#3 The Vedic Period (cont.)

Udayan was the lead speaker. The following points were discussed.

• Review of Vedic period
• Sources of data and nomenclature
• India vs. World - 2000 BC
• Establish timeline
• Aryan Invasion Theory
• Early Vedic civilization - 1200 BC
• World around 1200 BC
• Late Vedic civilization - 600 BC
• Use of Iron
• India vs. World - 500 BC

Basis of Understanding

• From Archeological sites
• Text - Vedic and related text, Buddhist and Jain text, Panini grammar of Sanskrit, Arthashastra of Chanakya, Greek sources
• Linguistics Similarity - Eurasian language and Sanskrit, Rig-Veda and Avesta (Zoroastrian)
• Genetic analysis

India vs. World – 2000 BC

• Population – World 27m (India 4m, Southwest Asia 5m, China 5m, Egypt 1m)
• Cities - Largest – Lagash: 80,000 <=> Harappan & Mohenjo Daro: 50,000
• Mesopotamia - Decline of Sumer, Rise of Babylon – Hamurabi (1750 BC)
• Egypt - Middle kingdom, 12th dynasty, Ammenemes I (1990 BC)
• China - First distinctive civilization - Shang (1800 BC)
• Greece - Farming, small settlement, Aegean & Crete more developed

Archeological Sites

• Pre Harappan - Mehrgarh – Balochistan – 7000 BC to 3300BC
• Harappan - Early(3300 BC to 2500 BC), Mature(2500 BC to 2000 BC), Late(2000 BC to 1700 BC)
• Overlapping
  • Gandhar Grave – Banks of Swat & Dhir – 1600 BC to 500 BC
  • Cemetery H – Punjab – 1900 BC to 1300 BC
  • Ochre Color Pottery – Rajasthan - ?
• Early Vedic
  • Black & Red Ware – Eastern Gangetic plane – 1200 BC to 900 BC
  • Painted Gray Ware – Western Gangetic plane – 1100 BC to 350 BC
• Later Vedic
  • Northern Black Polished Ware – 700 BC to 200 BC

Chronology of Vedic Text

• Rig-Veda – 1500 BC, Similarity with Zoroastrian Avesta
• Other Veda – 1200 BC to 600 BC Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Atharva-Veda
• Upanisan – 500 BC
• Ramayan & Mahabharat - No archeological correlation
• Panini Sanskrit grammar – 500 BC

Aryan Invasion Theory Did speakers of Indic languages enter from outside? Earlier theory of invasion changed to migration Basis of theory

• Similarity of Sanskrit with Syrian text of 2000 BC, Greek & Latin
• Rig-Veda similarity with Zoroastrian Avesta
• Harappan civilization did not know horse
• Counter
  • Implies spread of language – not necessarily people invasion
  • No mention of any migration in Vedic text
  • Recent genetic study tend to indicate minimal migration
  • Were the Vedic people in majority or were in small minority?
• Conclusion – more study required
  • Location of Swaraswati River
  • Further excavation of the archeological sites located

Early Vedic Civilization – 1200 BC Characteristic

• Nomadic lifestyle
• Cattle rearing
• Varna system emerged
• No money – bartering
• No writing
• Sites
  • Gandhar Grave – Northwest
  • Cemetery H – Punjab
  • Ochre Color Pottery – Rajasthan

World Around 1200 BC Dark Age all around

• China Collapse of Shang dynasty
• Southwest Asia Almost all major cities destroyed
• Greece Aegean & Crete destroyed, Every Mycenaean palace destroyed
• Egypt Lost most of the territory, Power waned rapidly after death of Rameses II
• India End on Indus valley civilization

Late Vedic Civilization – 600 BC

• Second urbanization
• Use of iron tools for crafting
• Formation of Mahajanapadas (Most powerful – Kashi, Kosala, Magadha)
• Political organization - Gana-sangha, Kingdom
• New religion - Buddha - Buddhism, Mahavir - Jainism
• Rise of Maghada - Bibmisara (520 BC) & Ajatsatru (490 BC), Nanda dynasty

Mahajanapads

• Middle Ganges Valley Anga, Magadha, Vajji or Vriji, Malla
• West Kasi, Kosala, Vamsa or Vatsa
• Central Chedi or Cheti, Avanti
• Further West Kuru, Panchala, Machcha or Matsya, Surasena
• North West Gandhara, Kamboja
• Deccan Assaka or Ashmaka

Use of Iron – Around the world Till 1000 BC very little use

• Wrought Iron Technology developed in Southwest Asia and India
• India Special technology for high quality sword blade – prized all around the world, Use of zinc
• China Use of Iron started 400 years later, Developed Cast Iron technology

India vs. World – 500 BC

• Population – World 100m (India 25m, China 30m, Greece 3m)
• Cities - Largest – Babylon: 250,000 <=> Sravasti(Kosala): 150,000
• Southwest Asia - Fall of Assyrian empire (610 BC), Nebuchadnezzar II (605 BC), Achaemenid empire of Iran (560 BC)
• Egypt - Initial under Assyrian and later under Achaemenid empire
• China - Divided into small states – Spring & Autumn period
• Greece - Sparta (800 BC), Athens (600 BC), Carthage (600 BC), Macedonia (350 BC)
• Rome - Small villages (700 BC), Established (275 BC)

#2 The Vedic Period - The Aryan Concept

[This writeup is contributed by Animesh.]

