1 / 8

12.2 India’s Vedic Age

12.2 India’s Vedic Age. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans. By 1500 BC a new group had moved into the Indus R iver Valley Called themselves Aryans Scholars call them Indo-Aryans (combined their name with their language) Brought their own religion Their religious book are called the Vedas

ezra
Download Presentation

12.2 India’s Vedic Age

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 12.2 India’s Vedic Age

  2. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans • By 1500 BC a new group had moved into the Indus River Valley • Called themselves Aryans • Scholars call them Indo-Aryans (combined their name with their language) • Brought their own religion • Their religious book are called the Vedas • We call this time the Vedic Age

  3. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans • Three theories • Invaders from across the Hindu Kush Mountains • The original inhabitants (Harappa & MohenjoDaro) • Nomads who migrated into India • Followed their herds • Local people adopted their customs and religion • Eventually called themselves Aryans too

  4. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans • The Vedas • They were composed after coming into India • Memorized and chanted by priests • Often called for offerings to their gods • Passed down by word of mouth • Their language was called Sanskrit • Sacred language of their scripture • About 500 BC they learned to write & wrote the Vedas • The Rig Veda • Best known • Praised the Aryan gods • Mostly of natural forces – sun, sky, fire

  5. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans • Aryan Life • The Vedas included much about early life in India • Mostly nomadic herders - large herds = wealth • Took up farming after being taught by local people • Went to battle in chariots • vs others • and themselves • Vedas depicted everyday life – joy, singing and dancing, sorrow, etc.

  6. The Origins of the Indo-Aryans • The Growth of Vedic Civilization • Slowly the civilization grew east toward the Ganges plain • Farms and cities grew • People lived with their clan (people with a common ancestor) • As India grew clans came together in republics • Clan leaders represented each clan • Made decisions in an assembly • In some cases powerful leaders gained control of the republics and made themselves king

  7. The Caste System • People were born into their social station • Remained there for life • Did not mix with other castes • Two Kinds of Caste • Occupation (jatis) • Probably began with families doing one particular type of work • Large groupings or varnas (These are in your vocab) • Men in the 3 highest are considered twice born • Physically • When they learned to read and studied the Vedas

  8. The Caste System • Evolution of the Caste System • Not sure how it started or how it has changed • It took 100’s and even 1000’s of years • It did become India’s social structure • Negative – limited people’s freedom • Positive – gave stability to society and people perfected their skills • Today the caste system is illegal and people can work in any job they are capable of

More Related