Changes

[[World History Lecture One|1]]-[[World History Lecture Two|2]]-[[World History Lecture Three|3]]-[[World History Lecture Four|4]]-[[World History Lecture Five|5]]-[[World History Lecture Six|6]]-[[World History Lecture Seven|7]]-[[World History Lecture Eight|8]]-[[World History Lecture Nine|9]]-[[World History Lecture Ten|10]]-[[World History Lecture Eleven|11]]-[[World History Lecture Twelve|12]]-[[World History Lecture Thirteen|13]]-[[World History Lecture Fourteen|14]]

[[World History Lecture One|1]]-[[World History Lecture Two|2]]-[[World History Lecture Three|3]]-[[World History Lecture Four|4]]-[[World History Lecture Five|5]]-[[World History Lecture Six|6]]-[[World History Lecture Seven|7]]-[[World History Lecture Eight|8]]-[[World History Lecture Nine|9]]-[[World History Lecture Ten|10]]-[[World History Lecture Eleven|11]]-[[World History Lecture Twelve|12]]-[[World History Lecture Thirteen|13]]-[[World History Lecture Fourteen|14]]

We take a break this week from Western Civilization and instead turn to the great ancient empires in the East:  India and China.  This requires learning about many new religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.  Then we conclude by returning to the Middle East and discussing the rise of Christianity.   

We take a break this week from Western Civilization and instead turn to the great ancient empires in the East:  India and China.  This requires learning about several new religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.  Then we conclude by returning to the Middle East and discussing the rise of Christianity.   

Let's ask ourselves at the outset:  why learn about any religion other than Christianity?  Some Christians might conclude that, having found their faith, there is no reason to study non-Christian religions.  When you find something good, then it is not advantageous to divert your time and energy to something less good.

Let's ask ourselves at the outset:  why learn about any religion other than Christianity?  Some Christians might conclude that, having found their faith, there is no reason to study non-Christian religions.  When you find something good, then it is not advantageous to divert your time and energy to something less good.

One final reason to study different religions and cultures is to see how distant peoples struggled with religious issues without the benefit of Christianity and came to certain conclusions about life, morals, and unseen truth.

One final reason to study different religions and cultures is to see how distant peoples struggled with religious issues without the benefit of Christianity and came to certain conclusions about life, morals, and unseen truth.

This is a fascinating tale of very different cultures and religions.  Let us begin:

This lecture is a fascinating tale.  Let us begin:

== India ==

== India ==

Little information survives concerning the history of ancient India.  There was immigration into the region around 3000 B.C., or perhaps in the 2000s B.C., by people who called themselves "nobles" or "Aryans", a term we explained in the prior lecture.  These immigrants spoke an Indo-European language which formed the basis for Sanskrit, which is the standard ancient language of India just as Latin is the standard ancient language of Europe.  Yet while Latin is a dead language today, Sanskrit is still an official language in India.  The scriptures of Hinduism are written in Sanskrit.  The most sacred of these scripts form the [[Vedas]] and [[Upanishads]], which are considered to have the most authority, importance, and antiquity.

Little information survives concerning the history of ancient India.  There was immigration into the region around 3000 B.C., or perhaps in the 2000s B.C., by people who called themselves "nobles" or "Aryans", a term we explained in the prior lecture.  These immigrants spoke an Indo-European language that formed the basis for Sanskrit, which is the standard ancient language of India just as Latin later became the standard ancient language of Europe.  Yet while Latin is a dead language today, Sanskrit is still an official language in India.  The scriptures of Hinduism are written in Sanskrit.  The most sacred of these scripts form the [[Vedas]] and [[Upanishads]], which are considered to have the most authority, importance, and antiquity.

