2

The Vedic-Period

-Counse Content-Sylabus and its Focu

and Pottey.
Vedas
Sources
and Epics (brief mention): Iron Artifacts
Brer comparative study of Early and Later Vedic society and econo

A-THE COMING OF INDO-ARYANS

CThe Aryans originally lived in Central Asia and the region
of food and todder, Rig Veda
around the Caspian Sea.)Forced by shortage
tney lett their original home. Some of them went Europe wnie
to

others
ca the passes of Hindykysharound 1500)
P
P rough
BCThol&Who ame to Indídame obeknowh as Thdo-Aryans.
BC/
The Aryans first settled in Punjab. The civilisation developed durin
this age came to be known as Vedic Civilisation.

Before we to discuss the Vedic civilisation it will

proceed be
useful for us to have some idea about its source t h e Vedic
literature. The most important sources of the Vedic civilisation are

the Vedas. Veda means "knowledge". The Vedas are neither any SAMA
individual religious work nor a collection of definite number of VEDA
GANAASTY
books compiled at a particular time. The Vedic literature had
grown in the course of many centuries and was handed down from
generation to generation by word of mouth. It consists of three
Successive classes of literary creations. Some of these still exist, but
many have been completely lost forever.

THESE THREE CLASSES ARE

1. The Veda :A
collection of hymns, prayers, charms, litanies
ATHARVAYEDA
and sacrificial formulae. There are four Vedas,
namely:
nRigveda: It is a collection of hymns. It has about 1028
hymns. These hymns highlight the political, social, economic
B and religious conditions of the
Rig Vedic India.
L)
6

Candid ICSE stoCic

 ARYAN INCURSIONS

HsnMnaNH gybe
past
Bolane
Pass
MOHENJODARO
HARAPPA

HIMALAYAS

ARABIAN BAY OF
SEA BENGAL

INDEX
Indus Valley Civilization
1500BC
circa 2500BC to

Aryan invasi0ns
circa 1500BC
details about
n Samveda: lt is a collection of songs mostly origins, etc. In a way these contain
taken from Kigveda. rituals and philosophies.

: It is a collection of sacrificial and Upanishads:The

Gin Yajurveda
formulae.
3.Aranyakas
the Brahmans are known
concluding portions of
) Atharvaveda : It is a collection of spells as Aranyakas. They deal with philosophy and
and charms. A study of Atharvaveda mysticism.
reveals that with the passage of time, the
The literal meaning of Upanishad is 'to sit down
Aryans discarded nature-worship and near some one'. It denotes pupil's sitting near his
developed the worship of spirits.
The Vedas formed the earliest segment of guru or teacher for the purpose of a confidential
Vedic literature and amongst them vadas, communication of the secret doctrine

Rigveda is the oldest. b) ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES-IRON

2.The Brahmanas These are prose texts
which contain details about the meaning of AND POTTERY B-2C)
vedic hymns, their applications, stories of their
(Along with Vedas many archaeological sources
ave been discovered in diferent parts of India.
New Word As discussed earlier the Aryans moved south-east
Hymn: A rellgious song in praise of God. and finally settled in the areas shown in the
map
Candis ICSE History& Cvics-9 79
 end of th
the east i.e at the eastern
and away in
pastoral agricultural
communities
south-east Bihar. Evidence
as
transfomation from
Gangetic plain in
kingdoms. For these people, Tike copper harpoons,
shoulder celts and semi
took
pastoral to settled agricultural
communities
human figures dated
about 1000 B.C., have been
between 1000 to 1500 years, the period lasting Gangetic plain especially
in
found all over the Allahabad, Jakhera
until about 700-600 B.C. Ataranjikhera, Kausambi near
Pradesh and Hallur in
For the Aryans, the period of transition from
Etah, in Uttar
in district
was
too agricultural communities
pastoral Karnataka. Surmise
characterised by war and strife against the artefacts lead us to that
The tools and
local population. They were constantly in were peddled by Aryan traders. These
these
search of agricultural land, mineral deposits
objects imply that Aryans knew copper refining
they cleared dense forests for using good
kilns.
The demand
and ores and
by controlled fire increased tremendously with
these purposes. for high grade iron new deposits
time. As a result,
Aryans explored
I n the Rigvedic period, the Aryan groups as tar as
the country, going
were always on the move and in constant of iron all over
about 200 to 100 B.C.
strife with each other or with the local non- Andhra and Mysore by
metallurgy of iron, copper,
the
Aryans. Therefore, they did not have enough Knowledge of
and tin continued to
be developed by the
opportunity to develop science and silver
into the Maurya period. At
technology Aryans till well
in Uttar Pradesh copper
objects have
The movement of the Aryans towards south- Hastinapur beads and
east is supported by the discovery of Red been unearthed apart from glass
At Atranjikhera(UP) iron
Ware also known as Northern Black Polished bangles, bone disc, etc.
tools include arrow and spearheads,
chisels, axes
Ware found almost all over western Uttar
seem to be less common and
and knives. Copper
APradesh(The pottery made
was
of well -

