HIST-UA 651 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Indus Valley Civilisation, Maurya Empire, Dharma
2 Sep 2016
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Define: subcontinent, monsoon, caste system, upanishads: subcontinent: a large landmass that juts out from a continent, monsoon: seasonal winds which poured rain over the indian ocean. These rains shaped indian life and farming: caste system (jahi): a system of varnas (social category a person is put in), which was extremely rigid. Brahman: top of the pyramid; they were the priests. Places/names to know (know where the place is on a map, its importance, the person"s importance, etc): planned cities, mohenjo-daro, harrapa, aryans, siddartha gautama, Mohenjo-daro and harappa major cities of the indus river valley. Excellent public works (plumbing, walls, public squares, etc) Worshiped gods and goddesses that embodied natural forces such as sky and sun, storm and fire. Brahmins offered sacrifices of food and drink to the gods (through correct rituals and prayers, they believed they could call on the gods. As aryans changed, so did their beliefs. Some religious thinkers were moving toward the notion of a singular.
