Transcript Slide 1

Nov. 17, 2006
Hindus in eastern India Friday
started more than a thousand
fires in a mass ancient ritual that
organizers said would help "fight
diseases", but activists warned of
environmental damage. Hundreds
of priests chanted verses from
Hindu scriptures and tons of wood
and herbs were poured into more
than a thousand pits for the mass
"yagna" or a fire ceremony to
please gods on the outskirts of
eastern Kolkata city.
A group of Brahmins ca. 1910.
Raja
warrior
Merchants bringing fruit into town.
India’s “untouchables”
1. What language did the Aryans
speak?

The Aryans spoke Sanskrit.
2. Where were the Aryans from?

The Aryans were from the grasslands of
Eastern Europe.
3. What two achievements made the
Aryans successful nomads?
1.
2.
Tamed horses
Two-wheeled chariots- fast and
sturdy
* They also had
stronger metal
weapons and were
skilled warriors.
4. What is migration? Name one possible
reason the Aryans began migrating
around 2000 B.C.





Migration- The movement of people to new
surroundings.
Possible reasons for migrating:
Ran out of good grazing pasture for their herds.
Increase in population, decrease in space.
Disease.
Attacked by invaders.
5. Which mountain range did the
Aryans cross to get into India?
Hindu Kush
6. Which route did the Aryans possibly
take to get through these
mountains?

The Aryans possibly took the Khyber
Pass through the Hindu Kush.
7. What are the Vedas? Why were they
so important to Aryan culture?
The Vedas are a
collection of
sacred hymns and
poems.
 They are important
because they were
passed down for
generations by oral
tradition, and thus
they preserved the
Aryan culture.

8. What did the Indus Valley people
teach the Aryans?

The Indus Valley people taught the Aryans
how to grow grains like wheat and
barley.
9. Describe two features of Aryan
religion.
1.
Worshiped gods who had the
power over the forces of nature.
2.
Indra was one of most powerful
gods. Indra was the god of war and a
thrower of thunderbolts.
10. What did people burn in their fire
sacrifices and what were they hoping
to gain?
People burned
animals, milk, butter,
vegetable cakes, or
grains.
 In exchange for their
sacrifice they prayed
for things like more
sons, cattle,
happiness, and
universal harmony.

11. What were the first three classes
in Aryan society?
1.
2.
3.
Raja
Ruler (raja) and his warriors
Priests (Brahmins)
commoners
warriors
priests- brahmins
commoners
12. Why did the Aryans value their
social class?


They valued their social class because
they believed it helped to bring
harmony and order to society.
Video clip “Aryans, 3000 years ago.” (youtube)
AKA:
It kept people under control and in their “place.”
The poor stayed poor and powerless while the rich
stayed rich and powerful.
It also made sure there was somebody to do every job,
even the “filthy” jobs. Thus, it kept the economy
strong.
13. Why did new groups (castes)
evolve in the social class?

New castes evolved as people
learned new jobs. Ex: ivory-maker
caste and spice-seller caste are within the
merchant class.
Ivory
elephant
carving
Indian
spices
14. What are three things that remain
today of Aryan ways?
1.
Language- Sanskrit influenced Hindi
2.
Caste System
3.
The Vedas, religion