1. Social Studies – Ancient India Please take a SS book from the shelf and return it at the end of class.
Wednesday,

2. Textbook – pages 230, 232, 233

3. Aryan Social Classes
The Vedas describe the four classes or varnas and the responsibilities for each.
1st Class: Priests / Brahmins (most powerful)
(Responsibility = spiritually feed community)
2nd Class: Rulers / Warriors
(Responsibility = protecting & ruling society)
3rd Class: Merchants & Common People
(Responsibility = Giving supplies & food to people)
4th Class: Servants
(Responsibility = giving service to other classes)

4. Aryan Social Classes
As subgroups formed within the major classes, they were named castes. There was an ivory-carver caste and a spice seller caste, but though both sold items to other citizens, one of these castes was higher than the other. You were born into a caste and you stayed in that caste for your entire lifetime. Everything was shaped by the caste you belonged to.

5. The Class & Caste Systems
The class system is the overarching idea of social organization. The caste system developed within the class system, so it is a subset of the class system.