AP World History                                                       Name _____________________

Aryan and Classical Civilization in India                  Mr. Henderson

 

 

Reading: Bentley, Chapter 4, 96-102

Questions:

 

1. According to the Vedas, what was life like for the Indo-Europeans (Aryans) during the Vedic age?

 

2. How did technology help the Aryans migrate farther south into the Indian subcontinent?

 

3. How did Aryan culture change economically and culturally after their southern migration?

 

 

4. Explain the formation of the Aryan caste system.

 

 

 

 

5. What role did caste distinctions play in Aryan civilization by the late Vedic era?

 

 

 

 

Reading: Bentley, Chapter 9, 213-220

Questions:

 

6. In what way was the imperial government in India not as successful as those in Persia and China?

 

 

7. What role did the invasion of Alexander the Great (Alexander of Macedonia) play in the development of centralized rule in India?

 

 

 

8. How was Ashoka able to establish rule over nearly the entire Indian subcontinent?

 

 

 

9-10. Compare the different ways the Mauryan and Gupta Dynasties were organized. What was the consequence of the political organization of classical India when the Gupta dynasty ended?  What was the consequence of its social organization?