The Indus River Valley

The Indus River Valley

The Indus River Valley –

Lesson 1

Vocab:

Subcontinent, plateau, monsoon, Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Vedas, rajahs, Brahman and Mystics

  1. When did it exist?
  2. Where was it located?
  3. What set of mountains were they located near?
  4. What was the largest city and what is it today?
  5. What are monsoons and how did they affect the agriculture in this region? (TXTBK)
  6. When were its remains found?
  7. What made the Indus river Valley a desirable place to begin a civilization? (TXTBK)
  8. How was this region protected?
  9. What is the modern day location of this large subcontinent?
  10. What was the agriculture like there?
  11. Explain the importance of trade for this civilization.
  12. How do we think their earliest religion was structured? (TXTBK)
  13. Who did they trade with?
  14. What was the social structure?
  15. Explain the four levels and what each one meant.
  16. How was this related to their later religious beliefs?
  17. What kind of structures did they create?
  18. What innovations did they develop?
  19. List the tools, technology and weaponry that they used.
  20. ***Understand that men worked and women were of great value because of their ability to produce and raise children
  21. Who were the Aryans? (TXTBK)
  22. What is the process of acculturation?(TXTBK)
  23. What do the Vedas tell us? (TXTBK)
  24. How did the Aryans structure society? (TXTBK)
  25. Where did the idea of Brahman come from? (TXTBK)
  26. What written language did they develop? (TXTBK)
  27. Name the two tales in literature that the Aryans developed. What did they mean? (TXTBK)

Lesson 2

Vocab – Lesson 2: atman, moksha, reincarnation, Karma, Dharma, ahimsa, castes, Siddhartha Gautama, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, nirvana

  1. Where did Hinduism begin?
  2. Who was it started by? (Mainly the Aryan traditions)
  3. What type of religion is Hinduism?
  4. What is Brahman?
  5. Who are the three main gods?
  6. What is atman?
  7. Who are the mystics and what do they try to do?
  8. What can yoga and other forms of meditation do?
  9. What is the ultimate goal in Hinduism?
  10. If they do not achieve this the first time, what happens to their soul?
  11. What is reincarnation?
  12. What is Karma and Dharma?
  13. Do we see this again in Buddhism? How?
  14. How is all existence ranked in Hinduism?
  15. What are Vedas?
  16. How is the principle of Ahisma or non-violence used?

Buddhism

  1. Who created Buddhism?Why was this religion created?
  2. What was his life like before he was enlightened? What allowed him to become enlightened?

What did he do to better understand life – meditation for 48 days – eating very little – etc.

  1. What are the Four Noble Truths? (Have an idea of what each one is)

What is the Eightfold path? (What does this have to do with the Four Noble Truths?)

  1. What is the ultimate goal of Buddhism?
  2. How does the Buddhist belief of reincarnation differ from that of the Hindus?
  3. What do Buddhism and Hinduism both believe in? (4 things)
  4. How did Buddhism eventually spread? Did it stay in India?
  5. Where can one read Buddha’s teachings?
  6. How did Hinduism eventually incorporate Buddha into their religion?
  7. Why did Buddha reject some of the rituals and traditions of Hinduism?
  8. REMEMBER THAT BUDDHISM IS BORN OUT OF HINDUISM

The Vedic Age

  1. Who were the Aryans? Where did they come from and where did they eventually settle?
  2. Why were cattle so important to them and how are they important today?
  3. Who were the rajahs?
  4. What is Sanskrit?
  5. How does the caste system that they create relate to reincarnation of Hinduism?What does the caste system do?
  6. What is a patriarchal society?

Lesson 3

Vocab – Lesson 3: Chandragupta Maurya, dissent, Asoka, missionaries, golden age, decimal system, joint family, dowry.

The Mauyra Empire

  1. What doesMegasthenes say about Patalipurta? What is this city known for?
  2. Who was Chandragupta? Why was he weary of being overthrown?What steps did he take to protect himself and his family?
  3. Who is Ashoka? What religion did he convert to?
  4. How does this relate to the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia?How did he treat people?What occurs after his death?

The Gupta Empire

  1. Explain the achievements of this Golden Age.
  2. What is the feeling that remains about how the Gupta Empire was run?
  3. What advances were made during this time?
  4. Science:
  5. Math:
  6. Literature:
  7. What is the role of women in the family?
  8. What do families at this time look like?
  9. Why do they use dowries?
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