They were Indo-European speaking nomads who used the Khyber Pass through the Hindu Kush Mountains. The Aryan written language was Sanskrit which started around 1000 BC. India's Historical Epics included the Ramayana which told the duties and ideals of a young Aryan Warrior, and the Mahabharata written in 100 BC which is the world's longest poem. The society had a strict social system called the caste system. The highest caste was the priests/Brahmins, the second highest caste was the warriors or Kshatriyas, the middle caste was the landowners, merchants, herders or vaisyas, the lowest caste was the servants and peasants or sudras, the untouchables were the absolute lowest caste and weren't really even considered part of the caste system at all.

The major religion in India is Hinduism. Brahman is the single supreme force uniting the universe, alman is the soul, and the definition of karma is that all actions in this life affect our rebirth in the next life. The Law of Karma is that Evil souls are punished and born a lower class, and good souls are born a higher caste. Dharma is the divine law; laws regulate the actions of caste members. Examples are that Brahmins can't eat meat and Untouchables must tap 2 sticks together. The caste system reinforces Hinduism and vice versa. The trimuti were the three main gods of Hinduism, Brahma was the creator of the world, Vishnu was the preserver of the world, and Shiva was the destroyer of the world. Buddhism was the second main religion. Siddhartha Gautama lived from 563 BC - 483 BC. At the age of 29 Siddhartha Gautama went through the Great Renunciation were he saw an old man, a sick man, and a dead man. He left his title as rajah and went to search for the truth and cure of human suffering. He started meditating under a Bo Tree and he reached enlightenment and became Buddha.



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__**Five Most Important People from Ancient India**__**=**
 * 1) __ Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) __ - Buddha searched for the truth and the cure of human suffering. He started the religion of buddhism which is the 2nd major religion in India. He lived from 563 BC to 483 BC. **
 * 2) __ Chandragupta Maurya __ - Chandragupta was the first Indian Emporer, he lived in Pataputra, and was the first to use homing pigeons in 324 BC. **
 * 3) __ Chandragupta II __ - When Chandragupta II was ruling the Indian Empire reached its greatest size. He lived from 375 AD to 415 AD. **
 * 4) __ Alexander the Great __ - In 327 BC, Alexander the Great took northwest India, but soon his soldierrefused to continue fighting, and they departed almost as soon as they had come. **
 * 5) __ Darius __ - Darius was a Persian King who conquered Indus Valley in 500 BC, he was the ruler of the Persian Empire and he wanted to rule the world. **

__**Five Key Terms from Ancient**__ **India=** The British Museum--This website has links to different parts of Ancient Indian Life. Ancient Indian Religion--This website has information about the religion in Ancient Indian life. Ancient Indian Timeline--This website has information about events in ancient india Ancietn Indian Caste System--This website has picture links to different parts of the caste system if you would like to learn more about them. Indian Geography--This website has information pertaining to the land formations of ancient india like the ocean, mountains, and rivers.
 * 1) __monsoon__- A monsoon is a seasonal wind pattern in southwestern Asia that blows warm, moist air form the southwest during the summer, bringing heavy rains, and cold, dry air from the northeast during the winter.**
 * 2) __caste system__- A caste system is a set of rigid categories that proclaims you status, it states your social status in India and has five parts to it.**
 * 3) __reincarnation__- Reincarntation is the rebirth of a individual soul, believed in by the Indian people and a bases for the caste system.**
 * 4) __karma__- Kharma is a force generated by a persons actions that determain how they are born in the next life as either a cow which is worshipped or a untouchable.**
 * 5) __dharma__- In Hinduism, Dharma is the divine law that rules karma; it requires all people to do their duty based on their status in society**

media type="youtube" key="APn07PS-5qc" height="315" width="420" Timeline: 3000 B.C. - Indian civilization started 1500 B.C. - Aryans invaded Ancient India 1000 B.C. - Sanskrit, the Aryan written language started 600 B.C. - Idea of reincarnation appeared in Hinduism 563 B.C. - Siddhartha Gautama was born 534 B.C. - Siddhartha Gautama went through the GreatRenunciation 483 B.C. - Buddha died 327 B.C. - Alexander the Great came to north western India but soldiers no fight 183 B.C. - Last Mauryan Ruler was killed 100 B.C. - Mahabhara written, world's longest poem