1. VEDIC AGE

2. ORIGINS They came from Central Asia the region around the Caspian Sea
First settled in present day Iran and then migrated towards India around the area of the seven tributaries known as the ‘Sapta Sindhu’
They began to move eastward and settled in the Ganga-Yamuna plains known as the ‘Aryavarta’ Land of the Aryans

3. SOURCES Our information about the Aryans come from “Vedas”
Veda= knowledge
There are 4 Vedas-
Rig veda
Yajur veda
Sama veda
Atharva veda

4. The Rig Veda is the oldest
It was composed in 1500 BC
Consists of 1028 slokas
Divided into 10 books
Initially was transferred orally from generation to generation
It gives us insight into the political, social, economic, and religious life of the Early Vedic period

5. POLITICAL STRUCTURE
The Aryans settled into different tribal settlements
These tribal settlements were known as “Janas”
The village or the grama was the smallest unit of a Jana
Each tribe has a chieftain called a “Rajan”

6. Rajan- Protects tribe from external attacks, helped in the administration
There are two tribal assemblies
1. Sabha 2. Samiti
Senani- commander-in chief assisted in warfare
Raj purohit- high priest performed religious ceremonies
Gramani- was the village headman who looked after the village

7. SOCIAL LIFE They lived in ‘joint families’
Patriarchal- the oldest male member of the family made all the decisions for all the members of the family
Women were respected and were allowed to participate in debates and assemblies

8. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
They differentiated themselves according to their occupations
Brahmins- were the priests who preformed religious ceremonies
Kshatriyas- warriors who fought wars and protected the tribe from danger
Vaishyas- agriculture, trade and produced goods for the society
Shudras- labourers

9. ECONOMY Agriculture and cattle rearing
Barley, wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables
Ploughed their fields with a wooden plough
Cows, horses, dogs, sheep, goats and oxen were domesticated
They introduced the horse in India from Central Asia

10. RELIGION
They were personified the forces of nature and worshipped them as gods and goddesses
They were classified
1. Gods of the sky (Mitra and Varuna)
2. gods of mid-air (Indra and Maruts)
3. gods of the earth (agni and soma)
There were no temples and worshipped open air offering sacrifices and singing hymns in praise of the elements –earth, fire, wind, water