India

** ESPIRIT Chart ** You must include main ideas and details in each category
 * 1) ESPIRIT on Classical India[[file:ESPIRIT India.doc]]

Civilization/Nation/Group _Classical India

Time Period1000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E

Caste system: brahmins at the top, warriors, skilled and merchants, ordinary ||  Silk road: interaction with China  India did not look for the political domination over other territories, they let themselves in, by marriage for example, and bring a persuasive way of life to the kingdoms of Burma, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.  The art forms also were influence in other parts of Asia.  Buddhism spread from India to many other parts of southeast Asia.  Within Indians: castes were the base of the social structure.  They made marriage arrangements for the children, to ensure solid economic links. ||  Astronomy advances: Aryabhatta calculated the length of the solar year, improved mathematical measurements, and gave an accurate measure of the circumference of the earth  Mathematics advances: the number system we still use nowadays, concept of zero, decimal system, negative numbers, square roots, and value of pi    Agricultural technologies that reduced women’s contributions  New uses for chemistry: produced the best steel  Techniques in textiles allowed them to manufacture cotton cloth, calico, and cashmere ||
 * E || · The tamils earned fortunes tradeing overseas · Trade with malaysia and indonesia · Caravan trade with china (silk road) · Imported pottery, wine, metals, slaves, gold, animals and manufactured goods · Exported cotton, silkd, dyes, drugs, gold, ivory · India spread their culture thorugh other parts of the world: buddhims spreads on this road · More international trade ||
 * S || · Male supremacy: patriarchy · There were arranged marriages · Cities along the southern coast were usually larger · Indian peasants were not as restricted · Untouchables: bottom of society (chinese counterparst: mean) ·
 * P || · Ruled by regions · Its focus was ruling by religion and social classes · Did not have a uniform code law ||
 * I || · “law of love” kamasutra · Calculated the circumference of the earth ||
 * R || · Hinduism and buddhism · Development of scientific inquiry · Worshiped many different gods: polytheism · Buddhism was against the caste system that hinduism promoted ||
 * I ||   Interactions with other people: based mainly on trade. The merchants had the opportunity to travel widely, therefore could get acquainted with other groups and places.
 * T ||   Nalanda was the university center: over a hundred lecture halls, three large libraries, an astronomical observatory

__India and China: comparison summary __

INDIA AND CHINA: TECHNOLOGIES AND INTERACTIONS, SOMETHING IN COMMON?

Indian and Chinese civilizations developed almost at the same time, and pretty close to one another. Both civilizations created solid structures, allowing them to leave a legacy that we still see nowadays. Despite the closeness of their territories, they had several differences in the way they interacted with other people and within themselves. China developed a kind of isolation. Chinese did not have the desire nor the need to learn from other societies, nor to teach the rest of the world about their philosophies or how they lived. However, they did have some contact with India, through the silk road, which was a very important trade route that connected China with other parts of Asia. And it also received some influence from the Buddhism coming from India. Indian interactions were quite different from Chinese. Their interactions with other civilizations was based mainly on trade, through the merchants who had the opportunity to travel widely. Buddhism was the philosophy that the most spread through their connections with other people. About new territories, China cared about more gaining political domination over them, whereas India cared about the spreading of their way of life. They developed different technologies, also. Chinese had advances in tools for agriculture, while India had advances in tools for the processing of textiles.

__India terms__

Summary India was a civilization that developed during the classical period. Its economy was based mostly on great international trade. Its vast relationships of trade, allowed India to spread its philosophies and religions in parts of the Middle East and China. India's social structure was based on the caste system. The caste would determine an individual's occupation, and who with he may marry to. The castes were strict, and interactions within castes were not allowed. Its political system was not centralized like China's, but it was regional. It was based on religion and social classes, the upper classes were the ones in charge. India's major religions were Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism was the religion that benefitted specially the upper classes, and was for the caste system. However, Buddhism was against the social inequality which Hinduism promoted, although they both agreed in the existence of a divine force that must in which everything else turns around. In interactions, India used trade as the way to get to know about other socieities, and share the Indian llife style and ideas. They also developed technologies that helped to improve its processing of textiles.