What inference can you make from studying the map (pg 126) about the Mauryan Dynasty?

The traders tralled to different towns and cities to trade different things froms the towns and cities.

Hinduism and Buddhism spread to SEA

Hinduism
About the 1st century CE, Hinduism came to SEA. It is believed that Hindu priest from India were invited to the courts of ancients SEA rulers to teach India culture. Many historians have conclude that this was because India was considered to be one of the the most advanced civilisations of the ancient world, Ancient SEAsian king thus wanted to learn from the Indians.

Buddhism
Buddhism came to SEA c. 300ce. It was brought by Indian and Chinese traders as well as the Buddhist missionaries who travelled with them.

Impact of Religions

Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam had a great impact on the way the people of Southeast Asia lived. These religions had guided many rulers in the way they governed. Meanwhile, rulers of island Southeast Asia adopted Islam and calles themselves sultans. Their kingdoms were called sultanates.

However, as in ancient China, the people of SEA did not entirely foloow the teachings of their new religions and abandon their older beliefs. Instead, they combined their older beliefs with the teachings of their new religions.

Today, the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam continue to shape the lives of people in SEA. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are countries where the majority of the people are Muslims while the people in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar are mostly Buddhists.

What happened c. 1150 BCE?

The last Shang king, Shang Zhou, committed suicide after his army was defeated by the Zhou people. Legends say that his army betrayed him because they joined the Zhou rebels in a decisive battle that took place.

The classical novel- Fengshui Yanyi is about the war between the Yin and Zhou. Each was favored and supported by one group of gods.

After Yin's collapse, the surviving Yin ruling family collectively changed their surname from their royal Zi (子) to the name of their fallen dynasty, Yin (殷). The family remained aristocratic and often provided needed administrative services to the succeeding Zhou Dynasty. The King Cheng of Zhou, through the Regent, his uncle the Duke Dan of Zhou, enfeoffed the former Shang King Zhou's brother Ziqi (子啟) as the ruler of Wei (微), in the former Shang capital at Shang (商), with the territory becoming the state of Song later in history. The State of Song and the royal Shang descendants maintained rites to the dead Shang kings which lasted until 286 BC.

Both Korean and Chinese legends state that a disgruntled Yin prince named Jizi (箕子), who had refused to cede power to the Zhou, left China with his garrison and founded Gija Joseon, and it would become one of the early Korean states (Go-, Gija-, and Wiman-Joseon).

Many Shang clans migrated northeast and were integrated into Yan culture during the Western Zhou period. These clans maintained an elite status and continued their sacrificial and burial traditions.

(Source: Records of the Grand Historian.)

Religion

The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti." As this god ruled as a supreme god over lesser gods, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places, ancestor worship became a part of the Shang religion. Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors were also a major part of the Shang religion. When a king died, hundreds of slaves and prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him. People were also sacrificed in lower numbers when important events, such as the founding of a palace or temple, occurred.

The Shang king had considerable power over his subjects. Public works were built that needed many people. The capital at Zhengzhou, for instance, had a wall of stamped earth around it that was four miles long and up to 27 feet high in areas. Stamped earth walls were made by pounding thin layers of earth which is within a movable wooden frame. The earth then becomes as hard as cement.

From Google images and Religion at Shang Dynasty

What happened c. 1500 BCE?

There are many possible answers to the rapid end to the Indus Valley Civilisation. It might be the invasion of the Aryan and tried to bomb the area. Maybe there was a crisis like drought, famine, influenza, flood, earthquake and lots more. However, the reason why the Indus Valley Civilisation had to the end is not known, it is still a mystery. Historians are still trying to find more evidence to know the reason why.

From Wikipedia on Aryan invasion theory

Indus Valley Civilisation Writings

Seals or ceramic pots has insriptions that are no more than 4 or 5 characters in length; the longest is 26 characters. But comparative studies have shown that Indus writing evolved into the much later Brahmi script.

The inscriptions are so short, some scholars wonder whether the Indus script fell short of a true writing system. Still, it is possible that longer texts were written in perishable media. Morever, there is one, small piece of evidence suggesting that the script embodies a well-known, widespread, and complex communication system. Evidence has been found that appears to be the remnants of a large sign that was mounted above the gate to the city. It was probably designed to inform travelers of the city's name, analogous to the welcome signs seen today along highways leading to major cities.

From WEBINDIA123.com , File: Triseal.jpg- Wikipedia & Google images.