| A | B |
|---|
| Himalayas | mountains that linked India to Middle East |
| Monsoons | seasonal storms crucial for farming |
| Aryan migrants | invaded Indus valley in 1500s BCE; brought culture & social structure |
| Sanskrit | 1st literary language, in sacred book (veda) |
| Varnas | social classes |
| Kshatriyas | warriors |
| Brahmans | priests |
| Vaisyas | traders/farmers |
| Sudras | laborers |
| Mauryan dynasty | largest dynasty in classical India (321-185 BCE) unify subcontinent (Chandragupta Maurya – leader) |
| Ashoka | Mauryan leader; expanded, then converts to Buddhism |
| Dharma | law of moral consequences; duties of each class |
| Gupta dynasty | Golden age of classical India (320-550 CE); negotiated with local princes & intermarried families |
| Hinduism | polytheistic religion that emerged from Aryan beliefs; no single founder, tolerant and inclusive |
| Gurus | mystics, gathered disciplines |
| Reincarnation | rebirth of a soul into a new body; belief of both Hinduism and Buddhism |
| Siddhartha Gautama | enlightened one/Buddha; rejected several Hindu principles |
| nirvana | state of being free from suffering; union with Supreme being/spirit |