includes antimony rods, nail parers, pins,

levigated clay with little tempering material
dishes.Bone arrowhead
and had a strikingly lustrous surface.) bangles, fish-hooks and
and points are also common. Bangles
of glass,
Craftsmen such as wood-workers, cabinet terracotta and faience are also reported.
and chariot-makers, metal- workers arid ship-
builders were free members of the tribe. Jakhera(Rajasthan), apart from wheat,
At
number
Weaving and spinning was done only by barley, rice, cattle, pig and horse a large
women. of iron implements have been discovered. The
finds are arrowheads
Yajurveda speaks of ploughs drawn by teams most frequently reported
(both barbed and leaf-shaped) and spearheads.
of twelve oxen. Such ploughs were indispensable
Axes with shaft hole are reported from Noh and
for driving deep furrows and turning Over heavy
soil which would not otherwise yield well or Atranjikhera. Atranjikhera has also yielded iron
retain its fertility. The strong plough could be tongs.
made of wood trimmed down by bronze tools,
but the ploughshare for cultivating strong soil EARLY VEDIC AGE (RIG VEDIC AGE)
had to be of iron. Where did the iron come The period during which the Vedas and other
from? Copper may have been available in Vedic literature were written is known as the
Rajasthan, but iron deposits lay much tarther Vedic Age. During this period, the Aryans

CandidICSE History&Civics
 ently settled down in India, and
gave
to the Vedic Cilisation. It is called Vedic
Dlisation, DecausourKnowledge about this
Ceation comes chietly trom the Vedas.
C

THE SOCIAL CONDITIC

n The village: The Aryans Iived in well-

d villages. A village consisted of a
plat number
of join families.
The village was
t called a gram.
as
t rectangular ShapeThere was usually
weade around the village. There was one wayarmvara in progress to selecta huschand.

aentrance gate in a
village. It had well laid
Tctreets. The houses were
constructed in a was the joint family system. Often three

ematic way. These houses were

made of 8enerations lived together- the father, the
wood, bamboo, straw and reeds. These were, in grandfather and the grandchildrenThe e l a e
thatched huts, tied together by ropes, bars male member was the head
of He
the anily.
He had full authority
and pegs. Was called grihapati t
over all the members of the joint family.
The king interfered very little in village life.
t also his duty to look after the family
Every village had, what we today call, local self- was, of
members. Thus, it was a patriarchal system
gOvernment, or something similar to it.
head held
family, a system in which the male
A group of villages was called the vish. The
the final authority.
village community was made up of families. The
Aryans attached great importance to family as a New Words
unit in social organisation.
B ) Vish : Agroup of
villages
The family and status of women Grihapati : The head of the tamily.
,
2. :The
family was the primary unit of society. There

er
e

s A well-planned Aryan village.

Candid ICSE History &Civics-9

REDMI NOTE 9
Al QUAD CAMERA
 Th does not mean that women 4. Food and food habit : The Aryans
status in the family, had n
They occupied
no

simple but nourishing tood,Wheat, maize

honourable place. The of barley were their staple diet. They also took had.
essential in all
presence women was
ceremonies. They were and milk products sSuch as butter, ghee, Cur exch
given
the
Aghe
t t e s to get education. Women cheese. They also c o n s u d y a honey, fry

posecd proh
also the
the Rigvedic hymns even, Women had vegetables and meat. heey cven
erved sper
ight to choose their husbands. Often food to special guests on 5pecial occasi
bulls
Swayamvaras were oganized.) Among drinks, they took soma juice and
2 Division of the society The Aryan society which were intoxicating strong drinke
juice,
was divided into four classes, former drink was even offered to god The
b)5rahmanas, the
Kshatriyas, the
namely, the in
Sudras. These were, Vaisyas
and the
religious ceremonm
in
fact, occupational groups
of
people.
as under
The occpations ofthese classes were

The Brahmanas learnt the Vedas and

perfomed religious ceremonies and taught
the people.

