Notes --- 10/14/08 Aryans and Daily Life

  1. Migration and Interaction
  2. The Indus River Valley end is unknown could have been manmade, environmental, or due to invasion
  3. Many historians blame the arrival of a foreign invader
  4. Aryans
  5. Around 2000 BC a group of Indo-Europeans from central Asia moved into the Indus Valley, with one group being Aryans
  6. Moved south across the Hindu Kush mountains range and settled into the plains of northern India
  7. They had a strong warrior tradition
  8. As nomads of the area they came into contact with the Indus population
  9. From 1500 to 1000 BC they moved eastward ending finally at the Deccan Plateau
  10. They extended political control throughout India
  11. The interaction between the Aryans and the Dravidians created a new and unique culture
  12. New way of life
  13. The Aryans would give up the nomadic lifestyle and settled down within India
  14. The introduction of Iron allowed for this to occur faster than usual.
  15. The iron plow and irrigation allowed for people to clear jungles near the Ganges River and convert it to agricultural land
  16. Crops
  17. North --- wheat, barley, and millet
  18. River Valleys --- Rice
  19. South --- grain and vegetables and spices such as peppers, ginger, and cinnamon
  20. Around 1000 BC we see the introduction of Sanskrit
  21. Sanskrit --- an Indo-European language
  22. allowed for the passage of records, legends, and religious chants and rituals that were usually passed down by word of mouth
  23. early writings known as Vedasbetween 1500 BC and 400 BC show that India was a world of small kingdoms
  24. They attacked each other and were controlled by princes or rajas
  25. It wasn’t until the fourth century BC that a leader established a single Indian state
  26. Daily Life in Ancient India
  27. Life was centered on family the ideal was a third generation extended family
  28. Patriarchal since oldest male had legal authority over entire family
  29. Men were the beneficiaries in Indian society
  30. Upper class males didn’t marry until after 12 years of study
  31. Children were expected to take care of parents and in turn were vital to the family
  32. Parents supported daughters till they got married then pay a dowry to the family she married into
  33. The practice of suttee
  34. Suttee --- a wife would throw herself onto a flame of her dead husband’s burning body not a choice, but required
  35. Social Class in Ancient India
  36. Society was divided into four varnas or social groups
  37. The priests who performed religious ceremonies
  38. The warriors
  39. Commoners (merchants and farmers)
  40. Bulk of Indian society here and they were peasants or servants
  41. A rigid social structure would involve into the caste system
  42. Caste system --- ever y Indian was born into a social class defined by family lineage and occupation
  43. Castes were based on beliefs about religious purity
  44. Untouchables--- so bad they don’t even make the caste system not worthy to be a member of society