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Daily Life The Vedic & Epics Periods (1500-500 BC)

Ancient India: Highlights Timeline

ncien! "edie#al "odern

Prehistoric India Indus Valley Civilization The Vedic Age The Epic Age Hinduism and Transition The Mauryan Dynasty The Invasions The Deccan and outh India The !upta Era The Age o" small #ingdoms Harshavardhana The outhern #ingdoms The Chola Empire The $orthern %ingdoms

Things changed in the Indus Valley 'hen a ne' group arrived( called the Aryans) The Aryans came "rom Central Asia *modern day +ussia,) They entered the Indus Valley through the "a-led %hy-er Pass) The Aryans 'ere nomads) They raised livestoc#( rode chariots( and loved to gam-le) They had no sophisticated government) They grouped in clans( and 'ere ruled -y 'arrior chie"s called ra.as) Their history is one o" constant 'ar amongst themselves( -et'een the various clans) /e have little archaeological evidence( -ut have something else 'e can use to learn a-out them) The Aryans created marvelous stories( stories they told or sang "or centuries) The VEDAS: The Aryan -elie"s and daily li"e are descri-ed in the "our Vedas( a collection o" poems and sacred hymns( composed in a-out 0122 3C) Veda means #no'ledge) The Vedas are composed o" the +ig( ama( 4a.ur( and Atharva Vedas) This is 'hy the period "rom roughly 0122 3C to 0222 3C is called the Vedic Period) It is named a"ter the Vedas) The Ramayana & the Mahabharata: Around 0222 3C( the Aryans started to create t'o marvelous epics) /e #no' a-out daily li"e during this period "rom these "amous epics( the +amayana and the Maha-harata) These epics are stories a-out Aryans li"e( 'ars( and accomplishments) chool #ids in India( today( #no' these stories very 'ell) They5re great stories) The +amayana tells a story in 'hich the *good, Aryan #ing +ama destroys the *evil, pre6Aryan #ing +avana) The other epic( Maha-harata( tal#s o" Aryan 'ars amongst themselves( 'here t'o clans( the Pandavas and the %auravas( -attle it out( and the Pandavas emerge victorious) This is 'hy the period "rom roughly 0222 3C to 122 3C is called the Epics Period) It is named a"ter these t'o great epics( the +amayana and the Maha-harata) Ho' did the Aryans live7 The Aryans clans( or tri-es( settled in di""erent regions o" north'estern India) The tri-es 'ere called !ana *literally a 8collection8 6 o" people,) The chie" o" each tri-e 'as a hereditary .o-) I" your "ather 'ere the chie"( someday( you 'ould -e chie") It 'as the only 'ay to -ecome a chie") The chie" made decisions( a"ter listening to a committee( or perhaps even to the entire tri-e) People had a voice( -ut the chie" 'as the -oss) Aryan Houses: The people in the Vedic period lived in stra' and 'ooden huts) ome homes 'ere made o" 'ood( -ut not until later( during the Epics Period)

Culture Inde& Home

Yagna (central fire-place): The li"e o" the tri-al Aryans 'as "ocused around the central "ireplace called the 4agna) Dinnertime 'as social time) The tri-e 'ould gather around the central "ireplace(

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