Found 88 Articles for Ancient Indian History

Introduction The Vedic age is the period of ancient India roughly between 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C. This period comes after the end of the Indus valley civilization. After the end of the Indus valley civilization, the Indo-Aryan migrated into the subcontinent from Central Asia through the different passes in northwest India. The Indo-Aryans started developing their culture and religion and started writing the Vedas. The Indo-Aryans were basically a pastoral community depending on the agriculture and domestication of animals. Why is the Vedic Age Called the Epic Age? The Vedic age is called the epic age because in this ... Read More

Introduction The Idea of Varnas came from Ancient Hindu texts like Manusmriti and Bhagwat Geeta. The mention of Varna can also be found in the Vedas and Puranas. Vedas were written by Brahmanas and they had written how the rituals were to be performed. The priests had also written rules about society. In ancient times society was divided based on one's function and skill. There were various groups, such as priests, Traders, Warriors, Vaishyas, Labourers, Peasants, Fishermen, Forest dwellers and many more. Priests and Warriors were relatively richer than Peasants, Labourers and fishermen. According to the Priests, the society was ... Read More

Introduction The truth about ancient cultures across the world is known via numerous means like written documents. rituals, beliefs, coins, carbon dating, poems, and stories. A prominent example of the process is the study of Vedic and post-Vedic cultures. Although the period dates back to 1500 BCE, we find evidence of political structure, traditions, military strength, agricultural grains, trade, rituals, etc. All this is studied via literary means like the Vedas, or through archaeological finds like the burials. The most authentic means to study the ancient past is archaeological evidence. A primary example of this is the study of oracle ... Read More

Introduction In Ancient times the battles between two clans were fought for resources like pasture, water and cattle. Men participated in all wars and there was no regular army. Some parts of the exploits were taken by the leader and some were donated to priests and the rest were distributed among people. The leader used to make big sacrifices in Yajna and claim his right over the land. Earlier rajas were different from later rajas. They did not have their capital or armies and they did not collect taxes. Some rajas were chosen by the Janas or People, but around ... Read More

Introduction With the beginning of the later Vedic period, Indo-Aryans shifted to the Gangetic plains of India and began to settle there. Initially, they used to live in tribal forms on a particular territory, called Janapadas. The rulers of these territories began to expand their areas in order to form great kingdoms, known as Mahajanapadas. Among these 16 Mahajanappadas became more powerful. Some of these were republics and others were monarchical. The rise of Mahajanapadas further set the stage for the rise of different empires in India. Now the kings of these newly established Mahajanpadas began to maintain their armies ... Read More

Introduction The Indus Valley Civilization from 2700 BCE to 1800 BCE was destroyed in mysterious circumstances. There are a lot of theories about its destruction like the flood theory or changing river course theory. However, the most plausible and accepted one is the Aryan invasion theory. Under it, it has been argued that Aryans invaded India from the north-western border and destroyed civilization. Following the Indus age, the Vedic or the Chalcolithic age set in. This period and its people were not as advanced as the Indus people. The tools, occupations, houses, etc. were all relatively inferior. A town named ... Read More

Introduction The skeletal system of humans is just like pillars on which the entire human body stands erect. Skeletons provide support and protection to various internal organs. Humans have an endoskeleton of bones, and animals such as cockroaches, crabs, and other insects have an exoskeleton made of chitin. The study of skeletons is known as Osteology and the people who study skeletons are known as Osteologists. The human body contains 206 bones. What Does the Study of the Skeleton Tell Us? In osteology, a person tries to understand the history of an organism, the behaviour of an organism, its ... Read More

Introduction The Vedic age refers to the time period between 1500 BCE to 800 BCE. During this time period, several remarkable changes took place in the society and the world witnessed the development of the Vedic civilization. Vedas, the holy books of Hinduism, were composed during this period and are the major literally source that gives an Idea of the Vedic life. Indo-Aryan Migration to Vedic Civilization The beginning of the Vedic age is marked by the migration of Indo-Aryan people to the Indian subcontinent. It is believed that these groups diverged from the Indo-Iranian tribes and started settling ... Read More

Introduction The Vajji was an important Mahajanpada that flourished from the 6th Century to the 4th century BCE. Its uniqueness lies in its political structure, where the rulers were elected by people rather than by succession on a hereditary basis. At that time, when the majority of the kingdoms were governed by an autocratic ruler, the Vajjis had a republican form of government. It was a confederation that included eight different clans. Out of these- the Videhas, Lichhavis, Jantrikas and Kshatriyas were the most popular. And the political organization in Vajji was known as Gana-sanghas. The capital of this Mahajanpada ... Read More

Introduction The use of iron began in the Indian subcontinent around 2500-3000 years ago by the end of the Chalcolithic Age. Now the tools made up of iron and steel during this period were more durable and stronger than Bronze ones. The coming of iron revolutionized the agriculture field in India. The production of iron tools helped in making the farming process much easier and it also helped in increasing the farm yield in greater quantity. Producing in a large quantities helped people at that time not only in subsistence farming but also to indulge in commercial farming (trading between ... Read More