Indus Valley Civilization & Indian Empire
vedic age is characterized as the
Indus Valley Civilization rose to prominence at around 2500
BC -1800 BC. Geography – nomadic traders. Indus civ
prospered around Indus River located Indian subcontinent,
particularly in the North and Northwest India (Pakistan). The
inhabitants of the indus river are called the DRAVIDIANS –
shorter people, dark skin stone. Indus Valley has different
city states: well documented: Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa –
are carefully planned cities, has streets, has urban planning,
buildings and structures (public baths, citadels – storage of
grain), has sewage system. the economy within the city
states, revolves around HORTICULTURE & AGRICULTURE
(irrigation), ANIMAL DOMESTIFICATION. because of these
activities- trade is present in Persia, Arabian peninsula,
Mesopotamia (sumer), as far as Egypt. also has barter not
only trade. decline: 1900 BC start of decline because of
climate change, river got dried up (saraswati river) – weaken
trade with Mesopotamia and eqypt. (1800BC)
It would take 300 years to rehabilitate indus civilization next
phase is the Aryan Migration. Aryans are foreigners who
started to migrate to the indus valley at around 1500 BC.
Aryans came from the central asia in the steppe region. they
are taller and have lighter skin tone. they are nomadic cattle-
herders. the reason for migration is the because of rich
resources of indus valley. Effects of their migration include
bringing new language: Indo-European language which will
evolve into Sanskrit (classical language of India), brought a
three-tiered society composed of warrior nobles, priests,
commoners which will eventually develop into the caste
system, brought/developed a new culture called the vedic
(religious) culture which will result in the vedic age.
the vedic age spanned from 1500 BC - 500BC
the vedas is the religious literature which contains record of
1000 years of habitation of Aryans in North and Northwest
india (Indus valley area).
age of religion. the early religious practices at the time are
dominated by oral tradition of hymns and chants and other
related rituals led by priests that will be passed to upper class
and the next generation. they also practice animism, worship
Indra (God of sky/thunder). the society during the vedic age
according to the Aryans, humans and gods are part of the
religious order (important knowledge that they passed on to
future generations). the society is from the sacrifice and
disembodiment of a giant, purusa whose mouth represent
the the speecher society (brahmans, whose arms represent
the strength of the society (warrior nobles (Kshatriya/s),
whose legs represent the supporter of the society
(commoners/merchants: vaisya/s) and whose feet represent
the non-aryans or the sudra. these will eventually developed
into the caste system. each class has a duty in life called the
dharma that instituted the universal order to bring peace
and order in the society. this culture is grounded on religion
and is dependent on the priests therefore the brahmanical
class are the superior class despite having kings and queens,
are religious authorities who head rituals such as the
consecration of kings and also religious initiation “Twice
born” status and a very unique ritual is the horse sacrifice in
which every year they would let go of stallions to let them
run wherever, and wherever the stallions ultimately will be
will be a place for territorial expansion
Indian Empires
indus valley civilization and the vedic age will develop into a
more complex political system, empires. there are three
major empires. from the vedic age it will develop into
kingdoms and then to empires. first empire is the mauryan
empire in the 321 BC – 232 BC, 100+ years, that rise in the
northeast India. the founder of the empire is Chandragupta
Maurya, who took over the northeast india. there was a
foreign invader before in northeast india and it was
alexander the great and Chandragupta will take over after
his death. the rise of the mauryan empire will also extend to
Pakistan and Afghanistan. achievements of Chandragupta
will include centralized government divided into different
districts and provinces and also develop complex cities. the
greatest and the last of the emperors of the mauryan
dynasty is chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka. Asoka
introduced the empire to the golden age through religious
toleration (Brahmanism), prioritized diplomacy over warfare
or military conquests and the golden age saw a territorial
expansion which strengthen the empire even further.
how did the mauryans see kingship?
they see kingship as sacred and that kings are identified with
a deity, kings are made up of different particles of deity and
are not human/mortal. chakravartin means ruler of the
universe pertains to kings of the mauryan empire.
the fall of the empire was due to the weak successors of
Asoka who are unsuccessful in leading the empire which
then resulted to political fragmentation and the empire
splitting into independent kingdoms. another reason for the
fall of the mauryan empire was due to the central Asian
tribes invasion and because of the weak leader, these
invaders took advantage of the empire.
the next empire is the gupta empire (320 AD- 500 AD) which
was founded by Chandra Gupta who united the entire north
india and engaged in inter-marriages. the capital of the
gupta empire was pataliputra. one of the achievements of
the gupta empire is their cultural golden age that supported
arts and sciences and established libraries. the gupta empire
also supported Sanskrit poets and writers and also put
emphasis on the religion, Hinduism, very Hindu way of life.
