Chapter Overviews

Chapter 3: India and China, 3000 B.C.-A.D. 500

Chapter Overviews

Chapter 3 describes the challenges ancient Indian and Chinese rulers faced as they sought to build large empires. It also discusses the emergence of major religions and philosophies.

Section 1 Early Civilizations in India
As early as 3000 B.C., an advanced civilization known as the Indus, or Harappan, civilization emerged along the Indus River valley. It was based around two well-planned cities that provided inhabitants with a sewage system and other public works. The Harappan kings claimed to rule with divine assistance. Indo-European nomads known as Aryans migrated into India around 1500 B.C. The Aryans brought Hinduism, the caste system, and eventually the Sanskrit written language with them. In the sixth century B.C., a doctrine called Buddhism appeared. It founder, Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), rejected the Hindu belief in multiple deities as well as the rigid caste system. Instead, the Buddha preached his Four Noble Truths, emphasizing the need to search for wisdom as a way to end suffering and achieve nirvana.

Section 2 New Empires in India
Candragupta Maurya came to power in India in 324 B.C., a few years after Alexander the Great reached India's borders. The Mauryan dynasty was the first to rule a centralized Indian Empire. Asoka, considered the greatest ruler in India's history, converted to Buddhism, was a kind ruler, and greatly expanded the Mauryan Empire's prosperity. The Kushan, in what is now Afghanistan, replaced the Mauryan dynasty in the first century A.D. The Kushans prospered due to trade along the 4,000-mile Silk Road, a branch of which passed through their territory. After Persian invaders toppled the Kushans, the Guptas established a new Indian dynasty in A.D. 320. The Guptas created a golden age of Indian culture. Architecture flourished, and the development of Sanskrit made it possible for Indians to record their great epics. Indians also advanced the study of astronomy and mathematics. Their advances were later adopted in the Arab world and in Europe.

Section 3 Early Chinese Civilizations
Historians traditionally consider the founding of the Xia dynasty 4,000 years ago as the beginning of Chinese civilization. It was replaced by the Shang dynasty, in which aristocratic warlords helped govern the vast kingdom while peasants farmed the land. The Zhou, successors to the Shang, claimed to rule by a Mandate of Heaven. Irrigation and improved farming methods led to increased food production. The population grew, and manufacturing and trade increased. The Zhou dynasty collapsed after powerful states equipped with cavalry and advanced weapons emerged within the kingdom. Toward the end of the Zhou dynasty, three major Chinese philosophies developed. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism focused on the immediate world and offered alternative paths to an orderly society.

Section 4 Rise and Fall of Chinese Empires
From about 400 B.C. to 200 B.C., powerful Chinese states engaged in bloody civil war. Qin Shihuangdi eventually defeated his rivals and declared himself leader of the new Qin dynasty. He adopted Legalism as his guiding principle, and political power became more centralized and bureaucratic. Qin created a monetary system and built a vast network of roads. He also expanded the empire and started the building of the Great Wall of China. Civil war broke out against after Qin's death. Under the Han dynasty, China became more stable. Han emperors adopted Confucianism instead of Legalism, yet they kept many of Qin's bureaucratic practices. New inventions such as paper and steel brought prosperity. Advances in shipbuilding led to overseas trade. Many free peasants did not share in the prosperity, however, and were forced to sell their land and become tenant farmers. Peasant uprisings, along with political intrigue, helped bring about the end of the Han dynasty in A.D. 220.