Ancient and Medieval Civilizations Final Terms Study Sheet Sanskrit Indo Aryan language primary holy language of Hinduism and literary scholarly languages of Buddhism and Jainism Developed from Vedic Sanskrit When 1200 600 B C When 2500 2000 B C Mohenjo Daro cities in southern Pakistan and Harappa 400 miles to the north were huge for the period some about 3 miles in circumference With populations estimated at 35000 40000 Elaborate well planned cities known for the advanced sanitation system of drains Rita physical order of the universe sacrifice and the moral law of the world Hinduism Karma the result of one s actions cause and effect ex do good get good do wrong get bad Hinduism Jainism Buddhism Three pillars of Indian society Village Caste system and joint family Ancient villages were made up of joint families governed by a headman and a council of elders The caste system was a system of four classes Kshatriyas nobles Vaishyas commoners Brahmins priests and Shudras workers or serfs Movement in rank in the caste system was impossible if a person was born in to a particular class he she stayed there There were also the Untouchables who were outcasts of the Caste system Brahma Vishnu Shiva the three main male deities of Hinduism Brahma the creator Shiva the cosmic dancer who both creates and destroys and Vishnu the preserver and sustainer of creation Brahmins priests at the top of the Caste System required to memorize every syllable and tone of the Vedas so the rituals pleased the gods Conducted traditional ceremonies and also created new ones They acted as agents of Agni the god of Fire to purify land for crops and as doctors because they knew spells and formulas that were effective against disease and calamities Ashoka a king during the Mauryan Dynasty that actively promoted Buddhism both in his realm and outside of it Where India and surrounding area When 272 232 B C Oracle bones pieces of shells or bone ox or turtle used in pyromancy mainly as a form of divination in Ancient China Diviners inscribed questions into the bones and applied intense heat and then the thermal cracks were interpreted Plebeians the common people of Rome who had a voice in politics but had few of the social and political advantages the patricians had they could not marry into patrician families or hold Patricians aristocrats wealthy landowners who dominated the affairs of the state providing leadership in time of war monopolized knowledge of law and legal procedure Where Rome When Roman Republic 509 27 B C Shang dynasty or Yin Dynasty ruled Yellow River valley capital Anyang Bronze metalworking chariots leaders were military chieftains Followed by the Zhou Dynasty Where Yellow River Valley China Mandate of Heaven the theory that Heaven gives the king a mandate to rule only as long as he When 1600 1046 B C rules in the interest of the people Where China When Zhou Dynasty 1050 440 B C Period of Warring States the period of Chinese history between 403 and 221 B C when the states fought each other and one state after another was destroyed With new weaponry and war tactics each state fought until the state of Qin chin remained Where China When 403 221 B C teachings Buddha Siddhartha Gautama founder of Buddhism has two branches Theravada School of the Elders Mahayana the Great Vehicle Four Noble Truths are central to Buddhist 1 The truth of dukkha suffering anxiety unsatisfactoriness 2 The truth of the origin of dukkha 3 The truth of the cessation of dukkha 4 The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha Following 4 is the Noble Eightfold Path which is a set of eight connected factors or conditions that lead to cessation of dukkha Right View or Right Understanding Right Intention or Right Thought Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration When Around 6th 4th century B C Hinduism the principal religion of the Indian subcontinent principally of India and Nepal It includes Shaivism Vaishnavism and Smartism among many other traditions and an extensive spectrum of laws and prescriptions of daily morality based on karma dharma and societal norms Hinduism is a categorization of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view rather than a stiff common set of beliefs Where India Analects selected sayings Confucianism K ung fu tzu Master K ung the Sage 551 479 B C rational humanism Daoism Lao tzu old master wu wei non action Course of nature natural motion of the universe all human institutions and human opinions are outside things not right Go with the flow Mencius a follower of Confucius tried to convert various rulers to view that the ruler able to win over the people through benevolent govt will succeed and unifying all under Heaven proposed political and financial measures to ease tax burdens Human nature is fundamentally good as everyone is born with the capacity to recognize what is right and act on it When 370 300 B C Legalism Chinese political philosophy based on the idea that a highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social order it was a utilitarian political philosophy that did not address higher questions like the purpose and nature of life Tribune title shared by the elected officials in the Roman Republic had power to convene the Plebian council and act as president thus allowing them to propose legislation Hannibal a general for Carthage who marched an army of tens of thousands of soldiers and more notably dozens of war elephants from Spain to what is now France and over the Alps into Italy beginning the Second Punic War 218 201 B C He won three major victories especially the strike at Cannae in Southeast Italy 216 B C But with poorly supplied troops Rome fought back and caused him to be recalled to Carthage when Scipio Africanus attacked Carthage directly In 202 B C he was defeated near Zama Where Western Mediterranean When 218 201 B C Spartacus a Thracian gladiator who was one of the main slave leaders in the Third Serville War which was a major uprising against the Roman Republic He and others escaped a gladiator school near Capua in 73 B C from there they freed more slaves and recruited them into their ranks He was defeated in 71 B C at the present territory of Senerchia When 109 71 B C Gracchan reforms Tiberius Gracchus 163 133 B C an aristocrat elected tribune proposed dividing land among the poor He was murdered by a group of wealthy senators His brother Gaius Gracchus 153 121 B C passed a law giving the
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