Topic 1- Ancient India and China (2600 B.C.- A.D. 550) Flashcards
Who were Mystics?
People who seek direct communion with the divine.
What is the notion of Brahman?
A single spiritual power that existed beyond the many gods of the Vedas and that resided in all things.
What did Brahmins offer as sacrifices to the gods?
Food and drink.
The Aryans honors animal deities, such as monkey and snake gods. True or False?
True.
Was was Indra’s, the god of war, weapon?
The thunderbolt, which he used not only to destroy demons but also to announce the arrival of rain, so vital to Indian life.
Who was the chief Aryan deity?
Fierce Indra, the god of war.
Who did Aryans worship?
Gods and goddesses who embodied natural forces such as sky, sun, storm and fire. They viewed these gods and goddesses as manifestations of a single, divine, absolute.
What is the Rig Veda?
Describes how the universe was created by a divine Universal Being referred to as Purusha.
Ancient Indian society was seen as needing four classes of people to function properly. What were each of these classes called?
Varnas, which were based on a person’s ability and interest. The classifications were:
- Brahmins, those who learn;
- Kshatriyas, those who accumulate power;
- Vaisyas, those who produce goods; and
- Sudras, those who serve.
What did Rajahs do?
Considered advice of a council of elders made up of the heads of families. Rajahs also fought one another to control trade and territory across the northern plain.
What was a rajah?
Aryan tribe chiefs. They were often the most skilled war leader, elected to their position by an assembly of warriors.
Aryan people had a tribal political system that later formed the basis for the small independent kingdoms that formed in northwestern India. What were the chiefs that led Aryan tribes called?
Rajahs.
Aryans measured their wealth in cows and bulls. True or False?
True.
Since the Aryans in India didn’t build any cities or leave behind any statues or stone seals, where do most of what we know about them from?
The Vedas, a collection of hymns, chants, ritual instructions and other religious teachings.
The groups that formed in the new civilization after the Indus civilization were known as the __________civilization in South Asia.
Vedic civilization
What does acculturation mean?
The blending of two or more cultures.
What did people from the new civilization after the Indus civilization call themselves?
Aryans (noble ones).
During the centuries between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. a new civilization formed. A number of the groups in this era spoke which languages?
Indo-European languages.
What does veneration mean?
Special regard.
The Indus people did not think animals, such as buffalo and the bull were sacred. True or False.
False :)
What may have inspired the people of the Indus Valley to develop their own writing system?
Contact with Sumer.
What types of goods did ships carry?
Cotton cloth, grain, copper, pearls, and ivory combs.
The Indus Valley people may have been the first people to cultivate cotton and weave its fibers into cloth. True or False?
True.
Which crops did the Indus Valley people grow?
Wheat, barley, melons and dates.
