Aryans

By: Yihang, En noi, Sichuan

Content
Vedic Reglion

Economic life
Society and political

Vedic Religion
Hinduism & Buddhism

Aryans
Belong to the IndoEuropean group from Central Asia Settled in North-West India at approx. 1500 B.C. From here, they gradually spread east wards across the Gangetic Plains and built large kingdoms throughout much of northern India.

Hinduism
Results from a blending over time of the religious beliefs of the Indus Valley peoples and the Aryan invaders. It is best thought of not as a single religion but as a family of related religions. Bhagavad Gita is the most important text of Hinduism.

Nature of Hinduism:
Important within the idea of reincarnation are the concepts of Dharma and Karma.

Dharma refers to the fulfillment of an individual's appropriate moral duty

All creatures and things on the earth have souls, so all life must be respected. Hindus assert their religion is monotheistic, even though they honor a number of gods, including Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.

Brahma the Creator.

Shiva, the Destroyer

What happen? 600- 321 B.C

527 B.C, Siddhartha Gautama founded the religion of Buddhism, a profoundly influential work of human thought still espoused by much of the world.

Buddhism
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563-483 BC) A northern Indian aristocrat who was troubled by questions concerning the meaning of life and the existence of suffering and death in the world.

His quest lasted six years and involved philosophic meditation and the most extreme forms of asceticism, or bodily self denial.
He became Buddha, or "the Enlightened One.

Character of Buddhism:
Buddha accepted much of traditional Hinduism

The Four Noble Truths are:

1) Sorrow and suffering must be endured by all; 2) suffering and sorrow result from the greedy desire for pleasure and possessions which people cannot have; 3) escape from such suffering and sorrow is achieved by giving up such desires and by reaching a state of mind of "not wanting;" and 4) reaching a state of enlightenment and perfect peace called nirvana by following the Middle Way (the avoidance of worldly pleasure and extreme asceticism), or the Eightfold Path.

Buddhism state religion

Within India itself, Buddhism had a curious history.

In the third century BC, King Ashoka made it the state religion. 321 B.C was the beginning of one India's greatest dynasties, the Maurya. Under the great king Ashoka (268-31 BC)

Conclusion
Although Buddhism would spread its influence across south and East Asia, it would nearly die out in its homeland of India. This was because the Brahmins would adopt many of Buddhism's ideas and fuse them with their own practices and the pre-Aryan polytheistic beliefs of the people.

Economic life: their occupations

Agriculture Discovery of Iron Domestication of animals

Trade
Other occupations and Industries

Agriculture
Progressed and prospered economically Agriculture was the chief means of

livelihood. Fields cultivated by a pair of oxen. Agricultural products barley, wheat, rice, cotton, oilseeds Source of irrigation water wells, canals, sometimes from lakes People depended upon rains

Discovery of Iron
Different rulers equipped their armies with

different weapons such as swords, shields, arrow-heads, spear-heads etc.- laid the foundation of vast empires. Iron was suited better for making tools & weapons compared to copper or bronze Iron was used in making axe-heads used for clearing jungles and making land fit for cultivation

Discovery of Iron
Led to the development of various

arts & crafts like carpentry, blacksmithy, tannery etc. Iron tools helped sculptor in creating exquisite specimens of sculptures and rock-cut temples. Other products made were sickles, hoes, plough-heads

Domestication of animals Domestication of animals was

another important occupation Wealth and prosperity depended on the possession of a large number of animals [especially cows. ] Other animals domesticated bulls, oxen, horses, sheep, goats, asses, & dogs.

Trade
They were not indifferent to trade &

commerce. Cow was regarded as the standard of value. Coinage known as Nishka was also prevalent. Barter System Exchange of articles in vogue. Sea-borne trade was carried on by the Aryans.

Other occupations and Industries

Indulged in many other professions &

occupations; goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, leather's, potters & physicians.

Aryan society. Vedic period

Society

Aryans are made up of many different tribes which developed while retaining a certain identity, habits, behaviours from their predecessors. They adopted the settled agricultural lifestyle of their predecessors. Eventually at around 600 BC. Republics and Monarchies were formed.

Aryan society. Vedic period

Society
Class differentiation between those who ruled or those who laboured Another division of society which cuts across simple class structure Family was the most important social unit ( Rigveda has many hymn which describes the family) Eventually at around 600 BC. Republics and Monarchies were formed.

Aryan society. Vedic period

Society
Boxing and wrestling (entertainment for low-castes) Archery was popular with higher classes

Popular festivals (Festival of Spring). Even respectable people forget their castes. *
Gambling, Board games played with dices

Vegetarianism became widespread under Ashoka and the 2 religion.

Clothes were simple but ornaments were complex(compare to present)

Aryans of the Republics

They occupied the foothills of Himalayans. Vedic orthodoxy meant that republics were maintaining and older tribal tradition compared to monarchies Birth place of a Buddhism and Jainism

Aryans of the Monarchies

Influenced by the Persian ideas during the 486465 BC because Indian mercenaries were involved in the battle. Conflict between rising new ideas not only religious but philosophical ideas.

Aryans of the Monarchies

Growth of towns Expansion of artisan class, each guild inhabited a certain area. Artisans work together and had a close-knit relationship. In most cases the sons followed the fathers profession.

Debatable social issues

1. When the Aryans came and intermingle

with the Dravidians, what pushed the Dravidians towards south? Was it an invasion? Or was it a slow societal process where one group of people gets sidelined and forced to move away.
2. Many sources mention that Aryans used

chariots to conquer the land. By conquer, do they mean war or simply moving in and staying with the with the Dravidians.

References
Thapar, Romila (2004) Early India: from origins to AD 1300, pp.50-69. University of California Press.

Habib, I., Thakur, V, K. (2003) The Vedic Age and the coming of Iron. New Delhi: Tulika. Pp.3-20