HIS-1110 Lecture Notes - Rigveda, Dvija, Vaishya
Ancient Indian Culture
First Indian Civilization :
The Indus Valley Culture
•Mohenjo-Daro
•Economy:
–Agricultural
–Evidence of trade with Mesopotamia
•Cultural achievements:
–Developed works of art
–Evidence of religious beliefs
–A system of writing
Indo-Aryans
•Nomads
•Raise cattle, ride horses (not farmers)
•Warlike:
–Develop military skills because they frequently lead (and fend off) cattle
raids
–Fight in horse-drawn chariots
•Organized into tribes (led by a chieftain, or raja)
•Debated origins:
–Arrive through Hindu Kush, settle in Punjab?
–Descendents of Indus Valley civilization?
•They belong to the “Indo-European” peoples
•18th c.: European scholars realize that Sanskrit (“classical” language of India, and
the language of the Vedic Aryans) is related to many European languages
(notably Greek and Latin)
•Hypothesis: Europe’s major languages + those of Iran and India stem from a
common language
•Consequently, European, Iranian, and Indian culture stem from a common culture
—the “Indo-Europeans”
•“Indo-Europeans” originated somewhere in Asia or Southern Russia before
fanning out in different directions
Indo-European for “thruth” and “knowledge”
current words have roots in Sanskrit
English = Germanic language which has its roots in sansk
Aryan Impact
Slash and burn agriculture – land clearing
A New Form of Social Organization
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-3 groups : pries tly – commo n e r – warriors
-Proble m : what do you do with the native population? – how do
you fit the m into a social order that you broug h t with you
-natives treat e d as separ a t e group from Arayn
orules distinguish “us” vs “the m” – regulat e how Aryans and
natives can intera ct
oGroup s = Vardas – “colors”
Origin of caste syste m
Caste:
system of inequality
membership based on birth (not class)
(picture of the castes)
•Aryans conceive of themselves as dvija, or “twice borne”
•Four castes emerge:
•Three dvija castes:
–Kshatriyas (warriors)
–Brahmans (priests)
–Vaishyas (landowners and merchants)
•One non-dvija caste, consisting of native population:
–Shudras (farmers)
if everyone belongs to diff caste what about unity in society?
(membership in society is dependent on membership into one of these
castes)
The castes form a “cosmic person”
Fundamentally based on a system of INEQUALITY
ounity through inequality
obecause they are different they are bonded together?
A new form of social organization
Caste relations :
Endogamy = no marriage outside of the caste
Commonsality = food only eaten with and received from members of caste
Craft exclusiveness = one must live by profession specific to one’s caste
Brahmans (preists)
-top cast e – religious cast e
-Duty: perform a n c e of sacrifices/c arr y out rituals
othroug h history nobility associat e d with religious rituals
(confuscious) – first lead er s for sum aria n s wer e religious
osacrifices to the gods
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Evidence of trade with mesopotamia: cultural achievements: Indo-aryans: nomads, raise cattle, ride horses (not farmers, warlike: Develop military skills because they frequently lead (and fend off) cattle raids. Fight in horse-drawn chariots: organized into tribes (led by a chieftain, or raja, debated origins: Descendents of indus valley civilization: they belong to the indo-european peoples. Indo-europeans originated somewhere in asia or southern russia before fanning out in different directions. Current words have roots in sanskrit . English = germanic language which has its roots in sansk. Slash and burn agriculture land clearing. 3 group s : pries tly com m o n e r warriors. Origin of cas t e syst e m. Membership based on birth (not class) (picture of the castes: aryans conceive of themselves as dvija, or twice borne . Vaishyas (landowners and merchants: one non-dvija caste, consisting of native population: (membership in society is dependent on membership into one of these castes)
