Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 1 Chapter 4 Early Societies in South Asia

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 2 Harappan society and its neighbors, ca B.C.E.

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 3 Foundations of Harappan Society The Indus River  Silt-enriched water from mountain ranges Major society built by Dravidian peoples, BCE  Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early cultivation of poultry  Decline after 1900 BCE Major cities: Harappa (Punjab region and Mohenjo-Daro (mouth of Indus River)  70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 4 Mohenjo-Daro Ruins Population c. 40,000 Regional center  Layout, architecture suggests public purpose  Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage Standardized weights evident throughout region Specialized labor Trade

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 5 Harappan Society and Culture Evidence of social stratification  Dwelling size, decoration Harappan Civilization: matriarchal?  Influence on later Indian culture Goddesses of fertility Possible east/west distinctions

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 6 Mysterious End of Harappan Civilization Reasons for disappearance unclear  Excessive deforestation, loss of topsoil  Earthquakes?  Flooding? Evidence of unburied dead Disappearance by 1500 BCE

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 7 The Aryan “Invasion” Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa Color Bias Socio-Economic Implications Difficulty of theory: no evidence of large-scale military conquest

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 8 The Early Aryans Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses, cattle  Vegetarianism not widespread until many centuries later Religious and Literary works: The Vedas  Sanskrit: sacred tongue  Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into Hindi, Urdu, Bengali  Four Vedas, most important Rig Veda 1,028 hymns to gods

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 9 The Vedic Age Conflicts between Aryans and indigenous dasas (“enemies,” “subjects”)  Aryans fighting Dravidians  Also Aryans fighting each other Chiefdoms: Rajas Early concentration in Punjab, migrations further south  Development of iron metallurgy  Increasing reliance on agriculture Tribal connections evolve into political structures

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 10 Varna: The Caste System Origins in Aryan domination of Dravidians  Brahmin, Priest  Kshatriya, Warrior  Vaishya, Merchant  Shudra, Commoner  Harijan: “Untouchables; Pariahs” Jati subsystem of castes  Related to urbanization, increasing social and economic complexity

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 11 Brahmins from Bengal

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 12 Patriarchy in Ancient Indian Society “rule of the father” Enforced in The Lawbook of Manu Overwhelmed Harappan matriarchy? Caste, Jati, inheritance through male line

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 13 Sati (“Suttee”)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 14 Aryan Religion Major deity of Rig Veda: Indra, war god Elaborate ritual sacrifices to gods  Role of Brahmins important C. 800 BCE some movement away from sacrificial cults  Mystical thought, influenced by Dravidians

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 15 Teachings of the Upanishads Texts that represent blending of Aryan and Dravidian traditions Composed BCE, some later collections until 15 th century CE Brahman: the Universal Soul Samsara: reincarnation Karma: accounting for incarnations Moksha: mystical ecstasy Relationship to system of Varna