Chapter 3- Classical Civilization: India Flashcards
Himalayas
Mountain region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent; site of the Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics
Alexander the Great
Successor of Philip II; successfully conquered Persian Empire prior to his death in 323 B.C.E.; attempted to combine Greek and Persian cultures
Monsoon
Seasonal winds crossing Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; during summer bring rains
Aryans
Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society
Sanskrit
The sacred and classical Indian language
Vedas
Aryan hymns originally transmitted orally but written down in sacred books from the 6th century B.C.E.
Mahabharata
Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries B.C.E.; previously handed down in oral form
Ramayana
One of the great epic tales from classical India; traces adventures of King Rama and his wife, Sita
Upanishads
Later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority
Untouchables
Lowest caste in Indian society; performed tasks that were considered polluting—street sweeping, removal of human waste, and tanning
Indra
Chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior
Chandragupta Maurya
Founder of Maurya dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization
Mauryas
Dynasty established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century B.C.E. following invasion by Alexander the Great
Ashoka
Grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored spread of new religion throughout his empire
Dharma
The caste position and career determined by a person’s birth; Hindu culture required that one’s social position and perform occupation to the best of one’s ability in order to have a better situation in the next life
Kushans
Dynasty that succeeded the Mauryas in northwestern India; sponsors of Buddhism; empire did not extend to Ganges River Valley
Guptas
Dynasty that succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century C.E.; built empire that extended to all but the southern regions of Indian subcontinent; less centralized than Mauryan Empire
Kautilya
Political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in scientific application of warfare
Gurus
Brahmans who served as teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas
Vishnu
The Brahman, later Hindu, God of sacrifice; widely worshipped
Shiva
The Brahman, later Hindu, God of destruction and reproduction; worshipped as the personification of cosmic forces of change
Reincarnation
The successive attachment of the soul to some animate form according to merits earned in previous lives
Buddha
Creator of major Indian and Asian religion; born in 6th century B.C.E. as son of local ruler among Aryan tribes located near Himalayas; became an ascetic; found enlightenment under botree; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for all earthly things
Nirvana
The Buddhist state of enlightenment, a state of tranquility
Kamasutra
Written by Vatsayana during Gupta era; offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and instruction on lovemaking
Stupas
Stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms
