History of Ancient India 2300 BC - AD 500

The civilization developed along the Indus and Sarasvati Rivers was called the "Harappan Civilization", the name comes from the modern city of "Harappa", Pakistan. Archaeologists suggested that the estimated timeline was between 2300 and 1700 BC.

The Harappan Civilization's settlements were scattered over a huge area on both sides of the rivers. Between these rivers lied large settlements, the two cities of "Harappa" and "Mohenjo Daro".

India's First Civilization

Harappan Civilization was dependent on agriculture, they used irrigation canals to bring water from the Indus and other rivers to their fields.

India's First Civilization

Although the Harappan Civilization was centered on the Indus, its influence reached far beyond that area. Evidence found that Harappans had contact with people in Southern India and Mesopotamia.

Contact with Other Cultures

Most of these contacts were in form of trade. The Harappans traded to obtain raw materials to make products such as pottery, stamps and seals, and statuses.

Contact with Other Cultures

Writing System

The ancient Harappans developed India's first writing system. However, scholars could not learn or read this language, even the samples found for this language were few words long which made it even harder to translate. Other clues was relied on to study the Harappan Society.

Writing System

Most of what is learned came from studying the 2 cities of "Harappa" and "Mohenjo Daro", where both cities similar and lied in the Indus, however, were more than 300 miles apart .

City Planning

Both cities were well-planned. By examining the ruins, the Harappans were careful planners and skilled engineers. Using their engineering skills, the Harappans built towering fortress to guard against invasions, brick streets, lined with storehouses, workshops, market stalls and houses, extensive sewer systems to keep their streets from flooding, also installed plumbing in many buildings .

City Planning

Many artifacts found, shows that Harappans were skilled artisans, for example, sturdy pottery, vessels, jewelry, and ivory objects. Some of these ancient artifacts helped historians learn more about the Harappan Society.

Artistic Achievements

Harappan Civilization ended by 1700 BC, although the reason remains unknown.

Artistic Achievements

Archaeologistsbelieve that Aryans first arrived in India in 2000s BC. Crossing into India through mountain passes in the Northwest.

They spread East and South into Central India, then moving farther East into Ganges River Valley.

Arrival

and Spread

What is known about Aryan Society comes from religious writings known as the "Vedas". These are collections of poems, hymns, myths, and rituals that were written by Aryan Priests.

Arrival and Spread

Aryans as nomads, took their herds of animals as they moved, they settled in villages and farmed. They did not however have big cities like the Harappans.

Government and

Society

Aryans political system was different than the Harrapans, as they lived in small communities based on family ties and each group had its own leader usually a skilled warrior.

Aryan villages were governed by "Rajas", a leader who ruled the village and the land around it. Although Rajas were related yet they didn't get along. when fighting common enemy they combined forces but fought each other most of the times as they fought outsiders.

Government and Society

Aryan settlers at first did not read or write, they had to memorize the "Vedas" which was important to their culture, if forgotten all the works would be lost forever.

Language

The language used to compose the "Vedas" was "Sanskrit", the most important language of ancient India. At first it was only a spoken language. However, later it was written to keep records, which are major source of information about the Aryan Society.

Language

Based on the "Vedas", there were 4 main Varnas, or social divisions in an Aryan Society.

The Varnas

• Brahmins, or priests,
• Kshatriyas, or rulers and warriors,
• Vaisyas, or farmers, craftspeople, and traders,
• Surdas, or laborers, workers, servants, and non Aryans.

The “Brahmins” were the highest ranking because they performed rituals for the gods and also great influence over the other “Varnas”

The Varnas

Caste System

Rules between Varnas got stricter which then made the Aryan social order more complex. this results in dividing into "Caste" or groups based on birth, wealth, or occupation

Person's Caste

A caste determined a person's place in society.

Overtime, person's caste gain or lost upon wealth or power, which means changing caste.

