Economic Development:
The Aryan migrants originally used herding but turned to agriculture.
They used iron tools and Shudras to work in the fields.
Agricultural surpluses helped large scale states like the regional kingdoms and the Mauryan Gupta empires.
They also helped emerging towns, trade growth, and the development of the caste system.
They used iron tools and Shudras to work in the fields.
Agricultural surpluses helped large scale states like the regional kingdoms and the Mauryan Gupta empires.
They also helped emerging towns, trade growth, and the development of the caste system.
Towns, Trade, and Manufacturing
In 600 BCE there were towns in the North-Western corner of India.
These towns helped the society because they provided manufactured goods like pots, textiles, iron tools, and jewelry.
The society was based off of agriculture and because everyone was involved with agriculture there was a high demand for manufactured goods.
The towns had marketplaces which encouraged the development for trade.
Trade was active along the Ganges River, Ganges delta east to Burma and down the east Indian coast to the Deccan and Southern India.
The Persians wanted the wealth of india so they built roads to facilitate trade.
Alexander the Great established even more trade routes, and connected India to the Mediterranean by way of Bactria, Persia, and Anatolia.
Trade went through the Hindu Kush mountains, the Gandhara capital of Taxila, the silk roads, and the Mediterranean basin to China.
Cotton, aromatics, black peppers, pearls, and gems were sold along this route.
Originally used land routes but started slowly using the ocean for transport.
These towns helped the society because they provided manufactured goods like pots, textiles, iron tools, and jewelry.
The society was based off of agriculture and because everyone was involved with agriculture there was a high demand for manufactured goods.
The towns had marketplaces which encouraged the development for trade.
Trade was active along the Ganges River, Ganges delta east to Burma and down the east Indian coast to the Deccan and Southern India.
The Persians wanted the wealth of india so they built roads to facilitate trade.
Alexander the Great established even more trade routes, and connected India to the Mediterranean by way of Bactria, Persia, and Anatolia.
Trade went through the Hindu Kush mountains, the Gandhara capital of Taxila, the silk roads, and the Mediterranean basin to China.
Cotton, aromatics, black peppers, pearls, and gems were sold along this route.
Originally used land routes but started slowly using the ocean for transport.
Caste System and Family life
Moralists promoted stability by encouraging strong patriarchal families and everyone in society had a well defined roll.
People among the higher castes had several generations of family living in large compounds ruled by powerful patriarchs.
Women were subordinate to men, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana told women to be weak-willed and emotional creatures that should be devoted to their husbands.
Child marriage was common, once girls turned 8 they would be married to men in their 20's.
Child marriage made women devote themselves to their husbands and family matters, rather than the public affairs of society.
There are four Caste levels, the lowest are the serfs or Shudras, merchants and peasants Vaisyas, warriors and aristocrats Kshatriyas, and the highest level the priests Brahmins.
The Brahmins became wealthy and honorable from this social order.
People among the higher castes had several generations of family living in large compounds ruled by powerful patriarchs.
Women were subordinate to men, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana told women to be weak-willed and emotional creatures that should be devoted to their husbands.
Child marriage was common, once girls turned 8 they would be married to men in their 20's.
Child marriage made women devote themselves to their husbands and family matters, rather than the public affairs of society.
There are four Caste levels, the lowest are the serfs or Shudras, merchants and peasants Vaisyas, warriors and aristocrats Kshatriyas, and the highest level the priests Brahmins.
The Brahmins became wealthy and honorable from this social order.
Guilds
Trade and industrial activity expanded so a new group of craftsmen appeared that didn't belong in the caste system already in place so they created a guild.
They supervised prices and provided welfare for members of the guild and their families.
The whole guild lived in the same general area and cared for each other.
The guilds functioned as sub-castes Jati, the Jati helped keep the society together by organizing courts, resolved differences, and regulated community affairs.
People that broke the guild rules were kicked out and had to work in jobs deemed unclean (butcher, leather tanners, undertakers).
The guilds and Jati performed tasks that the government usually did.
They supervised prices and provided welfare for members of the guild and their families.
The whole guild lived in the same general area and cared for each other.
The guilds functioned as sub-castes Jati, the Jati helped keep the society together by organizing courts, resolved differences, and regulated community affairs.
People that broke the guild rules were kicked out and had to work in jobs deemed unclean (butcher, leather tanners, undertakers).
The guilds and Jati performed tasks that the government usually did.
Wealth and Social Order
Economic development made India rich which hurt the social order.
Originally the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas were given respect and wealth because they are in the higher castes.
But after trade and and industrial activity expanded the Vaisyas and the Shudras became more wealthy and more influential to society than the higher castes.
Because of the social change and economic development the beliefs, values, and rituals that were meaningful in the early Aryan society became irrelevant.
Originally the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas were given respect and wealth because they are in the higher castes.
But after trade and and industrial activity expanded the Vaisyas and the Shudras became more wealthy and more influential to society than the higher castes.
Because of the social change and economic development the beliefs, values, and rituals that were meaningful in the early Aryan society became irrelevant.