Civilization of

Ancient India and

China
 Plan for learning new material:
1. Ancient India. Vedic period.
2. The emergence of Buddhism.
3. Ancient China. The first states.
4. Confucianism and Taoism.
1. ANCIENT INDIA. VEDIC PERIOD.

• The earliest centers of Indian

civilization appeared in the 3rd
millennium B. C. in the valleys of
the Indus and Ganges rivers. The
oldest of them is the Harappan
civilization. From the middle of the
2nd millennium B. C. the
penetration of Aryan tribes into
India begins. The language of the
Indo-Aryans is Sanskrit.
 1. ANCIENT INDIA. VEDIC PERIOD.

• Under the Indo-Aryans, a rigid varna system developed. Varna is a social

stratum that has a clearly defined range of rights, responsibilities, and norms
of behavior. The highest varna is the brahmanas, then the kshatriyas
(warriors), below are the vaishyas (tribal community members). These three
varnas included the Indo-Aryans. The lowest varna - sudras - are not full-
fledged. It was formed from the local population, subordinate to the Aryans.
The division into varnas was sanctified by religion.
 1. ANCIENT INDIA. VEDIC PERIOD.

• The religion of that era was Vedism - a religious system that preceded
Brahmanism and was actually the first stage in the formation of
Hinduism. The Vedas are the main sacred texts. The Vedic religion was
replaced by Brahmanism. Brahmanism is a polytheistic religion. It
justified the division of society into varnas, prescribed the
implementation of dharma - the rules and way of life established by the
gods for the people of each varna.
 1. ANCIENT INDIA.
VEDIC PERIOD.

• In the 4th century. B. C. A large

Mauryan empire arose and lasted for
two centuries. The empire had an
extensive and well-organized
administrative apparatus, covering all
levels of government - from the
central to urban and rural
communities.
2. THE EMERGENCE OF
BUDDHISM.

• Buddhism is a religious and

philosophical doctrine of spiritual
awakening that arose in the middle
of the 1st millennium B. C. in
Ancient India.
Standing Buddha. One of the earliest known
images of Shakyamuni Buddha, 1st-2nd
century A. D. Greco-Buddhist Art, Gandhara
(Tokyo National Museum)
 3. ANCIENT CHINA.
THE FIRST STATES.

• The beginning of ancient Chinese civilization

- the turn of the 3rd - 2nd millennium B. C.
First states: Shan is led by the king-priest.
Western Zhou, then Eastern Zhou. During
this period, the doctrine of “divine kingship”
was developed. Heaven is the highest deity,
and the ruler is the son of Heaven, so the
kingdom itself began to be called the
Celestial Empire.
 3. ANCIENT CHINA. THE FIRST STATES.

• In the middle of the 1st

millennium B. C. of almost two
hundred state entities, less than
three dozen remain. In 221 B. C.
The Qin state subjugated the entire
territory of the “warring
kingdoms.” The Qin Empire
emerged.
 4. CONFUCIANISM AND TAOISM.

• Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical teaching developed by Confucius (553-480

BC) and developed by his followers, which entered the religious complex of China,
Korea, Japan and some other countries. Confucianism is a worldview, social ethics,
political ideology, scientific tradition, way of life, sometimes considered as a philosophy,
sometimes as a religion. Confucianism arose as an ethical, socio-political doctrine
during the Chunqiu period (723 BC - 481 BC) - a time of deep social and political
upheaval in China. During the Han Dynasty, Confucianism became the official state
ideology, and Confucian norms and values became generally accepted.
• Confucius is an ancient thinker and
philosopher of China. His teachings had a
profound influence on life in China and
East Asia, becoming the basis of a
philosophical system. Confucius founded
the first university and systematized the
chronicles compiled in various
principalities. The teachings of Confucius
on the rules of behavior of princes,
officials, warriors and peasants spread in
China as widely as the teachings of
Buddha in India.
The central problems that
Confucianism considers are questions
about the ordering of relations between
rulers and subjects, the moral qualities
that a ruler and a subordinate should
have, etc.
Confucius (drawing from the book “Myths
and Legends of China” - E.T.C. Werner,
1922)
• Taoism is a philosophical and religious
doctrine that developed in China (4th-2nd
centuries BC) and professes the natural path
of moral self-improvement, the search for
immortality. Taoists developed a system of
methods to achieve the essence of “Tao” - a
Lao Tzu is an ancient Chinese philosopher who,
special nature of nutrition, body training, and according to legend, lived simultaneously with
Confucius (VI-V centuries BC) or slightly earlier.
attitude towards love.