ASH-3100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Gautama Buddha, Rigveda, Indus River
Document Summary
Ancient south asia: the vedic age, 1500-500 bce, before vedic times (before 1500 bce): indus valley civilization (harappa, mohenjo daro etc) Located to northwest of indian peninsula, named for the indus river that goes through: had big and small urban settlements/cities with gridlike layouts, different house sizes, towers, assembly places. Linguistic evidence that people who shared central homeland in central asia that nomadic people moved around, some going into south asia. Had mastered technique of riding as well as yoking them to chariots. Indra warrior god, most gods mentioned have to do with sky not earth, indicating that agriculture was not important to these people as much as herding was: a(cid:272)rifi(cid:272)e to gods a(cid:374)d a(cid:374)(cid:272)estors (cid:894)(cid:858)the fathers(cid:859)(cid:895) so patriar(cid:272)hal so(cid:272)iety. Importance of sacrifice became more important as settlement continued: role of brahmin grew. If you follow rules of your group, you will be reborn in same group or higher.