Hinduism has sub-religions such as Bhagavatas
(bhavagan=the lord) and they worship Krishna
(reincarnation of Vishnu). King was identified with Vishnu.
the fall of the gupta empire was due to the same reason as
the downfall of mauryan empire which was the
fragmentation of independent kingdoms, because of the
invasion of central Asian tribes and because of the present
of a weak leader.
the next major empire to be developed is the Mughal empire
in 1526-1857. Mughal followed or adapted a foreign religion,
Islam. It is an Islamic religion. the rise of the Mughal empire.
the north west india was initially a rajput territory invaded by
muslims in 1206, establishing their own sultanate (Delhi).
however, this is an interlude, the invasion of Islam would not
lead to the establishment of the Mughal empire but they
would be replaced by the mongols in 1526 under
babur/baber (muslims) who would establish the mughal
dynasty/empire (also Islam but more political rather than
religious). one of the more iconic emperor was Akbar the
great. His policies were the same as Asoka’s as he imposed
religious toleration for both Hindus and Muslims. He
supported the arts and sciences and its development which
led to the rise of the mogul art/architecture. all of his policies
were successful in expanding territories. some of his
successors like Jahangir and shah jahan preserved the same
policies as akbar. sha jahan became very known for the
creation of taj mahal in agra. Aurangzeb, sha jahan’s son,
would revise the policies of his predecessors, to preserve the
empire to prevent the fall of the empire, he would be
tolerant of the different religions and would prioritize
muslims. He would tax non-muslims for warfare and
withdrew support for arts and sciences to fund wars. the start
of the fall of the mugal empire started 1707 after aurangzeb’s
death, his successors were unsuccessful in containing
uprisings that caused political turmoil which involved
independent kingdoms. by this time, 17th century. the british
were already in india, establishing the british east india
company. british people were funding both the Mughal
empire and also the rebels of the Mughal empire for warfare.
british by 1800 onwards have control over the Mughal
economically and politically. by 1857, the british took over
the leadership of the Mughal empire and so they establish
the british raj in 1858. by 1876 Queen Victoria will be
crowned as empress.
South Asia – Hindu Religions – Traditions & Beliefs
Mauryans were largely hindu, Asoka was not a hindu but still
imposed the policy of religious tolerance.
Brahmanism (Hinduism) was the superior religion because
during the vedic age, it was the upper class were priests. the
origin of the caste system was the sacrifice of purusa. caste
system refers the social classes/ladder of people in the
society. it is very restrictive. an important idea in the caste
system is asrama or the stages of life in order. 1 stage is
st
being a student of the vedas, 2 nd
stage is getting married,
3rd stage is becoming a hermit (devotion to religion), 4th
stage is becoming a world renouncer. however, this is not
strictly followed. the second belief in Brahmanism is the
dharma which is the law, duty, virtue and obligation to one’s
caste. it maintains the status quo in the society and also
maintains the social order. failure to do the dharma is
considered a sin. dharma also refers to obligation to asrama.
in Brahmanism, they also believe in karma which refers to
action, deed or work. they believe that good actions reap
good results and vice versa. in Brahmanism, they also believe
in samsara or reincarnation which is the direct resultant of
one’s karma. the brahmanical class will unite with the world
spirit if they accumulate good karma. ahimsa is associated
with samsara. before one can move to another caste system,
one has to die first but it will depend on how one performs
and the accumulation of good karma.
aspects of varna/castle
there are extreme beliefs called the purusarthas/aspects in
life. it is represented by the symbol of swastika which means
“all is well” or “good life”. the first one is dharma (duty in life),
and then artha (material gains and possessions), followed by
kama (pleasure) and then as one progress and gets older
then one gets fulfilled/enlighted/liberated (moksha) from
one’s social class.
in Brahmanism, they also have guide books. one guide book
is the dharmasasthra, the laws of manu (1st mythical king of
india)) which is an extension of vedas that helps Hindus to
fulfill dharma. this book also talks about hindu cosmogony.
they believe that the universe is created and destroyed every
4.1 to 8.2 billion years. It is represented by brahma’s day and
night. the timeline of the universe within 4.1 to 8.2 billion
years is represented by the dharma bull. each leg of the
dharma bull represents a specific period in the universe.
