Aryan Civilization

1. Aryan Civilization

2. Aryan Migration • pastoral  depended on their cattle. • warriors  horse-drawn chariots.

3. Indus River Valley: A Conquered People • Aryans; warrior nomads, migrated into the Indus valley around 2,000 B.C. • Introduced a caste system that ranked people in society • Aryans were able to conquer the Indus Valley due to natural disasters in form the of famines, devastating floods and over usage of topsoil • These events allowed the Aryans to sweep across the valley region

4. Aryan Invasion • Around 1500 BCE, a group of nomadic warrior-herders crossed the narrow Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains and invaded the Indus Valley culture. • These people, the Aryans, came from Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, probably looking for pastures for their animals. • Flooding and earthquakes had weakened the Indus Valley culture and they were unable to withstand the newcomers.

5. Aryan Invasion The route of the Aryans into India.

6. Aryan Migration to India and Europe • Why did the Aryans Migrate? • Why do people migrate? • Basic Needs • Food • Shelter • Population Pressure • Pursuit of Happiness

7. Hints of Reasons of Migration H  S • Indian Mythological Stories • Gods leaving the heaven because of the Asuras • Aryans in Iran (Aryan) worshipped Ahuras • The River Indus was originally known as Sindhu • Sindhu means – a large body of water • Sindhu > Hindu > Hindi > Indus > India • The word Hindu was used by Iranians/Aryans to just distinguish themselves and refer to the tribe that were lost. • The Indian Aryans – did not call themselves as Hindu-s. • The Iranian – Aryans called them Hindu-s and the name got stuck

8. Ancient India

9. What were the Aryans Like? • They were nomads • They did not have farms • They did not know how to write • They did not know how to build brick houses or cities • They were great thinkers/inventors • They knew how to make iron • That means they mined for coal and iron • They learned how to use horse in war and hunting

10. Main Idea 3:The Ayran invasion changed India’s civilization. • Language • Did not read or write • Memorized poems and hymns that were important to their culture • Sanskrit was the most important language in ancient India. • Sanskrit is no longer spoken today. • Arrival and Spread • First arrived in India in the 2000s BC • Originally from the area around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia • Spread east and south into central India • Most of what we know about Aryan society comes from the Vedas • Government and Society • Nomads who eventually settled in villages and began to farm • Lived in small communities based on family ties • Villages were governed by rajas. • Groups often fought each other

11. Aryan • Aryan invaders ended the civilization of the Indus River valley by conquering the Harappans. • The Aryans were a nomadic Indo-European people living in central Asia. • Around 1500 B.C. they moved south across the Hindu Kush mountain range into northern India.

12. Aryan • The Aryans created a new Indian society. • Like other nomadic people, the Aryans excelled at war. • By 1000 B.C. they had extended their control throughout India. • In India these nomadic warriors gave up the pastoral life for regular farming.

13. The Aryans brought with them their own language, called Sanskrit and religious and cultural beliefs. • The Indus Valley people eventually became intermixed with the Aryan people and the two cultures together make up what is now much of the culture of modern India. • Hinduism, the major religion of India, was a mixture of Aryan and Indus Valley beliefs. • The caste system, which keeps people in strict social classes, was brought to India by the Aryans. Two Cultures Combine

14. Aryan invaders • Below: an illustration of a scene from the Rig-Veda

15. The Aryan “Invasion” • Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north • not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans” • Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa and lower India • Color Bias • tall, blue-eyed, fair-skinned • describe the indigenous population as short, “black”, noseless, and slaves • Difficulty of theory: no evidence of large-scale military conquest • Continuous flow of Aryans over a long period of time • gradual infiltration • more primitive than the earlier culture • Used chariots, raised forward w/bows and arrows, rearmed and returned • Seems to be key to ‘invasion’

16. Aryans Transform India • The Aryan People • Indo-European people, enter Indus River Valley before 2000 B.C.E. • Sacred writings, the Vedas, reveal much of their culture

17. Aryavarta – Land of Aryans Dakshinapath – The way of the South The Spread of Aryans in India • The Aryans moved along the river Ganges • Their spread came to Bengal last • Their spread was limited by Himalyas on the North, Vindhya on the South and Ganges+Bramhaputra on the East

18. The Spread of the Aryans Gandhara, Madra, Bahika: Afghanistan/ Punjub Kuru: Delhi and surrounding places Panchala: Uttarpradesh Kosala: Bihar Uttar Pradesh Videha, Anga: Bihar

19. Possible route of the Aryan invasions

20. Aryans Transform India • Aryan Kingdoms Arise • Aryans extend settlements to other river valleys • Small Kingdoms arise • Magadha kingdom unites all and spreads across India by 100 B.C.