The Kshatriyas were the

warrior class. Their functionruling and the
was to
and defend their land. govern
The Vaisyas followed the occupation of
agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade.
Chariots were used in the battle field and were also
The Sudras the class who made
were 5Ource of recreation.
their
living by doing manual and other unskilled
jobs to serve the other three 5. Games and amusement:Aryans also
classes. found time for and
games amusements
Hunting, horse-racing8, chariot-racing, wrestling
dancing, music and dice gambling were their
favourite recreations.

ECONOMICLIFE -3a
1. Agriculture: Aryans were primarily
agriculturists. Their main occupation was the
A Kshatriya
A Brahmin
A cultivation of land. They got water for
from wells, canals and lakes. But
irrigation
mostly they
depended upon rains. They carried on cultivation
of land with the help of a pair of oxen. Wheat,
barley, rice, cotton and oilseeds were the main
products from their
fields.
Domestication of animals: Aryans were
2.
shepherds by occupation. Cattle-rearing was their
favourite activity. The cattle was the
measure of
their wealth,
property and status. Cow was the
main and highly valued cattle.
A Vaisya
A Sudra The status of a

tamily was
judged from the number of cows it

Candid ICSE History &Civics9

 d. Cow w asoused even as a
mme
change o goods. The co individually and collectively. Often the priest 0f
e ya
Injuri8 or Kiling of ing o f aed t h e brahmin helped them in performing the
cow
AFbited. Besides me was Yana e was given a parting gift or dakshina

prooxen, horses, assscoWs,

the
Aryans reared after the yajna was p
Sheep, and 8oats dogs.
Trade an The Aryans wete
3.
commerce Soncommerce,
d themselves in trade and AYans hey
ev found that the
en was done
saw
arouro e a
any hrough barter system. universe, he sun ofoature. So they
1rvalue
The of h s a was
heasured in terms of
earth were the wers nature aass
powers of nature
Thus cow was the wo pped these torces
or

the Co of
sort standard
coin, known as value. O gods. Vaaruna, h
s the sovereign of
dae of everything
cou ce during those Niska, was the universe.
He had kto
days. Trade and nothing be hidden
aly on
land. was carried could from him: nor
wnknown to them.
- 3 ade was aalso
s o not
not was the god of rain, thunder ano wa
belleved to protect the Aryans against their
also
A. Other occupattons he enemies and give them prosperity. hey
Aryans made a believed that certain evil spirits existed.
progress in
of
veda mentionsanterent arts and crafts. So the
about the potters, weavers,
enters, jewellers, iron and goldsmiths, leather POLITICAL LIFE 8-y 2)
1. The King In the Rig Vedic Civilisation,
orkers, metal-caiters, Chariot-makers. These
were theother number of joint families mae
occupations of the Aryans. There a
a
A group of villages (grams) formed a clan (vish), vish).
ereferences oT physicians also. But, one tribe (jana). Each
and several clans, formed
a
striking point was that no profession was
rded below dignity. People were free to tribe had
king:
a

choose their occupation and profession and

change it.
Tritrus, Bharatas, Purus, Paktas, etc. were
Some of the small kingdoms of that period.
and Videha were some of the
Kuru, Panchala
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES of U.P., Bihar and West
major kingdoms
Bengal region.
Aryans were religious people. They
worshipped many gods but believed that The king was not a despot, nor was he all-
ultimately there was one god. Actually they saw powerful. He had to rule according to the wishes
many in one, and one in many. The Aryans of the tribe. He had to lead and defend the
tribe
war and maintain internal He had
peace.
offered all worships in the open. They made no during
temples, shrines or idols for the purpose. Prayers to settle cases of dispute of the tribesmen. The
a kind and
were oftered in the form of yajna, both king had to treat the people in
affectionate manner.)B-y
foct File
The occupation in the earlier Vedic period was not

hereditary. Within one family all varnas could be found.