these periods are collectively called yugas. as the bull loses
a leg, it symbolizes depletion of the universe and the decline
of morality. when the bull loses all of its 4 legs then it signals
the end of the universe. these 4 yugas are namely satya yuga
which is the period of truth, treta yuga wherein Vishnu will
send 3 avatars, dvaparayuga, 3rd out of four yugas, Vishnu
will send only 1 avatar (Krishna), this period is known as the
period of compassion and then the last period is known as
the kali yuga wherein vishnu will send 2 avatars, Buddha and
kali (destroyer of the universe).
another guide book is called the arthasasthra by kautilya
which talks about states craft and the formation of a political
career, it is career oriented. another guide book is kama (god
of desire) sutra, by vatsyayana, and this talks about the ways
to achieve quickest pleasure in life through physical means.
a very specific book for a guide to moksha is the vedas which
translates to “knowledge”. It is the religious revealed text or
text of divine authorship. within the vedas is the Upanishad/s
or the Vedanta/ end of the vedas. It explains the meaning c. gave birth to another God
and the value of rituals and sacrifices in the religion. i. fiery heat god: kagu-tsuchi
d. decided to hide in the underworld (Yomi)
East Asia – Japan because of her deformed figure
e. Izanagi found Izanami but she ordered
History and cultural practices not to look at her face but didn’t obey
f. anger and embarrassment led her to
Shintoism order the creatures to kill her husband
- main religion 2. Izanagi (father sky)
- polytheistic a. bring order to the chaotic order
o 800 KAMIS, 200 worshipped in temples b. escaped from the attack in yomi
- macki-no-kami means above/superior, god/gods c. decided to take a bath
- animistic d. several sub-gods emerge from his body
- comes from the Chinese word: Shen Dao: “way of the parts
gods” i. left eye – amterasu (sun goddess)
ii. right eye – tsuki-yomi (moon god)
history of japan in east asia is split into 4 periods: iii. nostrils – susano-wo (storm god)
1. Ancient Japan/Yamato period e. Amaterasu
a. marks the predominance of the yamato clan i. give light and heat to the world
b. attributed to the mythical figure jinmu tenno (c. ii. found that the Japanese islands are in
600 BC) who is a human and divine ruler chaos and ruled by the son of susano-
i. 1st Japanese emperor wo
ii. descendent of amaterasu (sun goddess) iii. got angry and hid from everything
c. creation myth under a cave
i. world started as a figureless mass iv. no sun, no light and heat
ii. there was a place where gods reside v. many years, the world was in total
“takamagahara” (high plain of heaven) darkness
iii. there were 7 gen of deities vi. slept and woke up by the birds
1. Izanami (mother earth) vii. sent her grandson, ninigi, in order to
a. task is to restore order restore order in japan
b. gave birth to japanese islands iv. ninigi is related to jinnu tenno
i. shikoku d. kofun period (250 AD – 538 AD)
ii. Kyushu i. development of Shintoism in japan
iii. tsushima e. asuka period
iv. awaji i. posed as a challenge to shintoism
v. oki island because of entrance of Buddhism
vi. Honshu
 ii. Shintoism remain impt religion, b. est by Minamoto yoritomo from Minamoto
because leaders are shintos clan
2. Classical Japan c. development of samurai class
a. period of Japanese emperors i. samurai class – elite warrior class
i. Asuka period – transition ii. bushido – “way of the warrior”
ii. nara period – syncretism of iii. sepukku – cut themselves if they fail
Buddhism and Shintoism their shogun
iii. Heian period d. defeat of Kublai khan in China
1. prominence of fujiwara i. kamikaze – “divine wind”
clan e. fall: fragmentation
a. married into 2. ashikaga shogunate
imperial family a. capital: Heian
b. aristocrats, b. est by ashikaga tokauji
powerful c. development of Zen Buddhism
c. challenges to the d. weak central government
emperor of i. samurai were not loyal (not enough
yamato clan finances)
2. arts: first novel: the tale of ii. filled with civil wars
genji by lady murasaki iii. threatened by powerful daimyos
shikibu e. end with the period of warring lords
3. spread of Buddhism i. civil war of daimyos
4. development of early ii. hideyoshi
Japanese script 1. great unifier – unified
3. Feudal japan – medieval japan
a. demise of imperial leadership 2. ended civil war
b. rise of warlords – shogun – leading 3. made samurai class as
shogunate exclusive bearer of
i. bakufu – military government weapons
c. rise of daimyu/s 3. Tokugawa shogunate
i. regional landed elite a. est by tokugawa ideyasu
ii. wealthy b. edo period – capital: Edo (Tokyo)
iii. vassals of shogun c. sakoku
iv. less powerful than shogun i. isolationism as policy
different shogunates 1. factor to their downfall
ii. reject European traders and
1. kamakura shogunate missionaries
a. capital- kamakura city d. Shintoism challenged by Christianity
 4. modern japan/meiji restoration
a. emperor meiji as political head
b. Shintoism as state cult/religion
c. japan starts to be colonized by americans
d. “gun boat diplomacy” of US commodore
matthew perry
i. open doors for trade, if not then
americans will declare war
e. modernization of japan
f. end of shogunates
g. decline of samurai class (banned)
Colonialism and imperialism in Asia
Focus: Trade (economy)
Nature of trade in Asia
- south asia
o India – black pepper (spices), opium
(exported to china), textile
o Ceylon (Sri Lanka) – pearls, cinnamon
- east asia
o china – silk, porcelain, tea
- southeast asia
o moluccas (spice islands, Indonesia)
nutmeg, mace, cloves
o java (Indonesia) – tea, coffee
A. Portugal
1418- established school of navigation (sagres, S.
