Chap 8.4 Slides Flashcards
What grew during the Gupta empire?
How was the Indian civilization during Gupta empire?
Growth of Trade
- Indian civilization flourished during Gupta empire
- Trade increased, economy better
What linked India to the outside?
What were traded?
- The Silk Roads linked India to other markets
- Indian merchants traded ivory, cashmere, cotton, spices for Chinese silk, Roman ceramics
Where did trade spread?
How did Indian culture diffuse to outside?
- Traded actively by sea
- Indian sailors reached foreign markets across
- Played key role in cultural diffusion of Indian culture
What was used in daily life in India?
What was life like in India?
- Use of money became more common; new group of bankers, moneylenders emerged
- Luxury, pleasure for urban rich; enjoyed music, poetry, art
What was life like for the Gupta people?
How did villages get together?
- Most Gupta people led simple lives in small villages
- farmers
- Most villages self-sufficient, but trade between villages occurred
- People from different villages got together for religious festivals, other events
What was social structure like?
What did most people belong to?
Why was this important?
- Most people in ancient India belonged to specific caste
- Castes determined jobs, interaction with others
What was the role of legal codes?
•Legal codes also defined people’s roles an proper behavior
What was the gender role in India?
- Men had more rights than women
- Patriarchal society (men in charge) similar to China
What was the laws of MANU?
- Female child subject to father, female youth to husband
- Men expected to treat women with respect
- Abused women could leave
Social structure was a pyramid at this time.
What were the 4 groups from top to bottom?
1) BHRAMIN - priests and academics
2) KSHATRYIA- warriors, kings
3) VAISHYA - merchants, landowners
4) SUDRA - commoners, peasants, servants
What group was at the very bottom of the social structure?
UNTOUCHABLES
Outcase-Out of Caste, street sweepers, latrine cleaners
Why was the Gupta period a golden age?
The Gupta period was a golden age of cultural and scientific achievements
What was achievement in literature?
Sanskrit Literature
•Many great works created during Gupta period
Who was Kalidasa?
What did he create?
•One of greatest writers, Kalidasa
–Poet, playwright
–Wrote plays for royal court
–Sakuntala, most famous
–Play combines myth, humor, poetry
Another popular literature was _________
What was the teaching?
Panchatantra
- Another popular work of period
- Five Books, collection of stories meant to teach lessons
- Warning to think before acting
What was art and architecture related to?
What was built across India?
- Much of art, architecture of Gupta period religious
- Magnificent Hindu, Buddhist temples built across India
- Hindu temples: huge towers, carvings
What were Buddhist temples like?
Why were they built?
Buddhist temples
- Included stupas, temples with domed roofs
- Built to house sacred items
- Like Hindu temples, covered with detailed carvings
How were the temples formed?
- Temples, monuments carved out of rock and cliff faces
- Most famous, cave temples at Ajanta and Ellora
What were paintings like?
Where were the finest paintings found?
- Paintings of the time often portray beautiful, graceful Indians wearing fine jewelry, stylish clothing
- Many of finest paintings found in Buddhist and Hindu temples
How were temples decorated inside?
What was often depicted in these paintings?
- Hindu artists decorated walls, entrances with devas, religious images
- Buddhists covered walls, ceilings with scenes from life of Buddha
- Some of finest examples of Buddhist art found in Ajanta cave temples
What were the statues in temples?
- Made for temples
- Buddhist temples, statues of Buddha
- Hindu temples, statues of Siva, Vishnu, other devas
Indians pioneer science of working with __________
What was Indian iron valued for?
A famous metalwork was the _________, near Delhi
Metallurgy
- Ancient Indians pioneers of science of working with metals
- Indian iron valued for hardness, purity
- Gupta metalworkers built famous Iron Pillar, near Delhi
- Iron Pillar is resistant to rust
- Still being studied by scholars today
What was ancient Indians’ achievements in mathematics?
What math did it develop?
Mathematics
- Gupta scholars most advanced mathematicians
- Developed modern math system
- Symbol of zero
- Hindu-Arabic numerals; created by Indians, brought to Europe by Arabs
What were achievements in medical science?
Medical Science
- Made medicines from plants
- Knew how to inject small amounts of viruses to protect against disease
- Could perform surgery, repair broken bones, treat wounds
What was achievement in astronomy?
- Indians identified seven planets in solar system
- Could predict eclipses of sun, moon
What did Aryabhata, a famous Indian astronomer, accomplish?
•Aryabhata, one of most famous Indian astronomers
–Correctly argued that Earth rotates on axis, revolves around sun
–Knew Earth was sphere, calculated circumference with remarkable accuracy