But later on the occupation became hereditary. The

occupations came to be
people associated with same

known as Jati.

New Word A horse (ashvamedha) being sent by the king to ascertain

SRA type of coin in use during the Rigvedic period. his authority over a region

Candid ICSE History &Civics-9

O REDMI NOTE 9
Al QUAD CAMERA
 AND SCIE
THE
VEDIC
LITERATURE

rich
CIENCE ATER VE

this period, ery

During The Rigve Fromt
produced,
Titerature
was
them all, shed tor
the oldest amon8 gods by
N o r t h e r

first and
believed to have
been revealedliterature i
Vedic
rivers Gar

Rishis Saints). The ale which the

Rishis (the hich means dhvine revelation
called Shruti whi t h e L a t e

for the reason consid

Content
600
and
Veda has 1,372 nymna in pr
The Regveda
eric
Rijveda
Ren
eoddesse
ggoddeses
and produce

of ggods
contana nymns be
S u t r a s ,

The Samaveda Ppnenta at the

o1 D a r s h a s

gung by specinl cla

Samaveda
sacrifice. Purana

time of some t w o 8r
nymns that are t
Ayajna being performed
Yajurveda
Yajurveda has
Thefollowed Mahat
in ordnaSacrilice.
De

As wars among tribes were quite frequen there is writte

Atharvaveda,
the king had to fight such wars. Before they went Atharvaveda In the and
magieal descr
collection of songs, 5pell
Out to fight, they pertormed yajnas, and did the spints. the
charms against evl
same after the victon 8-y ) Besides the four Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Civi
also torma pan
2. Ministers, advisers and officials The king and the Upanishads
CHA
was assisted by ministers, advisers and officials in Aranyakas
vedic
his duties. The chief among them was of early letad
discharge ot Brahmanas and Upanishads give us

Purohita, who
advised king
the in religious Vedas,
the
matters, and those relating to moral conduct. idea about the scientifie do
enough
about mathematics
Next to him was the Senani, who was the development of Vedics
astrology and astronomy.
head of the Army, equalto
the modern into various
commander-in-chiet of the forces. He led the Mathematics was divided
forces in times of war. Then there was the
branches like arithmetic, geometry and
the
Gramani, the village headman who helped
king in looking after the affairs of a village,There algebra. Arithmetic was known as anka
as rekha ganita and
was decentralisation of power and the king ganita, Geometry
algebra as (bija ganita). The people were
interfered very little in the village administration. also aware of various types of mathematical
P3. There were
The Sabha and the Samiti
calculations like cubes, cube roots, square
two assemblies, called the sabha and the
roots and under roots. The concept of zero
samiti. The sabha was a small selected group
of elders of the families. This could be called was known to them. decima emw a s

the council of the elders of the village. The also used.

sabha was in direct and close contact with the
king. The samiti, on the other hand, consisted
of all people of the tribe, where anybody could
go and put forward his views or give his
suggestions. The samiti was thus the General
Assembly. Both sabha and samiti took up all
the important matters relating to the jana, and
helped the king in the affairs of the tribe.
84
During the vedic period, astronomy was
well- developed. The people knew about
solar and lunar eclipses and about the
movement of other heavenly bodies and
calculated their positions at different times.
They had prepared an accurate calendar.
Candid ICSE History &Civics-
CE ER VEDIC AGE (THE EPIC
AGE) casl
the Sapt ooked down upon by the upper thre
ic Fro ward andSindhu
s region, the Aryans ey village o r h e town
wOulel livee outside the

e u shedh e r n India. Thev coCupied the whole boundaries. They served the upper castes
o forthe
No India. They settled in the
The four AshramasIn the later
Vedie

vers
and Yamuna. The valleys o
ound penod dut
p e r t o d during Period, the whole life sparrot an Aryan ca

