Early Civilizations of India

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Early Civilizations of India
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Dravidians

• people of Southern India who may be descended
  from the ancient Indus River Valley settlers
• video

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Aryans more correctly Indo-Aryans

• Migrated into South Asia from north of Black and
  Caspian Seas
• Linguistic family not a race
• Nomadic herders
• Skillful warriors iron weapons, archers,
  chariots
• May have contributed to collapse of Indus Valley
  Civilization
• City-states ruled by rajah

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The Nomadic Indo-Aryans

• Around 1750 BC?Indo-Aryans appeared
• Tribes of the Indo-European peoples
• Came from north of the Black and Caspian Seas
• Crossed the Hindu Kush Mountains into northwest
  India
• Drawn into this area due to the rich pasturelands
• Were sheep and cattle herders as well as skilled
  warriors
• The word for war meant a desire for more cows
• Armies of archers and charioteers enabled the
  Indo-Aryans to conquer all of northern India

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Influenced Indian Culture

• Long lasting effects of Indo-Aryans
• village life
• Religion
• social structure

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Village Life

• Farming and herding
• Value on cattle
• governing

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Indo-Aryan Societies (Government)

• Gave up nomadic ways and lived in settlements
• Settlements were joined to form small independent
  states or territories who were governed by a raja
  (chief).
• Raja
• Military leader, lawmaker, and judge
• Had a royal council

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Vedas

• oral religious traditions of the Indo-Aryans
• 4 Vedas oldest Rig Veda
• Eventually recorded in Sanskrit (written language
  developed by Indo-Aryans)
• Basis of Hinduism (long lasting effect)

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Varna

• Sanskrit meaning color created a complex system
  of social order
• Social structure and classes of the Indo-Aryans
• Brahmins priest
• Kshatriyas warriors
• Vaisyas land owners, merchants, herders
• Sudras servants, peasants
• evolved into caste (long lasting effect)
• Caste rigid system of social ranking by birth

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Indo-Aryan Societies (Social Life)

• Complex system of social orders
• Indo-Aryans? nomadic people who were light
  skinned
• Earlier settlers?lived in settled communities and
  were dark skinned
• Please remember this for later on!! It will be
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• Warriors and priests were at the top of the
  social structure.
• Merchants, traders, farmers, and servants were
  below them.
• Marriage
• Elaborate rules government marriage among the
  different orders
• Parent-arranged marriage was favored
• Marriage by purchase, by capture, and by mutual
  consent was recognized

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