The document summarizes the key influences, empires, and philosophies that shaped classical India and China. In India, the Aryans established cultural traditions like Hinduism while the Persians and Greeks influenced government structures. The Mauryan Empire unified much of India under Chandragupta Maurya and the Buddhist emperor Ashoka, who built infrastructure and spread Buddhism. In China, the Zhou Dynasty gave way to warring states before the Qin unified China through legalism and centralized rule. The long-lasting Han Dynasty adopted Confucian principles and saw peace and prosperity, though problems with land ownership would later undermine their rule.

1. Classical India

2. Various Influences
● Aryans (1500 - 400 BCE)
○ Cultural traditions laid the foundations for
Hinduism and Buddhism
● Persians (400 - 327 BCE)
○ Government structure adopted by early Indian rulers
● Greeks (327 BCE)
○ Alexander of Macedon
○ Conquered, destroyed and then left...

3. Mauryan Empire
● Gaping political hole left by the
Greeks led to political
quarreling and vies for power
● Chandragupta Maurya
founds the first Indian empire
in 324 BCE
● Divides empire into provinces,
each ruled by an appointed
governor (and has a secret
police)

4. Making Connections
Based on this knowledge, what can we assume
the Persian system of government was like?

5. Asoka
● Grandson of Chandragupta
Maurya
● Mauryan empire flourished
under his reign
● Generally considered to be
greatest ruler in all of India

6. Asoka’s Achievements
● Contributed to the spread of Buddhism in SE
Asia
○ Gruesome Battle of Kalinga led him to convert
○ Ruled based on Buddhist principles
■ Built roads with shelters for weary travelers
■ Built hospitals
● Capitalized on India’s centralized position on
the Silk Road

7. Legacy - Architecture
Stone pillars, Buddhist
stupas, Rock chambers

8. Indians made
great profits
serving as
middlemen along
the Silk Roads
India also traded
their own
products along
the Silk Road,
primarily cotton
cloth, ivory, and
spices.

9. End of the Empire
● Mauryan Empire declined after
Asoka’s death in 232 BCE
● Empire fell in 183 BCE and India
fell into a state of disunity
● Kushan Kingdom briefly ruled
northern India and facilitated Silk
Road trade while the rest of India
fell into civil war until the rise of a
new empire 500 years later

10. The Gupta
● With the Kushan Kingdom gone (they
were taken over by the Persians),
Chandragupta created a new Indian
empire in 320 CE
○ Note: no relation to Chandragupta
Maurya
● Later rulers expand the empire to cover
northern and central India, making this
the largest unified state since the
Mauryans
● Fell after invasions by the nomadic
Huns

11. Gupta “Golden Age”
● Literature (epic poems)
○ Mahabharata and
Ramayana
○ Both are filled with
religious and moral lessons
that are used by Indian
people today (along with
the Vedas)
● Science & Mathematics
○ Earth is round
○ Concept of zero (first to use
algebra)
● Art

12. Chinese Dynasties
Shang; 1600-1300 BCE
Zhou; 1029-258 BCE
(Era of Warring States 402-201 BCE)
Qin; 221-207 BCE
Han; 206 BCE - 220 CE

13. Zhou
● Took over the Shang
● Longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history
(almost 800 years)
● Emperor divided kingdom into territories
which were controlled by appointed
aristocrats
● Justified rule with Mandate of Heaven

15. Fall of the Zhou
● Territories gained power
and challenged the
authority of the Emperor,
leading to a period known
as the Warring States
Period
● Different philosophies
emerged during this time
period. All sought to create
order in the immediate
world.

16. Confucianism
● Confucius promoted the Dao (Way) which had two
aspects: duty and humanity
○ Duty
■ Believed that order would exist in society
when everyone worked hard to fulfill their duties
■ Ethics centered around doing your duty in relationships and the
concept of filial piety
● filial piety - Children should respect and obey parents and
ancestors, who should be deserving of respect.
○ Humanity
■ Believed that people should have compassion and empathy for others

17. Daoism/Taoism
● Laozi
● Believed that humans should not
concern themselves with things of
this world
● Believed in the “action of non-action”
○ harmony is achieved through humility,
frugality, moderation, and allowing the
world to be (do not interfere)

18. Legalism
● Human beings are evil by
nature
● Harsh punishments are
necessary to achieve order
● Believed that a strong leader was necessary
to impose strict laws, carry out punishments
○ He did not have to have compassion on his people

19. Predicting
One of these philosophies will eventually lead
to the unification of China and the end of the
Warring States Period. Which philosophy do
you think this is and why?

20. Qin Dynasty
● Established by Qin Shihuangdi in
221 BCE
● Adopted legalism as the official
ideology
● Changed administrative structure to a
centralized government
○ Government officials were
appointed by the emperor and
chosen by merit rather than birth
○ Anyone who did not follow his
orders was executed

21. More of Qin’s Changes
● Unified China by building
roads and establishing a
common currency
● Expanded the empire and
built walls to keep out
Xiongnu invaders
○ These walls would be
the foundations for the
Great Wall of China

22. Fall of the Qin
● The empire crumbled when Qin died in 210
BCE
○ People were sick of the harsh treatments
○ China fell into another period of civil war until the
rise of the Han Dynasty in 202 BCE

23. Han Dynasty
● Liu Bang
● Adopted Confucian principles in
contrast to the Legalist policies of
his predecessor
● Maintained the system of
centralized government
○ Government officials chosen
by merit rather than birth
○ Taining schools based on
Confucian principles

24. Peace and Prosperity?
● Han Wudi expanded the empire and drive
back the Xiongnu (150 years of peace)
● Massive increase in population
○ indicative of good times
○ led to peasant problems
■ More people = less land per person
■ Tenant farming to survive
■ Land belongs to a few landed elites who have
many poor farmers working for them

25. More problems for the Han
● Rise of rich landed families weakens
centralized state
● Weak rulers and corruption make state
vulnerable to nomadic invasions
● Ultimately, Han will fall due to peasant
rebellions
● Another dynasty will not come for 400 years

26. Legacy
● Qin
○ Centralized rule
○ Great Wall
○ Iron weapons
○ Terracotta Warriors
● Han
○ Confucianism
○ Paper
○ Steel