Section II: Aryan Civilization (Pages 56-60) This section is about: Who the Aryan people were. How Aryan culture was preserved through oral traditions and sacred writings (the Vedas). The changes to Aryan society and religion that happened at this time. C

1 2 3 C What happened to the Indus civilization? Some people think they were invaded by the Aryans. They were from southern Russia and may have been looking for land for their sheep, goats and cows. The Aryans were fierce, skillful fighters who eventually conquered northern India. Their descendants built many civilizations in the area. We don’t know much about the Aryans because they seem to be nomads, and wouldn’t live in one place long enough to leave a lot of artifacts. 2 3 C

The Aryans did leave: The Vedas Most of what we know about them comes from this collection of hymns, prayers, and religious teachings. Memorized by priests and orally told for about 100 year before they were written down. The message of the Vedas is one of peace and harmony. Another sacred writing: the Upanishads (complex explanations of the Vedas): hard to understand though – so people usually just use the Vedas. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/index.htm C

The Aryan Caste System 4 C The Aryans divided people up into groups called the Caste System. This divided people up into groups – based on their place in society. There were 4 main groups (and actually a 5th). You were born into your caste for life. It determined your job, who you could marry, where you could worship, and who you could eat with. It shaped every part of your life 4 C

The “varnas” 5 C

The Aryans worshipped many gods and goddesses Many of their beliefs influence Asia even today. Nature Gods are some of the earliest divinities (gods/goddess) mentioned in the Vedas. They combined human characteristics with nature. Brahmin Priests had a lot of power (they interpreted the Vedas, performed rituals and made sacrifices (food and drink) to the gods. They were thought to be able to get help from the gods if it was needed, so you needed to keep them happy. 6 C

Indra: the God of War C His weapon: the thunderbolt. He used it to destroy demons and announce the arrival of needed rain. Varuna: God of order and creation Agni: the God of Fire and communicator between humans and Gods C

Poems about the Vedas Some of the stories appear in two long poems called epics called the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Their stories are still popular today in Southeast Asia 7 C

The Ramayana C About a hero Rama and his bride Sita. Right after their wedding, Sita is kidnapped by a demon king (Ravana). Rama is helped by a monkey-general named Hanuman. Rvana tries to trick Rama (kills a copy of Sita in front of Rama), but he’s not fooled. Rama continues to fight and eventually wins back his wife. This today symbolizes the ideals of husband and wife and their duty and devotion to each other through many hardships. C

The Mahabharata 8 One of the world’s longest poems - about 100,000 verses (and India’s greatest poem – even today) Describes a war between Aryan cousins for control of the kingdom. Problems increase when the Pandavas lose their kingdom to the Kauravas (in a dice game) and they have to fight to get it back. Just before the battle, Arjuna (a Pandava) confesses to his charioteer that he doesn’t want to fight his cousins, even though he has a just cause. But he’s told it’s his duty to fight. After 18 days, he and his brothers are victorious. C

During the time the Aryans controlled India 9 Many cultures were blended together. Aryans eventually gave up nomadic life and settled down as farmers. Villages began trading and bartering with each other. They then learned things from each other. But the Aryans also continued to expand their territory. C

The Aryan influence… 10 C …shapes India and Asia even today. The Caste System still is an influence in India. Aryan beliefs also end up evolving into Hinduism and Buddhism. 10 C

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