On hich er Vedic Period. Tments

h n
is known as be
of this period
divided into four stages known as'ashramas'
each of 25 years of duration
he sidered to be
roughly
kho
of our
between
n 1000 BC The first
The first ashrarna, the Brabrnacharyaa Ashrarma
nd 600B
Most
this
ast l to attain knowie
and bout
is drawn
eriod is drawn om the lator
trom the ater Vedic literature Was
t h e gurukuls lHe had to follow s
Pduced dunhghis perod. These include the discipitne.
Pas, the vedangas, the Upavedas,
e
Shanas (schoois of Indian
the six
Second was the Grihastha Ashrama. In this
philosophy), the the
man married,ofled farnily e and
le
Dea, the Dharma-shastras, and asthrama, his family till the
especially
great epics, namely the Ramaya the took
full responsibilities
yana and the age of s0 years,
Mahabnardtd. Because these
epics Third was the Vanaprastha Ashrama. During
ritten during ths period, Sthis age is also
were

the m a n had to give up

his farnilyy
Hescribed as the tpic Age. The Ramayana and life periOd,
this and spend his time (till the age of 7
al
Mahabharata clearly depict the life and years) in meditation and prayer.
Civilisation of this period.
The last phase was the Sanyasa Ashrama.
ne 75.
This stage started
trom the age
ot
Fe
art CHANGES IN THE SOcIETY Elas to the woridiy pleasures
and

had renounce
lead the life of a sanyasi in the forest.
ot
us
Status women here was a
certain Gurukul system of Education :First stage of the
SWing in thne of
fic downward position
women. The
birth ot a son was more welcome whereas life was meant for attaining knowledge
in Vedas,
P1
mathematics,
CS, daughters were considered a source of misery. ogic, ethics, astrologY, astronomy, was imparted
Women were denied the right to inherit property grammar, medicine, etc.Education
orally in the gurukul residence
of the
guru) situated
Us and they were not allowed to attend assemblies.in a secluded area. The pupilsserved the guru by
Polygamy in the higher section of society i.e in the fields otA-y
nd tending the cattte and working in the
a
among the kings and nobles was in practice gurukul.hey had to get up early moming
made the women assume subordinate After taking bath, they chanted the vedic mantras.
which
nd The rules of marriage underwent a Education was free but at the completition ot their
e position.
change. There was no more practice of remarriage education, they used to give their gurus voluntary
cal
for widows. But the education which
some gifts known as
guru dakshina. -11 )
re
women received was of a high order, Gargi and IN POLITICAL LIFE
CHANGES
ro rose up as great scholars and
as
Maitreyi
philosophers. The discourses of women In the later Vedic Period, the Aryans
and The
powerful kingdoms.
philosophers have been given place in Upnishads. established large
establishment of
ds Caste system : In the later Vedic Period, the royal power increased with the
The Brahmans and the large kingdoms.
ut caste system became rigid. Brahmans
ne KShatriyasenjoyed many privileges. New Word
nd were considered superior. Kshatriyas
were
equally
as the The practice of multiple marriage.
to be regarded Polygamy:
S. mportant and they came in Dakshina: A parting gift given to a priest after
he has

ruling class. The Vaishyas The

were
engaged pertormed yajna.
Shudras were
DUSiness, trade and agriculture. 85

CandidICSE History&Cvics-S
REDMI NOTE 9
Al QUAD CAMERA
 (db) Rituals and secritices : Religious e
CThe King: The power of the king greatly Sacritice became
became complicated.
A COME
ncreased Rylers gave themselves titles ke k religion rOse a c
onerulen, Samrat (king of kings), Sarvabhumi important pat who we

(ruler of protessional
priests,
given
qf all the earth) and Chakrayertin (Gprotecto prominent postton m the society Th
of
land)) The kings perfomed yajnasyike Rajasuya ceremonies could
De
pernoted only by th s o c i a l Lite
(royal consecretion), Vajapeya (c'iiriot race) and The ritualism became a ve portant pan
Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice). The coronatio
the Aryan religion. Spelis and charms and 1 Wom
in spirits also becamey
ceremony became a major social occassion. To superstitions
beliels 2 The
protect the subjects became moral duty of the of their religion Cas
King (c) Philosophical
Doctrines:They belie Political

bFunctionaries: Besides the officers of the Rig in the

of Karmaand
taction Mok
aVedic Period, new officials such as the treasurer, principe he end of the later Ver
charioteer, collector of taxes came into being (salvation) tOwatrend ceen,
is The Upnishads
The Upnisharl.
seen.
2

