India and Southeast Asia, 1500 B.C.E.-600 C.E.

Ashley Thompson AP World History Ms Thurgood,1-3 Chapter 6: India and Southeast Asia, 1500 B. C. E. -600 C. E. P: *Around 1000 B. C. E the people were divided into kinship groups while the kings ruled over the tribes. Later under the Kings were military and civil officials, which dealt with records, income of the government and custom duties. During the Gupta empire there was a rather decentralized administration unlike the Mauryan Empire. *Brahmans and warriors were at the highest point in the Hierarchy and there were structural laws based on the caste system. Rulers in Southeast Asia used their Indian knowledge and personnel to increase their power. E: *Heavy taxes were imposed on common people during the Gupta Empire. India traded extensively with South East and East Asia. *One’s economic status in India could be compared to that of a capitalist society. This is because of the belief in reincarnation, and that whoever you were in your last life determined who you were in your next life. These reincarnations were placed into a caste and whichever caste you were placed in depicted your social and economic status.
Who you were and what you did depicted your well being. * The Funan (SE Asia) society was able to take control over the trade route between India and China by extending control over most of Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. R: *There was a spread and development of belief systems such as Vedism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. *There were many religious texts such as: Mahabharata- The vast epic of the events leading up to a battle between kinship groups in early India.
Bhagavad-Gita: A dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna about the fate of the spirit. Vedas: Religious texts communicated orally by Brahmin priests that were eventually written down and are the main source of about the Vedic period. *Buddha played a major role in the spread of Buddhism, as he was the founder. S: *Class and Caste: The varna/jati was the main categories of social identity. The Varna contained the 4 major social divisions: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.

Underneath these were the Untouchables who were excluded from the class system. The jati were the regional groups of people who had common occupancy who generally interacted with the people from their group. *In terms with the patriarchal society women had little rights. In the Gupta Empire moreso women lost their rights to own and inherit property, and were banned from studying sacred texts and participate in sacrificial rituals. They also were married at a very early age. Some women escaped male control by joining Jainist and Buddhist communities. COT: Although women were never viewed as on the same level socially as men, their rights declined dramatically between 320 C. E. -550 C. E. I: *ca. 1500 B. C. E. there was a migration of Indo-European people into northwest India. There were interactions between Asia and India through trade. * In SE Asia Indian culture was received, what was useful to them was extracted and put into beliefs and values. A: Many statues, sculptures, and temples were built to honor Hindu deities and also to honor Buddha. important points: *ca. 500 B. C. E. – Siddhartha Gautama founds Buddhism; Mahavira founds Jainism. This is important because this was the beginning of two very important and influential religions of this time. *ca. 1500 B. C. E. – Migration of Indo-European people into northwest India. This was important because these people brought in outside influences, and they also started the prejudice of the Dasas by the Aryans, which led to the caste system. *550 C. E. – Collapse of the Gupta Empire.
This was important because this was the end of an empire of poor economy and low status of women. Vocabulary *moksha: The Hindu concept of the spirit’s “liberation” from the endless cycle of rebirths. * “ Great Vehicles” branch of Buddhism that focuses on reverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightened people who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. *Theravada Buddhism: “Way of the elders” branch of Buddhism that downplays the importance of the gods and emphasizes the individual’s search for enlightenment. Tamil Kingdoms: The kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian languages, which developed in partial isolation, that produced epics, poetry, and performance arts. *Funan: An early complex society in Southeast Asia between the 1st and 6th centuries C. E. It was centered in the rice-growing region of southern Vietnam. Comparative thesis: Although both India and Southeast Asia between 1500 B. C. E-300C. E. had apparent religion, India had a more structured system, while in Asia there was a more open influence on religion.