The Vedic period includes the historical-temporal space developed between 1500 BC. C. and 300 a. C. through which the civilizations settled on the Indus river passed, the same ones that eventually populated and formed the vast continent that we know today as India.
During 1500 a. C. the original human sites of the Indian subcontinent faced great changes in their culture and customs: the lands and valleys along the Indus River saw the arrival of a great human migration from the north of the continent. This great human mass was originally located in the Ukrainian steppes.
North India at the end of the Vedic period
The reason why these peoples decided to abandon their lands and begin searching for others is not known for sure. It is assumed that in principle they were led to that determination for the same historical reasons as other peoples: better lands, better climate and abundant water. The new lands seemed to possess all these conditions.
What we do know is that this massive Aryan mobilization and its subsequent settlement brought to the continent countless religious, cultural, and economic changes and, ultimately, impacted every aspect of life as it was known at that time.
One of the main and great contributions to humanity that occurred in this period was the writing of the most sacred and ancient texts of the Indo-Aryans, the Vedas. The Vedas are a set of books that compiled hymns composed to the gods; the first and foremost is the Rig-Veda.
Origin
There are sources of civilizations occupying the lands of the Indus from the year 3000 a. These settlements of extensive human groups were known as the Harappa. For almost 1500 years they had control of the land and the opportunity to grow and evolve in many ways.
Its organization is known and some cities are famous for their development and urban planning, such is the case of Mohenjo-Daro. Its economy was based on metallurgy, maritime trade and the cultivation and exploitation of the land; Depending on the size of the city, they were run by Rajas or, if larger, by Maharajas.
This civilization was gradually declining for reasons unknown until today, and we only know about them thanks to the fact that they came to develop a writing system with symbols engraved on ceramic seals.
Arrival of the Aryans
The decline of this civilization, around 1500 BC. C., left the doors open for the conquest and occupation by another human group: the Aryans.
The Aryans were tribes that developed their civilization north of today's European continent. The cold and not always friendly steppes of Ukraine saw these settlements flourish, and when the decline of the Harappa occurred, they entered the Indian subcontinent and with some ease took possession of the lands along the Ganges and Indus rivers.
This Indo-European, North-Indian or as most authors agree to call, “Indo-Ary” migration, marked the beginning of the Vedic period, which takes its name from the Vedas, holy books that were written during this period under the influence of the new dominant culture.
characteristics
The entry of the Indo-Aryans to the Indian subcontinent meant an important transculturation for the original inhabitants. The new settlers brought and introduced their own gods, their particular language and writing system, as well as their technology.
While it is true that these new groups, nomads by necessity, were no rivals for the Harappa in terms of urban development and organization of populated centers, they had their own organization of human groups that were refined once established in the occupied territories.
The map or political distribution of the first years in the life of the new Indo-Aryan settlements began with the so-called vish, which were a subdivision of the yana (which translates as "group of people"). The grama or villages rose up the ladder and one step higher were the rashtra or provinces.
The Harappa were oblivious to this type of division, since their cities were managed as a whole and protected by a single ruler, Rajah or Maharaja.
Another crucial change inherited from the Indian mainland was metal working, iron forging. This technology allowed gradually to be put aside - or used to a lesser extent - the metal most implemented by the original civilization: copper. Thus entered the Iron Age in the subcontinent.
Culture
The Indo-Aryans, conquerors and new owners of the territory, were light-skinned, while the Harappa sported a dark complexion. For that reason alone they were considered superior to the autochthonous inhabitants and that reason was enough for the creation of a system of castes or varnas, which literally translates as "skin color".
Towards the end of the period, four castes or varnas were well differentiated: the brahmins or sacred priests, the khatriya or brave warriors, the vaishya or merchants, and the sudra or workers. The latter made up the vast majority of the population.
As we can suppose, little by little the language and the writing system of the conqueror was imposed. Sanskrit was the language that displaced the Indo language (of which some 20 characters and 500 signs are known) and that attempted to unify the many languages that can be identified throughout the subcontinent.
Some researchers argue that dozens of different dialects could be identified in the center of the subcontinent.
Bans
With the introduction of Sanskrit, the documentation phase of the period in the new territories also began, and with this gave rise to the elaboration of manuscripts that collected information of all kinds. The gods have a leading role in these manuscripts.
The Vedas, the oldest books of Indian culture, were born; These have reached our days and they have not stopped being sacred in that culture.
These sacred books are hymns or songs, collected and passed from generation to generation, dedicated mainly to the gods, to worship them and to indicate how one should act to obtain their favors.
The Rig-Veda, designated as the first of all and whose etymology translates "sacred stanza-knowledge", is also a group of songs in which the noble and superior Indo-Aryan people stand out. The book is structured in 1028 hymns and they are distributed in a total of 10 books or mandalas.
Economy
For the indigenous inhabitants of the region, agriculture and commerce were the basis of the economy that saw a thriving civilization flourish. For the Indo-Aryans, the basis of the economy was livestock, which at that time was abundant and still expendable.
The sowing and exploitation of the land was maintained as a parallel and complementary trade to the main one, which consisted of the purchase and sale of cattle and their products.
It can be said that the economy of the Vedic period combined tasks related to agriculture with those related to herding.
References
- "Vedic period" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
- "Rigveda" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
- "Vedic Period" Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com
- "History of India" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
- "India: From the Indus civilization to the Vedic period" in Social Made. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from SocialHizo.com: socialhizo.com
- "Origins of Vedic India: Castes and History" in History and Biographies. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Historia y Biografias.com: historiaybiografias.com
- "Vedism" in The Portal of Ancient India. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from El Portal de la India Antigua: elportaldelaindia.com
- "Universal History: Vedic Period" in Google Books. Retrieved on February 3, 2019 from Google Books: books.google.co.ve