[[Image:India rel01.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Image:India rel01.jpg|400px|right]]

=== Ancient India ===

=== Ancient India ===

The roots of ancient India were settlements in the fertile Indus River Valley, in what is now Pakistan and northwest India (see the map on the right).  This was one of the most fertile regions in the world at the time, with plentiful farm products and animals.  The region was surrounded in the north by the Himalaya mountains, protected to the west by the Indu Kush mountains, and insulated from the east by the Great Indian Desert.  Just as Egypt had unique geographic protections against invasion by foreign enemies, so did the Indus River Valley.  Two cities have been discovered there:  Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa (pronounced "huh-ROP-uh").  Other small towns have also been unearthed.  This ancient civilization existed from about 3000 B.C. to 1300 B.C., and its peak was 2600 to 1900 B.C.  It is known as the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization, named after its big city, Harappa.  These early settlements existed long before ''classical'' Indian civilization, which thrived from 300 B.C. to A.D. 500 (similar in time to the Roman Empire).  The early settlements of ancient India, dating back to 3000 B.C., are among the largest ancient civilizations we know of.

The roots of ancient India were settlements in the Indus River Valley, in what is now Pakistan and northwest India (note where Pakistan is on the map to the right).  This was one of the most fertile regions in the world at the time, with plentiful farm products and animals.  The region was surrounded in the north by the Himalaya mountains, protected to the west by the Indu Kush mountains, and insulated from the east by the Great Indian Desert.  Just as Egypt had unique geographic protections against invasion by foreign enemies, so did the Indus River Valley.  Two cities have been discovered there:  Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa (pronounced "huh-ROP-uh").  Other small towns have also been unearthed.  This ancient civilization existed from about 3000 B.C. to 1300 B.C., and its peak was 2600 to 1900 B.C.  It is known as the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization, named after its big city, Harappa.  These early settlements existed long before ''classical'' Indian civilization, which thrived from 300 B.C. to A.D. 500 (similar in time to the Roman Empire).

Writings have been found from ancient India, but no one has been able to decipher them yet.  The reason these writings are so difficult to decipher is that the symbols are extremely tiny, and all the writings we have contain only a few of these symbols.  This is a good task for young experts in language!

Writings have been found from ancient India, but no one has been able to decipher them yet.  The symbols are extremely tiny, and all the writings we have contain only a few of these symbols.  This is a good challenge for young experts in language!

In terms of technology, the inhabitants of these ancient settlements were quite advanced.  The ancient peoples of the Indus River Valley civilization had advanced use of water:  pipes, drains and even indoor bathrooms.  They were precise with mathematics, and used this skill to measure weight and mass accurately.  But unlike most other civilizations in the 2000s B.C., the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa do not contain any large palaces or monuments to false gods.

In terms of technology, the inhabitants of these ancient settlements were quite advanced.  The ancient peoples of the Indus River Valley civilization had advanced use of water:  pipes, drains and even indoor bathrooms.  They were precise with mathematics, and used this skill to measure weight and mass accurately.  But unlike most other civilizations in the 2000s B.C., the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa do not contain any large palaces or monuments to false gods.

The ancient Indian people survived on agriculture and traded with Mesopotamia, but many of the inhabitants were tradesmen, as artistic artifacts from Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa illustrate.   

The ancient Indian people survived on agriculture and traded with Mesopotamia.  Many of the inhabitants were tradesmen, as artistic artifacts from Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa illustrate.   

As mentioned above, the fertile land and geographic protection of the Indus River Valley allowed and facilitated success by early civilizations there.  The Sarasvati River, which is named after a Hindu goddess, was the largest in ancient India, flowing west of Delhi and providing water to a fertile region as described in the Rig Veda, which is the most fundamental of the sacred Vedic Hindu texts.  (The river has since completely dried up, but was proven to have existed by satellite photographs of India.)  Food and commerce in the Indus River Valley was based on barley (yava), copper (ayas) and cattle.  By 2600 B.C., the Indus-Sarasvati civilization became the largest civilization in the ancient world, spreading from Pakistan to many areas of India today.  It had trade connections with Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, Central Asia and elsewhere.  Its population is estimated to have been 100,000, which is far more than most cities in New Jersey today.

