Early Indus Civilizations
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Early Indus Civilizations The Aryans & the Vedic Age
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Early Indus Civilizations. The Aryans & the Vedic Age. Aryan Migration. Group that moved into the Indus Valley and eventually ruled over all of India Approx. 2000 B.C. Aryan Migration. Aryans were warlike people Believed to come from Central Asia. n. Aryan Migration. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Early Indus Civilizations
Early Indus Civilizations
The Aryans & the Vedic Age
Aryan Migration
• Group that moved into the Indus Valley and eventually ruled over all of India
• Approx. 2000 B.C.
Aryan Migration
• Aryans were warlike people
• Believed to come from Central Asia
• n
Aryan Migration
• Aryans were pastoralists– Nomadic people kept herds of
livestock as food source
• learned farming after moving into India
• Were taller and lighter skinned than the people in the Indus Valley
Sanskrit
• Written language used by the Aryans
The Vedic Period• Most of what we know
about the early Aryan period comes from the Vedas
• Vedas – Scared writings,
Epic poems, hymns, magic spells
– Passed on by oral tradition
– Provide details about Aryan history and society
Vedic Society
• Vedas tell us that:– Aryans lived in smaller villages than
Harappans– Villages came together under the
rule of Rajas•War chiefs•Protected the people in return for food
and money
Vedic Religion
• Polythesitic– Worshipped many gods
connected to a single eternal spirit
• Priests performed rituals that they claimed kept order in the universe – Fire sacrifices – Chanting hymns
Vedic Social Structure
• Rig Veda – Oldest of the Vedas– Describes the creation of the four varnas– Each varna had played a specific role in society
• Brahmins– Priests and teachers
• Kshatriyas– warriors and rulers
• Vaisyas– Traders, farmers, herders
• Sudras– Servants
The mouth?
The arms?
The legs?
The feet?
WHO IS…
BrahminsBrahmins
KshatriyasKshatriyas
VaishyasVaishyas
ShudrasShudras
Varna (Social Hierarchy)
ShudrasShudras(servants, laborers) (servants, laborers)
VaishyasVaishyas(herders, farmers, (herders, farmers,
merchants, craftspeople)merchants, craftspeople)
KshatriyasKshatriyas
(warriors)(warriors)
UntouchablesUntouchables
BrahminsBrahmins(priests)(priests)
Non-Aryans
Untouchables• Did not belong to a caste• No protections of caste laws• Could not associate with other
castes• Could only perform jobs that
other castes did not • Handling dead animals • Digging graves• Handling trash
The Caste System
• The varnas were the basis for the caste system
• Castes– Determined what:
• jobs you could have•Who you could marry•Who you could eat with
– Some castes had more privileges than others
