1. THE INDO- ARYAN Migration The Indo-European migrants who moved to south- east Asia around 2000 BC. BY ANJUM, MARINA and DEVIN

2. WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS MIGRATION? Around 2000 BC, possibly drought, plague or invasion drove indo-europeans from their home in Central Asia. The Aryans were one such group. They were nomadic herders. Whether through invasion or peaceful migration, the Aryans moved in through the Hindu Kush mountains into the area where the Harrappan Civilisation was already destroyed by natural disasters. The Aryans entered India slowly and gradually moved south into the sub-continent.

3. WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS MIGRATION FOR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED? Their language - Sanskrit is still known by many people in India and it is also the basis of Hindi - the most commonly spoken language in India. Hinduism - the most common religion in India is based on the religion and culture of the Aryans. There were no negative consequences for the Aryans. They settled in and their culture blended in with the local Dravidians. Gradually their religion, language and traditions spread throughout India. Examples of this can be seen today in modern India for instance, their warrior, priest and commoner classes grew into caste system separating people on the basis of their jobs.

4. WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PLACES INVOLVED? Aryans were advanced in their knowledge of technology and used stone, copper and bronze axes to clear forests which lead to them moving east into the Indo- Gangetic plain. The use of these elements increased their expansion into the regions of India and also increased agricultural development. They brought with them herds of sheep, goats, cattle and also the domestic horse. These farming animals made it much easier for them to survive and continue developing their agriculture. The Aryans changed the way of communication in India. They developed their language of sanskrit which enabled details to be recorded about people and places. Hinduism also became the main religion and is still today in India, due to the culture and gods of the Indo aryans.

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY Book resource: Morris Neil, "Asian Civilisations", McRae Books Srl, 2007 Internet site: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/india/history/aryan.htm http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1 CD Printout: Banerjee, Mukulika. "Aryans", Microsoft Encarta 2007 [CD]. Microsoft Corporation, 2006.