| A | B |
|---|
| subcontinent | landmass which is part of a continent, but separate from it (like India) |
| monsoon | seasonal wind which affects climate |
| summer monsoon | (June - Sept.); brings wet winds off ocean |
| winter monsoon | (Nov. - March); brings dry winds from across Himalayan mountains |
| Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro | ancient cities on Indus River; had first sewers in history |
| ancient Indian building styles | show urban planning, fortress over looking city, streets in square grid, oven-baked bricks |
| farm products of ancient India | wheat, barley, rice, cotton |
| life for city dwellers | industry & commerce; wove cotton cloth, bronze, silver, copper, gold, & ivory jewelry |
| Harappan pictograms | still cannot be interpreted |
| floods, warfare | thought to have ended Harappan life |
| 3 main rivers of India | Indus, Ganges, Bhramaputra |
| Khyber Pass | pass into India on northwest (through Hindu Kush Mts.) |
| Mt. Everest | highest mountain in world |
| Himalayas | mountains located northeast of India |
| Hindu Kush | mountains located northwest of India |
| Dravidians | earliest inhabitants of India; driven south by Aryans |
| Aryans | warlike people who overtook Dravidians |
| interests of Aryans | warfare; gambling; partying; chariot races; singing & dancing |
| cattle | basis of Aryan diet; also used as their money |
| Sanskrit | language of Aryans; oral, not written |
| epic | long narrative poem celebrating a hero |
| Vedas | "Books of Knowledge"; hymns, poems, legends; religious rituals |
| Varna | means Indian "caste" system |
| 4 groups in Varna | Brahman, warrior, middle class, sudra |
| Brahman | could study and teach Vedas; priestly caste |
| Warrior caste | ran army & government; could study, but not teach, Vedas |
| Middle caste | merchants, farmers, bankers, artisans |
| Sudra caste | unskilled laborers, servants - meant to serve other 3 castes |
| Pariahs | "untouchables"; skinned animals, tanned hides, collected dead bodies |
| dharma | duty in life |
| dharma of a man | childhood, student, husband/father, follow religious pursuits |
| dharma of a woman | child, learn home tasks, wife/mother, religious pursuits or supported by children |
| good winning over evil | philosophy behind India's 2 main ancient epics |
| Hinduism | main religion of India; descended from faith of Aryan people |
| reincarnation | rebirth of spirit in new body until soul is purified and can reach nirvana |
| karma | your fate; the way a person lives his/her life determines his/her placement in next life |
| ahimsa | non-violence to all living things |
| Moksha | unification with Brahman Nerguna - spirit of unity with all universe - for Christians, Heaven |
| Buddha | Siddhartha Gautama |
| Siddhartha Gautama | priestly caste, hermit; founder of Buddhist religion |
| Buddha | means "Elightened One" |
| Axis Age | period during 500s BC when great religions/philosophies developed in India, China, & Greece |
| Four Noble Truths of Buddhism | suffering is universal; suffering is caused by desire; to end suffering, end desiring; follow 8-Fold Path |
| 8-Fold Path | basic rules of good living for Buddhists |
| meditation | important part of prayer for both Hindus and Buddhists |
| nirvana | a state of oneness with the universe; ends cycles of rebirth |
| Buddha & caste system | Buddha rejected the caste system |
| stupa | shrine built over bones of a holy person |
| Theravada Buddhism | close to Buddha's teachings; found in southern & southeastern Asia |
| Mayahana Buddhism | found in China, Japan, Korea - worships Buddha as a god and savior |
| Why would pariahs like Buddhism? | They could gain nirvana regardless of their caste. |