Portugal) by king henry the navigator
1488- African coast – cape of good hope
1498- vasco de gama
1510- trading port of Goa (westcoast, india)
1511- controlled strait of Malacca (malay peninsula)
1513- settlement in moluccas islands
1516- canton, china (south coast)
1557- permanent settlement in macao & japan
B. The Netherlands
context: war between dutch & Portuguese + spanish
(1601-1661)
- VOC – Dutch East India Company
o aim: take over Portuguese trading
territories (spice trade as focus)
- trading base – batauia (Jakarta), Indonesia (1619)
- 1641 – Malacca
- 1658 – Ceylon
- 1661 – Malabar coast (west coast), india (s. of goa)
- 1641 – trading relations with Japan (replaced
Portuguese in 1639); deshima, nagasaki bay
(economic base of dutch in japan)
C. British Empire
- BEIC (British east india company, est. 1600)
- South Asia – India (Surat – east coast, 1612, madras
(east coast, 1634 (chennai), bengal – textile factory
in Calcutta (1690)
- 1709 – death of auranzeb
- 1858 – est. of british raj (india, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Myanmar)
- 1819 – Singapore as a trading port
– - 1824 – dutch british agreement
D. French empire
- FEIC – French east india company, 1664
- india – pendicherry (east coast, india 1674)
- 1858 – colonial efforts in southeast asia, Tonkin
Vietnam
treaty of paris 1773
1774- france vs Britain 7 years war
French Indochina
1858 – colonial aim, Catholicism, help missionaries = full
blown colonialism in south east Asia, Tonkin Vietnam, vs
china who also wants Vietnam, French won
1893 – addition of laos ii. Muhammad ali jinnah
iii. Muhammad Iqbal joined 1913 and
Rise of Nationalism in Asia became president 1930
1. “Two Nation Theory”
This was a response to colonialism and imperialism e. 1947
Against western invasion and influence i. Aug 15 – Republic of India
ii. Aug 14 – Islamic State of Pakistan
East Asia West Asia
1. China 1. Arab Nationalism
a. Boxer Rebellion a. Arab Identity
b. Kuomintang/Nationalist Party of China i. knowledge of Arabic language
i. est. Aug 1912 in Beijing ii. knowledge of common history of
c. communist party of china the arabs (Islam)
i. est. 1949 iii. “Arabized”
2. Japan b. Balata Political Party/Arab Socialist Party
a. Meiji restoration (1868) i. Aim: est a single arab state/pan-
i. westernization – compete with the arabism
west ii. reject foreign
b. period leading to WW11 influence/intervention
i. expand political and economic iii. Iraq
influence 1. Sadam Hussein
ii. expansionist project – empire a. betrayed Pan-
South Asia arabism
1. India b. become dictator
a. reject british colonialism c. 2003 – US
b. create an independent state of hindus and invasion
muslins i. est
c. indian national congress (est. 1885) coalition
i. Mahatma Gandhi provision
1. non-cooperation al
movement (means of non- authority
violence/satyagraha) (CPA)
ii. Muhammad ali jinnah 2. ISIL/ISIS – est 2014
1. champion of muslim rights a. aim: pan-arabism
but thru terror
d. All India Muslim League (radical)
i. est. 1906 b. anti-shia
 2. Zionism
a. Nationalist Movement
i. rejects anti-semitism
ii. protection of the jewish state
b. universal brotherhood
i. install jews to promised land
c. universal peace & happiness
i. est a jewish state
Friction of Jews and Arab Palestinians
1. McMahon Agreement (1915) & Balfour Declaration
(1917)
a. after WW1