DSMgrA04 History of India in Antiquity

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2016
Extent and Intensity
2/2. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Zdeněk Štipl (lecturer), Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D. (deputy)
doc. PhDr. Jarmila Bednaříková, CSc. (alternate examiner)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jarmila Bednaříková, CSc.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Monday 14:10–17:25 A21
Prerequisites (in Czech)
!(OBOR(DST) && TYP_STUDIA(B))
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course offers an overview of ancient Indian history for students of non-Indology majors. The respective expositions of classes mostly follow the chronological line of political history and its significant periods, however, the development of culture and religion in ancient India is also presented.
Syllabus
  • 1. Historiography of ancient India; the Aryan migration and characteristics of the Vedic period.
  • 2. The riddle of the term “Hinduism”; the Vedic religion – mythology and ritual in the world of the Aryans.
  • 3. Early states – mahajanapadas, the age of Buddha.
  • 4. The thrive of religious heterodoxy, the crucial concepts of Upanishads – karman, samsara, atman.
  • 5. The birth and development of Buddhism and Jainism.
  • 6. The expedition of Alexander the Great, ancient Greece discovers India, later development of mutual relations.
  • 7. The first Indian empire under the Mauryas, emperor Ashoka and the idea of Indian secularism.
  • 8. Two great Hindu Epics – Mahabharata and Ramayana, their significance for later development.
  • 9. The turn of the era – arrival of new ethnic groups (Sakas, Parthians, Kushanas) and birth of new states (Satavahanas, Kalinga, Western Kshatrapas).
  • 10. Sanskrit – its significance for Indian culture and civilization; classical literature of ancient India.
  • 11. Development of politics, culture and society under the Guptas – “Golden Age” of Indian civilization.
  • 12. Religious turn to theism – victory of bhakti, Puranic Hinduism and the world of its mythology.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • - HALBFASS, W., India and Europe, An Essay in Philosophical Understanding. State University of New York Press, Albany 1988, kap. 1.
  • - THAPAR, R., The Penguin History of Early India. Penguin Books, New Delhi 2001.
  • - BASHAM, A.L., The Wonder that was India. Lightning Source Incorporated, New York 1959.
  • STRNAD, Jaroslav. Dějiny Indie. Vyd. 1., dopl. [i.e. 2. vyd. Praha: NLN, Nakladatelství Lidové noviny, 2008, 1187 s. ISBN 9788071066309. info
  • ZBAVITEL, Dušan. Bohové s lotosovýma očima : hinduistické mýty v indické literatuře tří tisíciletí. Vyd. 2. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1997, 455 s. ISBN 8070212152. info
  • KNIPE, David M. Hinduismus : experimenty s posvátnem. Vyd. 1. Praha: Prostor, 1997, 228 s. ISBN 8085190575. info
  • ZBAVITEL, Dušan and Jaroslav VACEK. Průvodce dějinami staroindické literatura. Vyd. 1. Třebíč: Arca JiMfa, 1996, 537 s. ISBN 80-85766-34-5. info
  • ZBAVITEL, Dušan. Starověká Indie. 1. vyd. Praha: Panorama, 1985, 292 s. URL info
  • FILIPSKÝ, Jan and Jaroslav VACEK. Ašóka. 1. vyd. Praha: Svoboda, 1970, 236 s. URL info
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
written test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2015, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2016, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2016/DSMgrA04