1. Arrival of the Aryans

2. Who were the Aryans?
A fair skinned people that originated somewhere near the Caspian and Black Sea region
They were semi-nomadic, living in tribal communities and herding sheep, goats and cattle with a little farming on the side
They were able to cover great distances because they had horses and light, spoke-wheeled chariots
They were warlike and glorified fighting
The society was very male dominated and probably very hierarchical
They had no writing, but spoke a language which we now call “Proto Indo-European”

3. Who were the Aryans?
For reasons we don’t know, they spread out of their homeland from c BC
They went southeast into Iran and eventually over the Hindu Kush into India
They went west into Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and as far as England and Ireland
As they moved, their language spread – it is parent language of many major world languages today (guess which)

5. Archeologists believe they crossed into the Indus Valley around 1500 BC
This is around when the Indus Valley Civilization was declining
Did they destroy Mohenjo- Daro and Harappa? Or did they just take advantage of a society already on the decline?
After 1500 BC, they began to settle in the Indus region and gradually spread across the Ganges Valley to the east

6. Guess the Meaning Sanskrit Latin English Matr Mater Pithr Pater
Bhrathr
Phrater
Naama
Nomen
Sarpa
Serpentem
Barbara
Barbaria
Dwar
Doru
Danta
Dentis
Maha
Magnus
Raja
Rex
Makshikaa
Musca
Mrta
Mortis
Mother
Father
Brother
Name
Snake (Serpent)
Foreigner (Barbarian)
Door
Teeth (Dental)
Great (Majestic)
King (Regal)
Mosquito
Dead (Murder)

7. The Vedas
When the Aryans arrived in India they didn’t have a written language
So, they passed down their teachings orally from generation to generation in the form of stories, poems, epics and other wisdom literature
This oral literature was maintained by Brahmin priests; each Brahmin family had a section and was assigned to keep an exactly copy in memory
At some point, they developed a written language (Sanskrit) and wrote everything down in “books of knowledge” or Vedas
So we call the time from 1500 BC – 500 BC the Vedic Period.
The Vedas are the foundation of later Hindu religion and philosophy

8. Religious Beliefs
Blend of polytheism and monotheism – many gods but all considered different aspects of a single divine force
The gods were mainly good and helpful; if something bad happened, it was the work of demons
Some of the most important gods were:
INDRA (king of the gods; god of war and thunder)
AGNI (god of fire; killed demons; messenger to other gods)
VARUNA (god of rivers/rain; all seeing; protector of law)
But there were many others
These and most other gods were male

9. Religious Rituals
Religious practice put a big emphasis on sacrifices called “YAGNA”; the sacrifices were very complicated and some took a year to prepare
Another practice was to drink “SOMA” which might have caused hallucinations
The priests would also chant thousands of different “MANTRAS” which praised the gods and gave people special powers

10. Religious Myths
Creation myth – everything came out of one seed, including gods and people
Was Vedic Hinduism the religion of the Aryans or did it come from the Indus Valley people? Maybe both.
Eventually, the religion evolved into today’s Hinduism, but we’ll learn more about that later

11. Social Hierarchy (Varnas)
Brahmins = priests
Allowed to study and teach the Vedas
Kshatriyas = warriors & villages chiefs
Could study the Vedas but not teach them
Vaisyas = artisans, merchants, farmers
Normally, couldn’t study or teach the Vedas
Sudras = servants
Did the dirty jobs that no one else wanted

12. Mooo!
Wealth was decided by how many cows you had, so they couldn’t be eaten
Cows are still considered holy today

13. Other Epics and Religious Texts
MAHABHARATA
UPANISHADS
RAMAYANA