21. The Spread of Aryans • The spread was along the Ganges Plains • As they spread they also fought and interacted with people who were already in India: • Danavas – Big People (Indus Valley People ??) • Rakshashas – Demons (Native Hunter Gatherers) • They learned farming • They learned to build cities • They learned to build states and empires • Will be covered in the next lecture

22. Aryan • The introduction of iron helped make this change, especially the introduction of the iron plow, which could be used to clear the dense jungle growth along the Ganges. • Irrigation systems turned the area into productive farmland.

23. Aryan • Rice was grown in the fertile river valleys. • Vegetables, grains, cotton, and spices such as cinnamon and pepper were grown in the south.

24. Aryan • Wheat, barley, and millet were grown in the north.

25. The Aryans • Emphasis on warfare • restless, warlike people • leaders chosen for military prowess • Courage highest ideal • Villages and kingdoms constantly fighting • Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses, cattle • Vegetarianism not widespread until many centuries later • Wealth from cattle and victories won • Hunting, gambling, and rustling cattle • Fighting, drinking, chariot racing • Take soma – psychotropic mushroom?

26. The Aryans, con’t • These Aryans speak an Indo-European dialect • related to other languages like Greek and Latin • English father, Latin pater, Celtic athir, Sanskrit pitar • they called themselves “Aryans” • their land: “Aryavarta” • land of the Aryans • By 1200 B.C. still no cites (300 yrs) • Not literate (no written language) • No record system, little evidence • No central authority, tribes • small villages, mobile, wooden • Class system • Chiefs and kings • Religious leaders • Memorize ‘formulas’ for worship and sacrifice • Aristocrats and freemen

27. Aryan Religion • They worshipped natural forces • Indra – God of rain and thunder on a horse • Varuna – God of water • Agni – God of fire • Pavana – God of the wind • Ashwinis – God of the herbs • Surya – The Sun God • Soma – The Moon God • Bramhana – The God that created everything • As they migrated they also adapted the gods of the natives • Durga, Shiva, Vishnu

28. Alien gods and values • Below: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva • Right: the monkey god

29. Aryan • As nomads, the Aryans had no written language. • They developed their first written language, Sanskrit, around 1000 B.C.

30. Sanskrit writing

31. Aryan • They wrote down the religious rituals, legends, and chants that previously had been passed down orally. • Early Aryan writings also reveal that between 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C., Aryan leaders known as rajas (princes) dominated India. • Each carved out a small state and fought other Aryan chieftains.

32. Aryans Transform India • Aryan Kingdoms Arise • Epic Mahabharata reflects struggles in India as Aryan kings worked to control Indian lands

33. Aryans and Hindus • Aryans give rise to Hindu society • but different characteristics • cows: they ate them • classes, but no castes • priests subordinate to the nobility

34. The Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Vedic texts remained the basis of Indian religion for centuries. Eventually, the ideas began to blend with ideas from other cultures. This blending created a religion called Hinduism, the largest religion in India today. Main Idea 3:Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures.

35. Hindu Religion The Aryans and the Indus Valley culture eventually produced what is known today as Hinduism. This religion is polytheistic, which means believing in many gods. We know about this ancient religion because of Aryan books called “Vedas” that record the beliefs of the Aryans. Pictured here is one of the many gods of Hinduism, Krishna.

36. Hinduism Hinduism differs from other religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam in that there is no one single founder or one set of beliefs that must be followed. There are thousands of Hindu gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Most of the beliefs of Hinduism came from the oral traditions of the Aryans which became the Vedas—or holy writings—of the Hindus.