The Caste System

The Untouchables

People in the last class, "Sudras", suffered. By the time a fifth class was developed "The Untouchables", these were outcasted and did not belong to the social caste. They were seen unclean and worked unpleasant jobs.

The Caste System

Rules - Aryans developed "Sutras", or guides, listing rules for the Caste System.

- People could not marry someone from different class.

- Its forbidden for people from one class to eat with people from another.

Caste Rules

Procedures - People who broke the Castes rules faced certain procedures.

-People banned from their homes and their castes, which makes them "Untouchables".

Because of such rules people spent time with other from their same class. The Caste System brought stability to the “Hindu Society” and sense of belonging.

Caste Rules

The Vedas

The Vedas

Aryan religion was based on the “Vedas”. Veda means “knowledge” in Sanskrit. There are 4 Vedas, each containing sacred hymns and poems. The Rigveda was the oldest of the Vedas. It includes hymns of praise to many gods.

The Vedas

Aryan Brahmins wrote down their thoughts about the Vedas. Later, these thoughts were made into a collection called "Vedic Texts".

First collection, describes Aryan religious rituals. Such as, how to perform sacrifices. Priests prepared animals, food, or drinks, to be sacrificed in fire. Believing that fire would carry the offerings to the gods.

Later Vedic Texts

Second collection, describes secret rituals that only certain people could perform. The rituals were strictly secretive that they had to be performed in the forest far away by specific people only.

Third and final collection, are called "Upanishads".These writings are reflections on the Vedas by religious students and teachers.

Later Vedic Texts

Hindu Beliefs

The Hindus believe in many gods. Three major gods:

• Brahma the Creator,
• Siva the Destroyer,
• Vishnu the Preserver

Hindus believe that each god is part of a single universal spirit called Brahman, and that Brahman created the world and preserves it, and everything else in the world is a part of him.

Hindu Beliefs

Process of Reincarnation

Upansishads taught people to try seeing trhough the illusions, and since it is hard it may take several lifetimes.

Hindus believe that souls are born and reborn many times, this process of rebirth is called reincarnation.

Life

and

Rebirth

Hindu Teachings

Everyone has a soul or atman. This soul hold's the person's personality. Hindus believe that the ultimate goal to reunite that soul with Brahman.

Joining Brahman

Hindus believe that their souls will eventually join because we live in illusion, and Brahman is the only reality.

Life and Rebirth

According to the Hindu views of reincarnation, a person dies to be reborn in a new physical form. The form then depends on a person's deed or Karma. This is the effect of good or bad actions a person's soul have.

Therefore, a person with bad karma will be reborn in a lower caste or as an animal/plant. Where as, a person with good karma is born in a higher caste in their next lives to gain freedom or salvation. This salvation called Moksha.

Hinduism and the Caste System

Hinduism taught that each person had a duty in this world and have to accept it without complaint. This is called obeying one's Dharma. People can build good karma through fulfilling their duty at their caste. Through reincarnation, a person is offered reward, even the untouchables could be born into higher caste.

Hinduism and the Caste System

Early Hinduism taught that both men and women could gain salvation. However, Hinduism considered women to be inferior to men meaning they were not allowed to study the Vedas.

Over the centuries, Hindu women have gained more rights. This change has been the results of efforts by influential Hindu leaders like Mohandas Gandhi, who led the movement for the Indian Independence. As a result many of the restrictions once placed on Hindu women have been lifted.

Hinduism and Women

Early Hindu temples were small stone structured, with flat roofs, contaning only one or two rooms.

However, in Gupta Period, temple architecture became more complex, they were topped by huge towers and were covered with carvings of the god worshiped inside.

Buddhist temples of Gupta period were also impressive, were the temples entirely carved out of mountainsides. The most famous temples are at Ajanta and Ellora. These caves were filled with beautiful sculptures and paintings.

Another type of Buddhist temples were Stupa, having domed roofs and were built to house sacred items from the life of Buddha, and many of them were covered in carvings.

