AP World Chapter 3: Classical Civilization: India Flashcards

2955127316	Alexander the Great	King of Macedonia in northern Greece, Between 334 and 323 BCE, he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.	0
2955149636	Himalayas	The world's highest mountain range, forming the northern border of the Indian subcontinent. The site of Aryan settlements that formed small kingdoms or warrior republics.	1
2955161821	Monsoons	Major winds in the Indian Ocean that blew into India for half the year, and blew away from India for the other half. During Summer bring rains.	2
2955174165	Aryans	Indo-European nomadic pastoralists who replaced Harappan civilization; militarized society.	3
2955181714	Sanskrit	The sacred and classical Indian language.	4
2955186330	Vedas	This is a collection of four, Aryan, religious texts which show prayers, magical spells, and instructions for performing rituals.	5
2955192001	Mahabharata	Indian epic of war, princely honor, love, and social duty; written down in the last centuries B.C.E.; previously handed down in oral form.	6
2955203203	Ramayana	great epic tale from classical India; traces adventures of King Rama and his wife Sita	7
2955207707	Upanishads	later books of the Vedas; contained sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas; utilized by Brahmans to restore religious authority.	8
2955209458	Varnas	Clusters of caste groups in Aryan society; 4 social castes: Brahmins (priests), Warriors, Merchants, Peasants, Untouchables (outcasts)	9
2955210679	Untouchables	lowest catse in Indian society; performed tasks that were polluting.	10
2955211914	Indra	Chief deity of the Aryans; depicted as a colossal, hard-drinking warrior.	11
2955213056	Chandragupta Maurya	founder of Maurya dynasty; established first empire in Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization	12
2955215227	Mauryn	dynasty established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century BCE following invasion by Alexander the Great.	13
2955215228	Ashoka	grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; completed conquests of Indian subcontinent; converted to Buddhism and sponsored spread of new religion throughout his empire.	14
2955215229	Dharma	the caste position and career determined by a person's birth; Hindu culture required that one accept one's social position and perform occupation to the best of one's ability in order to have a better situation in the next life.	15
2955217287	Kushans	dynasty that succeeded the Mauryas in norhtwestern India; sponsors of Buddhism.	16
2955217288	Guptas	dynasty that succeeded the Kushans in the 3rd century BCE; built empire that extended to all but the southern regions of the Indian subcontinent; less centralized than Mauryan empire.	17
2955218913	Kautilya	political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra; believed in scientific application of warfare.	18
2955218914	Gurus	Brahmans who were teachers for the princes of the imperial court of the Guptas.	19
2955220463	Vishnu	The Brahman, later Hindu, god of sacrifice; widely worshipped	20
2955220464	Shiva	Hindu god of destruction and reproduction; Worshipped as personification of cosmic forces of change	21
2955222207	Reincarnation	successive attachment of the soul to some animate form according to merits in previous lives.	22
2955222208	Buddha	creator of major Indian and Asian religion; born in 6th century BCE as son of local ruler among Aryan tribes located near Himalayas; taught enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for all earthly things.	23
2955222209	Nirvana	The Buddhist state of enlightenment, a state of tranquility.	24
2955223534	Kamasutra	written by Vatsayana during Gupta era; offered instructions on all aspects of life for higher caste males, including grooming, hygiene, etiquette, selection of wives, and lovemaking.	25
2955227535	Stupas	stone shrines built to house pieces of bone or hair and personal possessions said to be relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms.	26
2955225287	Scholar-Gentry	Chinese class created by the marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi; superseded shi as governors of China.	27