A Comparison of the Values ​​of Classical India, China, and PersiaDuring the era known as the age of classical civilizations, there occurred numerous notable changes in many civilizations and city-states around the world. In India, China and Persia in particular, one could see the influence of religion and philosophy on the political and social structure of the time. In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular provides two sources of support regarding the social structure of the time. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to the Rig Veda when Purusha's body was divided “his mouth became the brahmin; his two arms were transformed into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By dividing the body in this way, there was justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or the Brahmins were the priests, also known as the purest. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which reflects the fact that they were his mouth. The next higher division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to fight which reflected the fact that they were the arms of Purusha. The artisan/farmer or the middle class were known as vaisya. In this class, the members represented the role of Purusha thighs, who were responsible for carrying out the heaviest or toughest jobs in the society. The lowest social class was that of the sudras, who were servants and servants. They represented Pursha's feet, which reflects their lower class status. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as written guidance for the varnas. These works urged the concept of making... middle of paper ......or the practice of other religions throughout his empire because his religion allowed him to be a more moral and righteous leader. However, Darius firmly believed in punishing evildoers. This can be seen from the inscription on the relief above the Royal Road, which stated that “The Lies made them rebellious, so that these [men] deceived the people. Afterwards Ahuramazda placed them in my hands; as was my desire, so have I done unto them (Primary Source, 131)”. This supports the idea that Zoroastrianism created benevolent but firm political dignitaries. In conclusion, while there were many changes that occurred throughout the world during the Classical Era period, the most widespread changes took place in India, China, and Persia. These changes implied that religion and philosophy were means of justifying the class, gender, and political roles of citizens.