Phase a new
Regular taxes were collected for the rituals or sacrices. 1hey deal wins
king- not deal with

ECONOMIC LIFE the higher knowledge and explain the

relationship between Jeeva (individual Soul) an
ECO
The Soul or God). 1.
Aryans of later Vedic Period were more Brahma (Supreme
prosperous than the Aryans of the Early Vedic

Period. FHE IMPACT OF ARYAN CIVILISATION

a ) Agriculture : Later Vedic Period was
marked by the emergence of agriculture as the
dominant economic activity. The later Vedic
Aryans grew crops such as Vrihi (rice), wheat,
millet and sugarcane. Great progress was made
in the methods of cultivation.
(6) Crafts: Various new arts and
adopted. People started using iron on a large
scale.Carpentry, leather working, making of
jewellery flourished. Chariot making also
developed. B 60
(c) Trade and commerce: Barter system was
still prevalent. Somewhere the reference of
nishka (a piece of ornament) as unit of value
also found, although it cannot be said with
certainty when it developed as a regular coin.
for looking after the
Juilds were organised
interests of the trading community.
The Aryans have left a great impact. They 3.
a v e to India Sanskrit language s grammar,
phonetics and derivations. 5anskrit remained the Rel
unitying torce in the sub-continent for centuries
together. It also served as the mother of many
vernacular and regional languages.
crafts were The Aryans cleared the forests and gave an
agrarian base to Indian economy, which remains
so till today.
The philosophy of the Vedas, the Upanishads R
and the ideals set forth by the two Epics
(Ramayana and Mahabharata) are the
foundations of present day Hindu religion and
life. The
gods of the Later Vedic Period like
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Rama and Krishna are
worshipped till today) Yajnas are performed in
Hindu ceremonies The teaching of Lord Krishna
in the Bhagvad Gíta continues to
inspire people
with its philosophy of seltless action. Thus the

RELIGIOUS LIFE Later Vedic Period with its later Vedic literature
and the value system contained in it, has left
(a) Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva emerged as
great impact on present-day life and society.
new Gods. Rama and Krishna, the incanations

of Lord Vishnu, became popular deities. Durga, New Word

Kali, Lakshami and Parvati emerged as temale Barter System: A kind of system in which goods are
deities. directly excnanged.
86
Candid ICSE History &Cwics
 AND LATER
A COMP
MPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EARLY (RIG VEDIC)
VEDIC AGES
LATER VEDIC AGE
EARLY VEDIC AGE
social Lile Social Life
position.
subordinate
Women treated
as
being Equal with men. 1. Women assumed a s Shudras

and
2 The
FOur-fold Vamas.
2Many other casle groups appeared
denied frooooms,
became nigid.
Caste system was not rigid. 3. Caste system
3
political Life Political Life elaborate
and an

a few
officials. 1, Emergence of large kingdoms
King was assisted by administrative machinery.
Couret
a
Sabhaand samiti were effective checks on King's converted into King's
2. Sabha was

authority received money mainly through the land . Many other taxe5
were levied.

a King
revenue.

Economic Life and

Economic Life wmeat,
millet
sucn a s
Produced many crops
of animals. 1.
d 1.Agriculture and domestication SUgarcane. ewelery
Crafts included making weapons, implements and leather-working. makingof
as in large
omamernts.
2. Crafts such developed.
Use of iron
and chariot-making
in
to growth
and leather goods.
quantities facilities led
transport
Trade in cloth and better
3. 3. Coins
trade.
y
Religious Life
such as Brahma,
e
Religious Life
Worshipped many
Gods, new
1.
H a m a a n d hiSnina.
such as
of Nature Gods,
a
number Vishnu, Shiva, in spells
1. Worshipped and Indra. more complicated.
Beliefs

Varuna, Surya 2. Rituals b e c a m e

w e r e performed.
Sacrifices and Yajnas d charms. Karma
2. Upanishads.
Principles of
of the
3. Philosophy
Class. a n d MoKsha d e v e l o p e d .

n 3 No hereditary Priestly

Recapitulation
s
and settled in
the Sapt Sindhu region. Vedas, of
which the
in the four
S Aryans c a m e
from Central Asia Vedic or Rig Vedic period
are
available

e about the Early the village

Sources of knowledge who looked after
headed by a Gramant,
d RigVeda is the
oldest.

