Section+7-2+Trade+Spreads+Indian+Religions+and+Culture

Key Words:

 * __Mahayana__-The more modern beliefs of Buddhism.
 * __Theravada__-The stricter, older version of Buddhism, also called Hinayana.
 * __Stupas__-Mounded stone structures built over holy relics.
 * __Silk Roads__-A network of caravan routes for trading.

Key People:

 * __Buddha-__god, creator of Buddhism.
 * __Kalidasa__-One of India's greatest authors.
 * __Gupta Empire__-From 320 A.D. to 500 A.D.
 * __Aryabhata__-Indian found out first four decimal point in pi and calculated exact time for the solar year.

Key Terms:

 * Buddhism and Hinduism Changes:**
 * 250 B.C. Hinduism and Buddhism is India's top two religions, Hinduism and the Aryan's polytheistic beliefs mixed, and they were removed from people (Hinduism-priests, Buddhism-difficult for many to follow).


 * A More Popular Form of Buddhism:**
 * Buddha believed Nirvana was peace without desire but with spiritual understanding, his followers had many different translations of this.
 * Buddha didn't want to be worshiped, but ended up being worshiped like a god anyway, others believed that you could become a Buddha (a potential one is called bodhisattvus) and would only be around to help humanity and give up on self-pleasing.
 * 100 A.D. two new sections of Buddhism: Mahayana and Theravada.
 * Artists were inspired-wealthy, merchant Buddhas bought huge Buddha stupas to worship, also built temples from stone that artists would decorate.


 * A Hindu Rebirth:**
 * By Mauryan Empire, Hinduism was so complex, and most practices could only be performed by priests, and so, soon, Hinduism was isolated to just the priests.
 * Still polytheism, but starting to believe in one divine force in the universe, most important: Brahman-creator, Vishnu-preserver, and Shiva-destroyer, Vishnu and Shiva were most popular and worshiped most often.


 * Achievement of Indian Culture:**
 * Around 500 A.D. Indian culture and education changes: now science, art, literature, and maths.


 * Literature and Performing Arts:**
 * Kalidasa wrote the poem Chandra Gupta II, and one of his plays includes //Shakuntala//, most of his plays are emotional and skilfully written.
 * In 200 A.D. Madurai became a center for literacy, there are still about 2,000 Tamil poems from this time period existing.
 * In southern India, groups of actors (girls and boys danced and acted) would travel and perform, most dances still used today were written somewhere between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D.


 * Astronomy, Mathematics, and Medicine:**
 * Trading spread science, sailors brought astronomy, Greek brought time, which brought calendars based of the moon and the sun, a seven day week, and hours.
 * During the Gupta Empire, knowledge on astronomy enhanced, and 1,000 years before Columbus, Indians figured out the world was round by watching a lunar eclipse.
 * Modern numerals, zero, and decimal system invented in India, Aryabhata was a great part in mathematical discovery (look at Key People), and they discovered 1,000 diseases, 500 medical plants, Hindu doctors would perform surgery, plastic surgery, and injections.


 * The Spread of Indian Trade:**
 * Natural resources: spices, diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, and elegant woods. They statrted trading with Africa and the Sumerians around 4,000 years ago, trade expanded around 185 B.C.


 * Overland Trade East and West:**
 * Invaders actually helped India with trading, one group told them about the Silk Roads, which connected them with many more kingdoms and regions.
 * Indians acted as middlemen, buying from China, and selling to Rome for a higher price, so they built stations along the Silk Road.


 * Sea Trade East and West:**
 * Trading along coast routes, brought spices from Southeast Asia, brought goods back from Rome, the Roman government forced money to be given to the government for their uses instead of the public buying Indian goods.
 * Other trading included: Africa-ivory, gold, Arabia-dates, horses, and after 300 A.D. trade with the Chinese and surrounding islands increased after Rome faded away-silk.


 * Effects of Indian Trade:**
 * Trading = banks, including loans, charged with interest, to merchants, varied interest rates, at one point interest for overseas was 240%, but was decreased later on to only 15-20%.
 * Indian culture spread all around Asia when Indians began living abroad (usually merchants).
 * Trading brought religions, the spread of Buddhism and Hinduism, and brought new regions.