Reading Guide Bentley Chapter 4AP World Historycorder 08-09

Reading Guide Bentley Chapter 4AP World Historycorder 08-09

Reading Guide Bentley Chapter 4AP World HistoryCorder 08-09

(1)Who were the Aryans and when did they migrate to south Asia?

(2)Who was their chief deity? What does the story about Indra indicate about the Aryan religion?

(3)When the Aryans migrated into south Asia, with whom did they come in contact? Describe the initial impact of the interaction of these two groups? How did this relationship change over time?

(4)As in ______and ______, early cities in India stood at the center of an impressive political, social, and cultural order built by Dravidian peoples on the foundation of an ______economy. The earliest urban society in India, known as ______society, brought wealth and power to the IndusRiver valley. Eventually, however, it fell into decline, possibly because of environmental problems, just as large numbers of ______migrants moved into India from central ______and built a very different society.

(5)“Like societies in Mesopotamia and Egypt, ______society—named after Harappa, one of its two chief cities—developed in the valley of a river, the ______, whose waters were available for irrigation of crops. As agricultural yields increased the ______also grew rapidly, and by about 3000 B.C.E. Neolithic villages were evolving into thriving ______.”Label the IndusRiver on your map.

(6)What two problems prevent scholars from following the development of Harappan society in detail?

(7)“Like the ______, the Indus draws its waters from rain and melting snow in towering mountains—in this case, the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas, the world’s highest peaks.” Label the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush on your map.

(8)What did cultivators grow in northern India? What animals did they domesticate? When did the textile industry form in the region?

(9)What occurred as a result of the agricultural surpluses in India?

(10) Look at the map on page 92. Indicate Harappan society, Egypt, and Mesopotamia on the map by using the appropriate colors. Also, label each society on your key. Draw in the IndusRiver and the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. What other country besides India is located where the society of Harappa once existed? Label that country on your map.

(11)Why don’t scholars know anything about the Harappan political system? Still, why do scholars believe that Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro served as centers of political authority?

(12)What architectural structures were found in the two cities? Read your text and study the aerial photograph on page 93 to answer this question.

(13)With whom did the Harappans trade to obtain gold, silver, copper, lead, and gems? What did the Harppans acquire from the Mesopotamians? In return, what did the Harappans export?

(14)On your map, label the Mediterranean Sea, the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the NileRiver, the EuphratesRiver, the TigrisRiver, and the trade routes.

(15)From 2500 to 2000 B.C.E., Mohenjo-daro was a thriving economic center. What occupations existed in the city?

(16)In the absence of writing, how have scholars determined the social class structure of Harappan society? What do we know about social class differences?

(17)What technologies were revealed in the architectural structures of Mohenjo-daro?

(18)What do we know about Harappan religion based on archaeological finds at Mohenjo-daro?

(19)What led to the decline of Harappan society after 1900 B.C.E.?

(20)Why do archaeologists believe natural catastrophes may have weakened Harappan society?

(21)How did Harappan traditions survive the decline of Harappan cities?

(22)“During the second millennium B.C.E. as Harappan society declines, bands of foreigners filter into the India subcontinent and settle through the ______valley and beyond. Most prominent were nomadic and pastoral peoples speaking ______languages who called themselves Aryans (“noble people”). By 1500 B.C.E. or perhaps somewhat earlier, they had begun to file through the passes of the ______mountains and establish small herding and agricultural communities throughout northern India…During the centuries after 1500 B.C.E., Dravidian and ______peoples intermarried, interacted, and laid social and cultural foundations that would influence Indian society to the present-day.”

(23)In what was were the Aryans like the Indo-Europeans? What was the principal measure of wealth in early Aryan society?

(24)How did the early Aryan preserve literary and religious works? What language did they use?

(25)What were the Vedas? What is the Rig Veda? Why did scholars name the period from 1500 to 500 B.C.E. the Vedic Age? Briefly summarize the story of Indra. What did the story of Indra reveal to scholars about early life in the Indus valley? Identify three things.

(26)What was the political organization of the early Aryans. What was the role of the raja? Why were there so many conflicts among the Aryans?

(27)“During the early centuries of the Vedic age, ______groups settled in the Punjab, the upper IndusRiver valley that straddles the modern-day border between northern India and ______. After establishing themselves in the Punjab, Aryan migrants spread east and south and established communities throughout much of the Indian ______. After 1000 B.C.E., they began to settle in the area between the Himalayan foothills and the ______River.” On your map, label the Punjab, the GangesRiver, andmodern-day Pakistan.

(28) What led to the population increased which spurred on the development of cities after 750 B.C.E.? How did the political structure of the Aryans change with this development?

(29)What determined the Aryan social structure which became the foundation of the caste system? Who coined the term “caste” in describing the Indian social order?

(30)Why did the Aryans use the term “varna, a Sanskrit word meaning “color,” to refer to the major social classes? “Over time, ______and ______mixed, mingled, interacted, and intermarried to the point that distinguishing between them was impossible.”

(31)What four varnas made up the caste system? What category was added centuries later? What group of people made up this social class? Why was the role of the Brahmins and kshatriyas enhanced during the late Vedic age?

(32)Why were subcastes or jati established later? How did the subcaste system work?

(33)Explain the social mobility of the caste system. How did it work?

(34)In what ways did Aryan life promote a patriarchal society? What were women permitted to do? What opportunities were women denied?

(35)When was the Lawbook of Manu written? What advice was given to men? To women?

(36)What was “sati”? When was this tradition practiced? What was it intended to illustrate?

(37)Who was the chief deity of the Rig Veda? How was this god portrayed? What other deities were recognized in Aryan culture? Over what did the god Varuna preside?

(38)What purpose did ritual sacrifice serve in Aryan religion? Describe the process. In what way was Aryan sacrifice require “constant attention”?

(39)What separation occurred in the Aryan religion during the Vedic age? Why did this group of people retreat in the forests of the Ganges valley? What religious aspects of the Dravidians did these people adopt? What is this belief called?

(40)What does the word “Upanishad” literally mean? When did this work first appear? “The Upanishads often took the form of ______that explored the Vedas and the religious issues that they raised.” What does this line mean?

(41)According to the Upanishads, what is Brahman? What are some of the beliefs of the authors of the Upanishads? What is the highest goal of the individual soul?

(42)Explain the doctrines of samsara and karma, according to the Upanishads.

(43)Explain the state of moksha. What are the two principal means to this goal? Explain each.

(44)In what way did the doctrines of samsara of karma reinforce the Vedic social order?

(45)How did the Upanishads call for the observance of high ethical standards?