37. Hinduism • Originated with the Aryans • Vedas were the scriptures • Oldest scriptures still in active use • Beliefs • Brahman was the ultimate reality or god • Reveals itself in millions of earthly shapes • Ties everything in nature together (e.g. humans and insects) • Focused on achieving oneness with Brahman • Yoga was supposed to help lead to the union by leaving behind earthly life and having a mind at rest • Reincarnation • Soul is reborn after death • Karma • Person’s actions determine how he will be reborn in the next life • Dharma • Divine law that rules karma • Requires all people to do their duty (e.g. a woman’s dharma says she has to obey her father, her husband, and her sons when widowed) Carving showing Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

38. Reincarnation • Central to Hinduism is the belief in reincarnation. Hindus believe that after a person dies, they will be re-born as some other creature or thing. What you are re-born as depends on your “Karma” or the deeds you did in your previous life. If you did good deeds, you will reborn into a higher, better life. If you had bad Karma, you may be re-born as an insect or even a tree.

39. India’s Classical Period • Primary gods • Indra – god of war • Agni – gave fire • Varuna – directed cosmic order • Vishnu – incarnated to help humans • Brahman – highest deity, omnipotent • All other deities are reflections of him • Most ceremonies performed outdoors

40. Vishnu • Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents beginning of life. • Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a human embryo just growing tiny legs, with a huge belly. • Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a human embryo which is almost ready. Its features are visible. • Narasimha, the Man-Lion (Nara = man, simha = lion), appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a newborn baby, hairy and cranky, bawling and full of blood. • Vamana, the Dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents an young child. • Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents both an angry young man and a grumpy old man simultaneously.

41. Vishnu • Rama, Sri Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents a married man with children in a very ideological society • Krishna (meaning dark or black; see also other meanings in the article about him.), appeared in the Dwapara Yuga. Represents a person in more practical society, where there is one good or bad. Good or bad depends on society you live in. • Gautama Buddha is considered an avatar that returned pure dharma to the world. • Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.

42. Hindu god statues Ganesh – remover of obstacles Parvati – aspect of Devi Shiva – the destroyer

43. Hindu god statues Lakshmi – goddess of wealth Durga the unconquerable Dancing Lord Shiva – as Nataraia

44. Hindu god statues Shakti – feminine creation Vishnu the Preserver Sarawati – goddess of wisedom

45. Quest for Learning • First wide spread public school system • They did not know how to write • Spread knowledge from the teacher to the student by learning • First Literature – not written • Vedas • Upanishads

46. Literature • Sanskrit- written language that priests used to write down sacred texts • Mahabharata- India’s greatest epic, 100,000 verses. Aryan tribes fighting for Ganges. 5 royal brothers, Pandavas, lose area to cousins but take back after huge battle. Discusses Indian religious beliefs, immortality of the soul, and importance of duty

47. Ramayana- Rama’s bride Sita is kidnapped by demon-king Ravana and story it all about Rama getting his bride back • Stories evolved over time and different morals come from them like role models and loyalty

48. Aryan - Literature • Vedas: A collection of verses describing everything in life • Scientific process – how to lit a fire, proper way of farming • How to lead a disciplined life • Upanishadas: A more filtered version of Vedas dealing with more esoteric and spiritual quests

49. The Vedas • 1200 BCE-600 BCE. • written in SANSKRIT. • Hindu core of beliefs: • hymns and poems. • religious prayers. • magical spells. • lists of the gods and goddesses. Rig Veda oldest work.

50. A quote from the Vedas In the beginning there was neither existence nor non- existence; there was no atmosphere, no sky, and no realm beyond the sky. What power was there? Where was that power? Who was that power? Was it finite or infinite? There was neither death nor immortality. There was nothing to distinguish night from day. There was no wind or breath. God alone breathed by his own energy. Other than God there was... nothing. In the beginning darkness was swathed in darkness. All was liquid and formless. God was clothed in emptiness. Then fire arose within God; and in the fire arose love. This was the seed of the soul. Sages have found this seed within their hearts; they have discovered that it is the bond between existence and non-existence. Who really knows what happened? Who can describe it? How were things produced? Where was creation born? When the universe was created, the one became many. Who knows how this occurred? Did creation happen at God's command, or did it happen without his command? He looks down upon creation from the highest heaven. Only he knows the answer -or perhaps he does not know. Rig Veda 10:129.1-7