Aryans Final

8/2/2019 Aryans Final

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AryansBy: Yihang, En noi, Sichuan


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Content

Vedic Reglion

Economic lifeSociety and political


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Vedic ReligionHinduism & Buddhism


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AryansBelong to the Indo-

European group from

Central Asia

Settled in North-West India

at approx. 1500 B.C.From here, they

gradually spread east

wards across the

Gangetic Plains andbuilt large kingdoms

throughout much of

northern India.


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Hinduism

Results from a blending over time of the religious

beliefs of the Indus Valley peoples and the Aryan

invaders. It is best thought of not as a single religion

but as a family of related religions.

Bhagavad Gita is the most important text of

Hinduism.


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Nature of Hinduism:Important within the idea of reincarnation are the concepts ofDharma and Karma.

Dharma refers to the fulfillment of an individual's appropriate

moral duty

All creatures and things on the earth have souls, so all life must be

respected.

Hindus assert their religion is monotheistic, even though they

honor a number of gods, including Brahma the Creator, Vishnu thePreserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.


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Brahma the Creator.


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Shiva, the Destroyer


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What happen? 600- 321 B.C

527 B.C, Siddhartha

Gautama founded the

religion of Buddhism, a

profoundly influential

work of human thought

still espoused by much

of the world.


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BuddhismFounder: Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563-483

BC)

A northern Indian aristocrat who was

troubled by questions concerning the

meaning of life and the existence of

suffering and death in the world.

His quest lasted six years and involved

philosophic meditation and the most

extreme forms of asceticism, or bodily self

denial.

He became Buddha, or "the Enlightened

One.


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Character of Buddhism:Buddha accepted much of traditional Hinduism

The Four Noble Truths are:

1) Sorrow and suffering must be endured by all;

2) suffering and sorrow result from the greedy desire forpleasure and possessions which people cannot have;

3) escape from such suffering and sorrow is achieved by giving

up such desires and by reaching a state of mind of "notwanting;" and

4) reaching a state of enlightenment and perfect peace callednirvana by following the Middle Way (the avoidance of worldly

pleasure and extreme asceticism), or the Eightfold Path.


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Buddhism state religionWithin India itself, Buddhism had acurious history.

In the third century BC, King Ashoka

made it the state religion. 321 B.C was

the beginning of one India's greatest

dynasties, the Maurya. Under the

great king Ashoka (268-31 BC)


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Conclusion

Although Buddhism would spread its influence across

south and East Asia, it would nearly die out in its

homeland of India.

This was because the Brahmins would adopt many of

Buddhism's ideas and fuse them with their own

practices and the pre-Aryan polytheistic beliefs of the

people.


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Economic life: their

occupationsAgriculture

Discovery of Iron

Domestication of animals

Trade

Other occupations and

Industries


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Agriculture

Progressed and prospered economicallyAgriculture was the chief means of

livelihood.

Fields cultivated by a pair of oxen.Agricultural products barley, wheat,

rice, cotton, oilseeds

Source of irrigation water

wells, canals,sometimes from lakes

People depended upon rains


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Discovery of Iron

Different rulers equipped their armies withdifferent weapons such as swords, shields,

arrow-heads, spear-heads etc.- laid the

foundation of vast empires.Iron was suited better for making tools &

weapons compared to copper or bronze

Iron was used in making axe-heads used

for clearing jungles and making land fit for

cultivation


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Discovery of IronLed to the development of various

arts & crafts like carpentry, black-smithy, tannery etc.

Iron tools helped sculptor in creatingexquisite specimens of sculpturesand rock-cut temples.

Other products made were sickles,hoes, plough-heads


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Domestication of

animalsDomestication of animals wasanother important occupation

Wealth and prosperity dependedon the possession of a largenumber of animals [especiallycows. ]

Other animals domesticated bulls,oxen, horses, sheep, goats, asses,& dogs.


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TradeThey were not indifferent to trade &

commerce.

Cow was regarded as the standard of

value.Coinage known as Nishka was also

prevalent.

Barter System Exchange of articles invogue.

Sea-borne trade was carried on by theAryans.


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Other occupations andIndustries

Indulged in many other professions &occupations;

goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers,leather's, potters & physicians.


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Aryan society. Vedic period

Aryans are made up of many different tribes whichdeveloped while retaining a certain identity, habits,

behaviours from their predecessors.

They adopted the settled agricultural lifestyle of theirpredecessors.

Eventually at around 600 BC. Republics and

Monarchies were formed.

Society


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Class differentiation between those who ruled or thosewho laboured

Another division of society which cuts across simpleclass structure

Family was the most important social unit ( Rigveda hasmany hymn which describes the family)

Eventually at around 600 BC. Republics andMonarchies were formed.

Society


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Boxing and wrestling (entertainment for low-castes)

Archery was popular with higher classesPopular festivals (Festival of Spring). Even respectablepeople forget their castes. *

Gambling, Board games played with dices

Vegetarianism became widespread under Ashoka and the2 religion.

Clothes were simple but ornaments were complex(compare

to present)

Society


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Aryans of the Republics

They occupied the foothills of Himalayans.

Vedic orthodoxy meant that republics weremaintaining and older tribal tradition compared to

monarchies

Birth place of a Buddhism and Jainism


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Aryans of the Monarchies

Influenced by the Persian ideas during the 486-465 BC because Indian mercenaries wereinvolved in the battle.

Conflict between rising new ideas not onlyreligious but philosophical ideas.


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Aryans of the Monarchies

Growth of towns

Expansion of artisan class, each guild inhabiteda certain area. Artisans work together and had a

close-knit relationship. In most cases the sonsfollowed the fathers profession.


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Debatable social issues

1. When the Aryans came and interminglewith the Dravidians, what pushed theDravidians towards south? Was it aninvasion? Or was it a slow societalprocess where one group of people getssidelined and forced to move away.

2. Many sources mention that Aryans usedchariots to conquer the land. Byconquer, do they mean war or simplymoving in and staying with the with theDravidians.


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References

Thapar, Romila (2004) Early India: from origins to AD 1300, pp.50-69.University of California Press.

Habib, I., Thakur, V, K. (2003) The Vedic Age and the coming of Iron.New Delhi: Tulika. Pp.3-20

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Aryans Final