SOCIAL STRUCTURE (South Asia)

PRE-HARRAPAN
 Gave power & prestige to women
Matrilineal & matriarchal Women allowed to accumulate wealth & enjoy high status

HARRAPAN
 Aryans introduced patriarchal society - Wives moved to husbands family - Women paid substantial dowry - Accept husband s authority  Families with common ancestors lived in a village - Chiefs & eldest male rules the village; hereditary

Caste - used to specify a group of people having a specific social rank and dates back to 1200 BCE Varna - means order, nature, type or colour; it groups the society into four idealised main types THE FOUR VARNAS 1. 2. 3. 4. BRAHMINS priests, scholars, teachers KSHATRIYAS kings, governors, warriors VAISHYAS cattle herders, merchants, agriculturists SHUDRAS artisans, labourers, service providers

Untouchables not part of the varnas; dirty and impure; discriminated

 Found in one of India s religious scripture, Vedas; specifically the Rig Veda  It contained a myth that the first man created, Purusa, was sacrificed in order to give rise to the four varnas: Brahmin (mouth), Kshatriya (arms), Vaishya (thighs), Shudra (feet)  Vedas does NOT mention a concept such as Untouchability  One s Varna is determined by one s past Karma  It allowed a specialization of society, distribution of labor and each member knew their role