The fertile land and geographic protection of the Indus River Valley allowed and facilitated success by early civilizations there.  The Sarasvati River, which is named after a Hindu goddess, was the largest in ancient India, flowing west of Delhi and providing water to a region described in the Rig Veda, a sacred Vedic Hindu text.  (The river has since completely dried up, but was proven to have existed by satellite photographs of India.)  Food and commerce in the Indus River Valley was based on barley (yava), copper (ayas) and cattle.  By 2600 B.C., the Indus-Sarasvati civilization became the largest civilization in the ancient world, spreading from Pakistan to many areas of India today.  It had trade connections with Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, Central Asia and elsewhere.  Its population is estimated to have been 100,000, which is substantial even by today's standards.

By 2000 B.C., the world's population was 27 million, 22% of which lived in India.  Interestingly, India still contains a high percentage of the world's population, but not quite as high as back then: today India has 16% or so of the world's population, or about 1 billion people.  Three of the world's ten most populated cities today are in India: Bombay (recently renamed as Mumbai), Calcutta and Delhi.

By 2000 B.C., the world's population was 27 million, 22% of whom lived in India.  Interestingly, India still contains a high percentage of the world's population, but not quite as high as back then: today India has 16% or so of the world's population, or about 1 billion people.  Three of the world's ten most populated cities today are in India: Bombay (recently renamed as Mumbai), Calcutta and Delhi.

The collapse of the Indus Civilization came about from a mixture of geographic and human forces. Sometime around 2000 B.C., the course of the Indus River shifted away from various centers of civilization. This was compounded in the years up to 1500 B.C. by the hostile incursions of Indo-European (Aryan) nomads invading through the Bolan and Khyber passes in the Hindu Kush mountain range.  The Aryans spoke Sanskrit, an Indo-European language.  They conquered the Dravidians and forced them southward into what is now India.  Religious (Hindu, the adjective for Hinduism) literature describes these struggles in the "Rig Veda" and two long poems known as the "Mahabharata" and the "Ramayana".  By 900 B.C. iron smelting was discovered and became useful in making weapons and tools to clear fields and the jungle for agriculture.  The Aryans were very successful in cultivating the land along the banks of the Ganges River Valley, aided by forceful winds known as monsoons that brought rain from the Indian Ocean.  Rice was the most popular crop, and remains the world's leading crop even today.

The collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization came about from a mixture of geographic and human forces. Sometime around 2000 B.C., the course of the Indus River shifted away from various centers of civilization. This was compounded in the years up to 1500 B.C. by the hostile incursions of Indo-European (Aryan) nomads invading through the Bolan and Khyber passes in the Hindu Kush mountain range.  The Aryans spoke Sanskrit, an Indo-European language.  They conquered the Dravidians and forced them southward into what is now India.  Hindu literature describes these struggles in the "Rig Veda" and two long poems known as the "Mahabharata" and the "Ramayana".  By 900 B.C., iron smelting was discovered and became useful in making weapons and tools to clear fields and the jungle for agriculture.  The Aryans were very successful in cultivating the land along the banks of the Ganges River Valley, aided by forceful winds known as monsoons that brought rain from the Indian Ocean.  Rice was the most popular crop, and remains the world's leading crop even today.

By 975 B.C., King Hiram of Phoenicia encouraged trade between India and King Solomon of Israel.  In 950 B.C., Jewish people arrived in India in King Solomon's merchant fleet, and later established colonies there.  Around the same time, perhaps due to increased trade, Sanskrit began to decline as the spoken language of India.  Priestly Sanskrit was later refined between 750 and 250 B.C.   

By 975 B.C., King Hiram of Phoenicia encouraged trade between India and King Solomon of Israel.  In 950 B.C., Jewish people arrived in India in King Solomon's merchant fleet, and later established colonies there.  Around the same time, perhaps due to increased trade, Sanskrit began to decline as the spoken language of India.  Priestly Sanskrit was later refined between 750 and 250 B.C.