Transcript The Aryans
The Aryans Aryans left homeland about 2000 B.C. & migrated to Indus River Valley – 1500 B.C. Aryans •Lived in grassland of the Black & Caspian Seas •Indo-Europeans •Herded cattle, goats, and sheep •Tamed the horse •Developed chariot Aryan Life •Lived in houses of bamboo or wood •Left poetic records – the Vedas Vedas • A collection of hymns and poems • Passed on through oral tradition • Main source of information about Aryan life Vedic Period •Period from 1500-600 B.C. •4 Vedas •Rig-Veda is oldest collection •Written in Sanskrit Aryan Religion •Brought new religion with them •Worshipped many gods •Priests sacrificed food and drink to gods in sacred fires Aryan Social System: Made up of 4 varnas • Priests or Brahmins: performed religious rituals • Rulers & warriors: ruled and protected society • Merchants & farmers: supplied food clothing and other goods • Servants Only males from top three classes could study the Vedas Social Sub-groups •Sub-groups were called Jatis •Person was born into Jatis and remained there for entire life Caste System •Caste System developed as a result of classes •Caste: a unit into which a person is born and cannot change Aryans were concerned with ritual cleanliness and ranked jobs according to purity. Untouchables •One who falls outside the Hindu social system •Performed dirtiest tasks such as dealing with dead bodies Vedic Religion •Brahman had three roles: creator, sustainer, and destroyer •These roles evolved into three different gods Three roles three gods •Brahma – creator •Vishnu – sustainer •Shiva - destroyer Brahma Vishnu Shiva Accomplishments of the Aryans •New language •New gods •New social order The Aryan religion evolved into Hinduism!