Lecture 4 - Early India and China !Ancient Traditions, Modern World Mahatma Gandhi, the Fourfold Division, and Caste!•1921 - "To destroy the caste system and adopt the Western European social system ◦means that Hindus must give up the principle of hereditary occupation which is the soul of the caste system... I am opposed to all those who are out to destroy the caste system."!1926 - "In accepting the fourfold division I am simply accepting the laws of Nature... ◦results of our past doings."!followed modern Hinduism!◦Student Protests and the Mandate of heaven, Tiananmen Square, 1989!•how they view appropriated view!◦how we should look at transition between the dynasties of China!◦!South Asian Geography river civilizations !•Pranab Mukherjee (current Inditan president)!•"monsoon is the real finance minister of India"!◦annual monsoons which is the most important is the summer monsoon!•incredibly important for agriculture and economy!◦coastal trade with Mesopotamia!•!Indus River Valley Saraswati historic river that ran parallel with the Indus river that is important!•similar to Mesopotamia that there are two rivers running side by side!•!Indus Valley (Harappan civilization) ca. 6000-5000!•upland farming!◦ca. 3500!•movement into river valleys !◦irrigation!◦zebu (oxen) domestication!◦copper!◦pottery!◦ca. 2500!•intense urbanization !◦large of settlements and cities!‣writing!◦trade networks!◦between cities and outside other civilization!‣movement of people to establish farming into the river valley in 3500 B.C.!•!Early Indus (Harappan) Cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro!•city for three miles!◦above the flood plain !◦concerned about flooding!‣central district with surrounding "sub-towns"!•evidence of urban grid planning!•aerial view of Mohenjo-Daro!◦all houses built at the same structure and uniform!◦large open areas for early trade markets!◦level of urban planning throughout these cities!•from archeological records rather than the historical records!•cities that are 50,000 to 60,000 people which large population!•!Hydraulic Technology!Latrine!•sewer drain!•individual houses have their own bathrooms that collects waste into the drain!◦not seen nowhere else !◦Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro!•pool of 35 x 25 ft!◦water proofed!◦could have been used for public bath, storage, or religious reasons!◦!Trade "may the land Meluhha... large boats" (Enki and Ninhursag)!•"the Meluhhaites, the men of the black... exotic wares." (cures of Agade)!•lots of text from Mesopotamia that describe the ancient Indians trading with them!•trading Carnelian for making jewlery!•there are trade seals!• Indus Valley Script!writing developed as an economic origin for documentation!•writing developed early on to 27th BC!•not decipherred!•guess work and not sure what it is saying!◦400(ish) signs!•early pictographic ideologies just like Mesopotamia and Egypt!•have scripts on top and Indian animals below it!•sense of uniformity of these seals!•!Government and Religion? !Late Harappan Phase!cities begin to be abandoned !•most deserted by 1700 BCE!•loss of script!•ecological theory!•Aryan invasion theory!•!The Ecological Theory flooding, earthquakes, drought and drying up, shifting of Saraswati River!•evidence!•"Aristobulus says that when he was sent upon... since the country was now above the ◦level." !4th century BCE Greek account from Arrian!◦!The Aryan Invasion Theory there was an Aryan invasion!•another group from Indo-European popping up everywhere!•Indo-European Aryans!•Mohenjo-Daro skeletons (35+)!•Vedic Hymn to Indra (Aryan god of war), 12!•"By whom all things here have been made unstable... is Indra" !◦color = caste!◦Dasa = non-Aryans!◦in another hymn Indra destroys the "hundred-walled forts of the Das"!•when did they get there?!◦how much did they conquer!◦ecological problems happened first so the Aryans easily invaded them !•!Arrival of the Indo-European Aryans from migratory pastoralists to sedentary pastoralists!•militaristic, chariot warfare!•frequent infighting, often over control of cattle or other resources!•fought each other a lot which is not united politically speaking!◦no writing initially, but oral transmission left significant imprint on later literary tradition!•!The Vedas ("Knowledge") Rig Veda (1500-1200 BCE)!•devas ("Shining Ones")!•Indra!◦war god!‣assisted them in conquering the valley!‣Agni!◦associated with fire!‣fire was important for their religious rights!‣Aryans did not have temples!‣their religious interest pop up around fire!‣connected directly to sacrifices!‣Dyaus Pitar!◦compare him to Zeus!‣father of heavens!‣ritual (including familial), sacrifice, cosmic order !•calling on ancestors which can also be seen in the Chinese tradition!◦!Vedic Religion and Political, Social Structure social class (varna)!•priests (Brahmins)!◦warriors/chiefs/kings (Kshatriyas)!◦farmers, herders, merchants (Vaisyas) !◦agriculture!‣dependent laboreres (Sudras)!◦excluded in many ways!‣native Indian people that have been conquered !‣"twice-born"!•relates to the top three classes!◦can take part into ceremony from childhood to adulthood!◦taking part of the religious community or ritual !◦"caste" (Jati)!•kinship/occupational group!◦limit people into certain groups!◦incredible lack of social mobility between classes due to political domination and different •people!!Vdi India - Resistance the Civilization Clock? Sedentary Pastoralism, ca. 1500-1000 BCE!•small chiefdoms and tribes!◦they don't travel or migrate not that much!‣no evidence of writing!◦limited archaeological evidence due to lack of large settlements !◦State Formation, ca. 1000-500 BCE!•expansion into Ganges plain!◦development of iron!◦increasing agricultural capability!‣urban centers near rivers!◦Janapada: "kingdom" named !◦!The Later Vedic Tradition - The Upanishads first written probably 7th century BCE!•concepts of Atman!•individualized self!◦Brahman !•universal reality, eternal truth, etc.!◦reincarnation and Karma!•position in next life based upon one's actions in current life!◦!The Sanskrit Epics first written 5th c. BCE-4th c. CE, focused on Kshatriya class!•Ramayana!◦Mahabharata (Bhagaved Gita)!◦Dharma !•appropriate conduct!◦virtue!◦duty in accordance with