HIS 105 - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

HIS 105Chapter 10

Iran and India Before IslamSlide2

IranSlide3

IndiaSlide4

Parthians in Iran

Began the Arsacid rule (247 B.C.E.- 223 C.E.)

Took hold in eastern Iran

Dominated Iranian heartlands of Achaemenids and Selucids

Continued imperial and cultural traditions of AchaemenidsSlide5

Tolerant of different religions

Allowed strong local governments

Aramaic, Greek, and other regional languages spoken

Supported Zoroastrianism and Iranian traditions

Fought with neighbors in the east and in the westSlide6

Sasanids (224 – 651 C.E. )

Persians

Claimed to be the rightful heirs to the Achaemenids

Ardashir (r. 224-239 C.E.) was the first Sasanid king

He was followed by his son, Shapur (r. 239 – 272 C.E.)Slide7

ShapurSlide8

Both father and son had a strong internal administration in the area called Persia (Fars)

The empire grew under Shapur

He defeated 3 Roman emperors including Valerian whom he captured

Shapur called himself Shahanshah, “King of Kings”Slide9

Had control over his ministries, taxes, and the military

Had conflicts with ByzantiumSlide10

Life under Sasanids

Family was basic social unit

Practiced Zoroastrianism

4 classes: priests, warriors, scribes, and peasants

Agricultural economy

Land was owned by the rich and worked by the poorSlide11

Peasants paid taxes, worked the land, and went into the army

Government controlled land and sea trade, silk and glass production, and mining

Bills of exchange were introduced by bankers

Check comes from a Pahlavi wordSlide12

Under Chosroes, Sasanids reached great heights, influenced by Indian, Iranian, Buddhist, Hellenistic, and Byzantine ideas

Led to achievements in art, sciences/math, and philosophySlide13

Religion

Zoroastrianism made state religion with help from Ardashir’s chief priest, Tosar

Kartir succeeded Tosar and was the chief priest to Shapur I and his 3 successors

Less tolerant of other relions

Kartir tried to convert pagans, Christians, and BuddhistsSlide14

Manichaeans were Kartir’s chief opponents

Led by Mani

Centered on a radically dualistic and moralistic view of reality where good and evil, spirit and matter warred

Tried to unite Zoroastrian, Christian, and Buddhist teachings

Tried to found a new religionSlide15

Manichaeism spread to the east and to the west even after Mani’s death

Zoroastrians

Backbone of

Sasanid

culture

Its texts written in Pahlavi, the official imperial language

Priests became jurists, legal interpreters, and scholars and controlled much of the Iranian wealthSlide16

Later Sasanids

Inequities in society brought about a rebellion led by Mazdak

Taught about the evils of materialism

Was for vegetarianism, tolerance, and brotherly love

Wanted a more equal distribution of society’s goodsSlide17

MazdakSlide18

Kavad I (r. 488-531 C.E.) was sympathetic to Mazdak

However, his third son massacred Mazdak and many of his followersSlide19

India

Gupta era was the high point of Indian civilization

Chandragupta (r. 320 -330 C.E.) was the first Gupta king

He seized the throne of a local ruler in eastern Ganges area

Helped establish an empire that lasted for 250 yearsSlide20

ChandraguptaSlide21

Chandragupta II (r. 375-415 C.E.) established the empire and its Golden Age

Under him, India was arguably the most civilized and peaceful country in the world

Two more kings sustained this prosperity for another half century despite nomadic invasions of the Huns after 440 C.E.Slide22

By 500 the Huns had overrun western India.

Gupta Empire collapsed 550 C.E.

Harsha, a descendent of the Guptas, did revive a semblance of the old empire 616 -657 C.E.

Harsha died without heirs and the empire broke up againSlide23

Several dynasties had power in the north before the coming of the Muslims in 1000 C.E.

There was no unified rule of any duration until 1947

As Guptas declined, so did Buddhism

Guptas preferred Hinduism and it was at the core of Indian cultureSlide24

Guptas

Became supreme overlords

Collected tribute

Local rulers represented Guptas

Guptas backed Hinduism

Brahman power was restored

Brahmans once again became teachers, advisors, and religious leadersSlide25

Brahmans were patrons of the arts; carved temples and sculpture were built

Sculptures stood for creation, destruction, fertility, and death

Each idea represented by a god

Brahma – creation

Shiva – destruction

Lakshmi – fertility

Kali -- deathSlide26

Achievements of the Guptas

2 written languages – Sanskrit, a sacred and classical language and Tamil, from the south

Kalidasa was the greatest of Sanskrit writers; poet

Advances made in geometry and algebraSlide27

Calculated the circumference of the earth and the value of pi, independent of the Greeks

Devised decimals and the “Arabic” number system

Developed surgical techniques and new ways to treat illnessSlide28

Caste and Gender Inequities

Life changed for many when brahmans regained power

Caste system was reinstated

Lines were more rigid

Untouchables had to warn people they were coming by clapping sticks

Untouchables could only drink from their own wellsSlide29

Status of women changed

Dominated in every way by men

Marriages were arranged

Fathers had to pay dowry

Woman respected only if she bore sons

She could inherit nothing

Women could be courtesans, wives, or prostitutesSlide30

Elites of society

Had servants

Had nice houses with gardens

Had clothes of silk and cotton

Gave festivals

Played chess and parchesi

Males were expected to follow 4 stages of life: youth, householder, hermit, holy manSlide31

Ordinary Folks

Most Indians were peasants, artisans, or sweepers

Life was hard, and they had no servants

Bowed to superiors

Performed household and farm tasks

Attended festivals, watched dances, and played diceSlide32

Gupta Decline

Guptas held their domain together for 250 years

There were challenges from the Huns to the north

There were challenges from their own states to the south by 5

th

century C.E.

Skanda Gupta was the last monarch and died in mid-5

th

century C.E.Slide33

The empire fell apart after his death

Chaos followed

Peace finally came to the region in the 13

th

century C.E. under the Delhi SultinateSlide34

Buddhism

Spread to other areas as it declined in India

It developed into 2 schools

Mahayana – emphasized Buddha’s compassion for all beings, and its highest goal was Bodhisattva, the postponing of Nirvana until one has helped all others to reach enlightenmentSlide35

Theravada – emphasized the monastic ideal; focused on the monastic community; work toward a better rebirth and visit various stupas (shrines)

Mahayana spread to Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, & Tibet

Theravada spread to Ceylon, Burma, & parts of S.E. Asia