villages,
called grams,
well-planned
e lived in
The Aryans
e and its people. patriarchal joint family. sabha and
samiti.
unit. It was a
decision-making
in the
was the primary education,
share in
n family and Sudras.
place; they got
The
respectable Kshatriyas, Vaisyas
enjoyed a of Brahmanas,
recreations.
d The women groups
occupational
their favourite
divided into d a n c e and
music w e r e
e The society
was
dicegambling,
rice.
horse races, wheat, barley,
e chariot and produced
Hunting, They
main occupation. occupation. advise and
their their other to
Sabhas and Samitis
re Agriculture w a s was
especially cows,
Gramanis,
animals, senanis,
eft D o m e s t i c a t i o n of
He had
Purohits,

tribe jana). w e r e produced

was head of a the Upanishads
T h e king Aranyakas,
Brahmanas, people.
control him.
the four Vedas, the
c i v i l i s a t i o n of
the Indo-Aryan
literature
such as the life
and
about
G o o d Vedic us a lot
which tell
period,
during this

CaREDMIsNOPE
A l QUAD CAMERA
 Exercise

QUESTIONS
ANSWER TYPE
A. SHORT ? ftuptne
to India migrate
1.
2.
When did the Aryans
Who were the Indo-Aryans ?/0
770
come to India
From
where did the Aryans in India Panjo
4.
Where did the Aryans settlefirst
S. Name the four Vedas. o
Polished Ware.
Northem Black
any two features of
entan lndia. oU
7. Mentain any fouriron age sites of
8. What was Nisko? NaW' Sabha, Samid
9. Who was grihapati ?
relating
to
meJud
took up all the important matters
the two assemblies which O
Name settled in the Vedic
later a mAge.
aftun.a-Volmle
1. Mention the areas in which Aryans
12 Name two great epics of Epic Age. Who wrote them? mohe Vee) Vyria
o featuresof the
13. Mention two features of the Gurukul system.
14. Mention the duties performed by the pupils.

15. Mention the titles assumed by the king of later Vedic Age. Sb

B. STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
:
. With reference to the Vedic period, answer the following questions
(o) Describe the four Vedas 3 9
(b) What were the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads ?
2. With reference to the Vedic Age describe:
(o) The family and status of women,8
(6) Division of society. 38
Describe archaeological sources. 99,80
3. With reference to economic life of the Vedic Age explain

()Agriculture (b) Trade and commerce.3

With reference to political life of the Vedic Age explain :
(o) The position of king82 (b) Other Ministers
( Sabhaand Samiti
5. Describe the social changes in the later Vedic Age with reference to:
(a) Status of women 6 5 (6) Caste system
5
(The Four Ashramas.
With reference to the later Vedic Period explain:
() Changes in economic and political life. 6
(b) The impact of Aryan
CiVillsation

Candid ICSE History& Civics-9

 Exercise A
A. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1Soo B.C.
to India? A)Aend
.Whendid the Aryans migrate
2. Who were the Indo-Aryans? Pa- 38
fizia od ahasd dag
hoqen and hap S
3. Aryans come to India ? AJ CenaC
From where did the
4. Where did the Aryans settle first in India ? A Puniab
5. Name the fourVedas. A) Rivtda, yajunvcda , Somedc and
Ahanvaverd
6. Mentain any two features of Northern Black Polished Ware. 8 0
Mentain any four iron age sites of India. AKTH
7. so

A ceon ubcd duimg

the 1gvedue peiecl
8. What was Niska? Pa 83 A)
9. Who was grihapati? -s1 A) He toas he hea d s fdg

10. Name the two assemblies which took up all the important matters relating to the jana.P) Sabha b Ste
11. Mention the areas in which Aryans settled in the later Vedic Age. 8S p
12. Name two great epics of Epic Age. Who wrote them? Roemana (Valmi k) , mahalbhata (vd
13. Mention two features of the Gurukulsystem. fg-8S d
14. Mention the duties performed by the pupils. Pa. 8S P t s e cliaed vedie rosdns
Mention the titles assumed by the king of later Vedic Age. Fa.8b Anot, Someot, 2oeoblan d
15.