#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)