William Jones, a writer at East India Company by the end of the 18th Century first delivered the hypothesis of Indo European language family. Similarity between Rg Vedic Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, German – based on this theory of next 150 / 200 years historians / indologists developed the theory of Aryan race / Aryan language. This race was from Central Asia. They spoke the mother language – now termed as Proto Indo European language – one section of this Aryans migrated to Persia (Iran) and then from Iran to India.

It is difficult to develop a concrete defimation of Aryan and there is difference of opinion among the experts. This word was used in many Indo European language. However modern historians do not mix any race / ethnic group with Arya / Aryan. It is only a family of Aryan language speaking people.

From early 20th century series of historians contradicted the theory of genesis of Aryan from Central Asia as per their Aryan race / culture was originated from India and Harappan culture is part of Aryan / Vedic culture – date of Rg Veda is 3500 BC whereas Harappan culture is 3000 – 2000 BC ended by 1200 BC.

Controversy on Aryan Migration From early 20th century series of historians contradicted the theory of genesis of Aryan from Central Asia as per their Aryan race / culture was originated from India and Harappan culture is part of Aryan / Vedic culture – date of Rg Veda is 3500 BC whereas Harappan culture is 3000 – 2000 BC ended by 1200 BC.

Strongest point in favour of them is Saraswati River which was treated as main river both by Avesta amd Rg Veda. Debate is continuing about the dry river bed Saraswati River.

The language Present day philologists feels the development of Rg vedic sanskrit developed in following way.

1. Mother language – Proto Indo European language – one part known as Eastern Indo European language spread into Iran (Persia).
2. It is established that Indo Iranian language speaking people who separated from Persia and migrated towards India are now termed as Indo Aryan Language Speaking People. That was the language of Rg Veda. It is also known as Rg Vedic Sanskrit.

Harappan and Rg vedic culture comparison It is now accepted that Harappan and Aryan / Rg vedic culture lived side by side atleast for few hundred years – may be till end of 2nd millenium B.C. but then on clear demarcation between these two civilisation

1. Language – Harappan had script based language (still undeciphered) whereas Rg vedic language was pure phonetical without script. Philologists feels Harappan language was in the family of old Tamil/Proto- dravidian language. Old Tamil has similarity with Barki – a tribal language of Baluchistan.
2. Though horse bones has been found in Later Harappan stages – horse was not a common animal in Harappa whereas domesticated horse and chariot is the main feature of Aryan life.
3. It is told that concept of chariot was developed in 3000 B.C. in the Central Asia in the valley between Dneeper and Volga
4. Cremation – Burial was the main trend in Harappa whereas Indo Aryan preferred cremation.
5. Harappan used solid wheel. Aryans used spoke wheel.
6. Harappan were master of brick technology – vedic people did not use brick. In post Harappan culture brick was found not before 300 BC
7. Harappan culture was city based which presupposes surplus food production. However evidence of city is not available in Rg Veda. Different suktas of Rg Veda looked down to city and agriculture. Only in later suktas agriculture (paddy) got prominence. Cities were found only after 1000 B.C. (600 BC) during Yajur Veda time.

Later vedic period (1000 B.C. onwards) Periods of Yajur Veda and its appendix Satapada Bramanaha and Attraiya Bramanahas

1. Aryan speaking people slowly migrated to Himalayan foothill / plains and then to Western side to the gangetic plain through deforestation
2. It took longer time to migrate to gangetic plain mainly due to problem of deforestation of dense forest of gangetic plain. Deforestation took place either through fire or due to technological development and use of iron / better quality iron.
3. Himalayan plain gave birth of republics
4. Gangetic plain slowly developed to kingship / monarchy.
5. Cities started developing again in India (after Harappan culture)
6. Use of fertile gangetic plain and development of paddy replantation technique gave birth to surplus food – city – private ownership – trade with distance land (with South India) – coin as medium of exchange (known as punch marked coin)
7. Trading creates merchant community – histiorical gives birth of new social movement eg. Buddhism and Jainism
8. Clearly Buddhism / Jainism gave more importance to Kshatriyas and Vaishyas than Brahmanas.

Summing up

1. Due to migration to Himalayan plain and Gangetic Plain along with development of cultivation technology and iron making Aryans slowly changed themselves from pastoral / bajra cultivation to agricultural community with permanent settlement.
2. Orthodox Vedic practice developed more in Gangetic Plain along with monarchy.
3. Republicians grew more in less fertile Himalayan foothill.
4. Development of city was another milestone of the period.
5. Trade activities expanded with West Asia and South India. Consequently history of money started through punch marked coins.
6. Creation of surplus grain from fertile land gives rise to the eagerness for holding more territory of fertile land. Ultimately this leads to formation of monarchy based on territory / kingdom – Magadha dynasty of Bimbisara was one of the best example of this period.

#1 On Historiography

Tapas was the lead speaker. Awaiting material from him to complete this post. The topic of next meeting is Vedic period. More precisely, the period after decline of Indus valley civilization and prior to Alexander's invasion.