Temples

Gupta period also saw countless of works of art, both paintings and statues. Painting was a greatly respected profession, as India was a home for many skilled artists.

Although, the name of the painters remain unknown, is that the names of rich and powerful members of the Gupta society, who paid for the artist creation is much recognised.

Most of the paintings in Gupta period are clear and colorful. Some of the paintings contained detials such as, graceful Indians wearing fine jewerly and stylish clothes. Such details offered us a glimpse of a glimpse of Indians' daily and ceremonial lives.

Artists from both religion's, Hinduism and Buddhism, drew their beliefs, resulting fine paintings found in Indian temples, walls, entrances, and ceilings.

Indian sculptors, created great works. Most of their stautes were made for Buddhist cave temples, and carving columns, statues of kings, tower enterance and over cave enterance. Hindu temples also featured, statues for the gods, and carved walls.

Paintings and Sculpture

Paintings and Sculptures

Religion Epics

The 2 greatest Sansikrit writings are religious epics, the "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana".

Still popular, the Mahabharata is one of the longest literary work ever written. It's a story about a struggles between two families for control over a kingdom. It includes as well Hindu beliefs.

The most famous is called Bhagavad.

The Ramayana, another great epic, about a prince called Rama. In the tale, Rama was the god Vishnu but in human form. He had to rescue his wife, a princess named Sita.

For years, characters from Ramayana were taken as role models for behavior. For example, Rama is seen as the ideal ruler and his relationship with sita as ideal marriage.

Religious Epics

&

Other Works

Other Works

Writers in the Gupta period also created plays, poetry, and other types of literature.

One famous writer of this time was Kalidasa. His work was brilliant, he was hired by Candra Gupta II to write him plays for the royal court.

Before the 500s, Indian writers also produced a book of stories called the "Panchatantra". The stories in this collection were intended to teach lessons. Each story ended with a moral out of it. These collections were translated and became famous throughout the world.

Religious Epics & Other Works

Ancient Indians were pioneers of metallurgy, the science of working with metals. Their knowledge helped them creating high-quality tools and weapons.

The Indians also knew processes for mixing metals to create alloys, mixtures of two or more metals, which makes it easier to work with than the pure metals.

Metal workers made their strongest products out of Indian iron, which was pure and hard. Such features made the iron a valuable trade items.

During the Gupta Dynasty, metal workers built the famous Iron Pillar near Delhi, which is rust resistent unlike most iron that rust easily. The tall column still attracts crowds of visitors, and scholars study the column till today to learn about the Indian secrets.

Metalworking

Mathematics

Gupta scholars were among the most skilled mathematicians of their day. They developed many of the elements of our modern math system. Hindu-Arabic numerals were the numbers we use today , because they were created by Indian scholars and brought to Europe by Arabs.

The Indians were also the first people to create the Zero. Although it may seem like a small thing, modern math wouldn't be possible without the zero.

Science

The Ancient Indians were also very skilled in the medical sciences. Early AD 100, doctors were writing their knowledge in down the textbooks. among such skills these books described how to make medicines from plants and minerals.

Doctors also knew how to protect themselves from diseases. They used inoculation, the practice of injecting a person with a small dose of a virus to help him or her build defense to disease. By fighting off this small dose, the body learns to protect itself.

For injured people, Indian doctors could perform surgery. Surgeons repaired broken bones, treated wounds, removed infected tonsils, reconstructed broken noses, and even reattach torn earlobes!

If they did not find cure for an illness, doctors would cast magic spells to help people recover.

Mathematics

and

Other

Sciences

Astronomy

Indian interest in astronomy, the study of stars and planets, made them acknoledge the fact of seven planets of the solar system. They also knew that the sun was a star and that the planets revolved around it.

They also knew that earth is sphere and that it spun around its axis. In addition, they could predict eclipses of the sun and the moon.

Mathematics and Other Sciences