SOUTH ASIA:

HISTORY
7 April 2017
Objectives: Students
will
Describe the history of South Asia.

Bellwork: Open your book to Chapter 23

sec 1 and find the first three dates for the
timeline. What are they? Are they all BCE
or CE?
Culture / History Packet

Self check in class

South Asia Timeline
Early History
c. 2500 BCE Indus River Civilization
(mod. Pakistan)
Planned cities (streets, sewers, plumbing)
with brick architecture
Writing system
1700-1500 BCE began to decline as the
flow of the Indus chnged course
Early History

1500 BCE Aryans (northern part of

region)
Spoken Language: Sanskrit became a
writing system
Wrote the Vedas became the basis for
Hinduism
Early History

500s BCE Buddhism arises

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (The
Buddha)
Buddha = Enlightened One
Early History

c. 300 BCE - Mauryan Empire arises

Ruler Asoka unites most of the
subcontinent
NOTE: subcontinent is often how this
region is referred to because it is SUB
(below) most of the continent
c. 260 BCE Asoka becomes Buddhist and
sends out missionaries, but allows people
to choose their own religion
Early History

320 CE Chandragupta I founds the Gupta

Empire
Southern part of region
Increase in trade led to information
exchange (flourishing knowledge in
science, math, medicine, arts)
Our numerals 1-9 come from the
developments in the Gupta Empire
Modern Period

Early 1500s CE Moguls (Muslim warriors)

formed an empire in the region
Akbar = greatest leader ; expanded land,
lowered taxes, supported the arts, treated
people fairly
Later Moguls taxed heavily and led to decline
Modern Period

1600s East India Trading Company

arrives in India British begin to build
trading posts along the coastline
1700s Mogul empire begins to decline
1700s - 1800s British empire takes
control of the subcontinent with trade and
military
Ruled by the British East Trading Company
Modern History British
Rule Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
- Schools - Cheap British textiles
- Infrastructure ruined the local textile
(railroads, bridges, industry
ports) - Few advances in
- Telegraph healthcare high
- Postal service death rates, low life
expectancy
Modern History

Late 1800s Series of famines

Early 1900s Bad conditions lead Indians
to start Independence movement
Mohandas Gandhi encouraged nonviolent
civil disobedience and boycotts
Major fear that the majority (Hindus) would
treat Muslims poorly
Modern History

1947 The British divide the region into

two countries:
India for the Hindus
Pakistan for the Muslims; had East and
West parts
Hindus flee to India and Muslims flee to
Pakistan
Fighting between the groups erupts
Modern History
1948 Ceylon (mod. Sri Lanka) gains
independence from the British
1965 Maldives becomes independent
1971 East Pakistan declares
independence becomes Bangladesh
1983 Civil War in Sri Lanka Tamil people
want self rule
1996 Communist rebels fight Nepalese
government
2002 - Sri Lankans have peace talks
2006 Nepals king gives up some powers
2008 Nepalese monarchy ends;
communists join the government
End of Class

Objectives: Students will

Describe the history of South Asia.

Homework: None.