Transcript Early Societies in South Asia

Early Societies in South Asia
Chapter 4
Harappan Society
• c. 3000/2500 BCE – 1900 BCE - Dravidian people
• Indus River Valley: agriculture -> pop. -> cities
– Limited evidence: early remains inaccessible and
writing is undeciphered
– 2 major cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, plus
smaller cities
– Political organization –
city-states??
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
• City walls, citadel, large granary (taxes??),
marketplaces, temples, public bldgs., gridded
streets, sewer system, pool
• Standardized weights and measures, architectural
styles, brick sizes
• Trade: long distance and local
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
• Social classes: no palaces, but variation in house
size and decor
• Beliefs??: representational art on seals, fertility
(mother goddess and horned fertility god, sacred
nature)
• Proto-Hindu??
Harappan Decline
• C. 1900 BCE
• Cause unclear, but:
– Ecological degradation (deforestation, erosion,
drought)
– Natural catastrophes (flooding, earthquakes)
• By 1500 BCE, gone, but live on in Hindu culture
The Indo-European Migrations and
Early Aryan India
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c. 1500 BCE: Aryans begin migrating into N. India
Pastoral (horse culture, cattle = wealth)
Clashes with the Dravidians and other Aryans
Formed chiefdoms with rajas
Spread E and S, to Ganges:
pop. grew -> cities and became
regional kingdoms or states
with councils
Caste and Varna
• Social stratification developed gradually based on
occupation (plus skin color)
– Early – 4 varnas:
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Brahmin (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors)
Vaishyas (merchants, farmers)
Shudras (serfs)
More about Castes
• Subcastes (jatis) formed with specialization
• Ate together and intermarried, had specified
behavior
• Not completely rigid but allowed degree of social
stability
The Development of Patriarchal
Society
• Men dominated early on
• Only men could inherit property, rule the family
• Women were illiterate; function = housekeeping
and child-bearing (Law Book of Manu); practice of
sati (suttee)
Religion in the Vedic Age
• Aryan Religion:
– Oral literature in Sanskrit (sacred lang.) = Vedas (Rig
Veda) – hymns to gods (Indra = chief god, war)
– Ritual sacrifices performed to please the gods (animal
slaughter, chanting priests, hallucinating worshippers)
– Later, sacrifices stopped; some left to become hermits
The Blending of Aryan and Dravidian
Values
• The Upanishads: dialogues
– Universal soul (Brahman) is permanent and
unchanging (unlike this life)
• Doctrines:
– Samsara: temporary place for souls
– Karma: behavior determines rebirth
– Moksha: permanent liberation from this cycle through
asceticism and meditation
Religion in Vedic Society
• Doctrines reinforce social order (caste system)
and world view
• Encouraged ethical behavior, personal integrity,
and respect for all living things (-> vegetarianism)