Davids Adventure

David Ahn

HIST 110A

MWF 9-9:50AM

9/14/2012

Chapter 4: Early Societies in South Asia

Chapter four highlights the early societies in South Asia. The first of these societies to come

about were the Harappan Society. These were a Neolithic people who formed villages around the Indus

River around 3,000 B.C.E. The Indus River proved to be the foundation of this society, where cultivation

was a key aspect of life. Wheat, barley, and cotton were the main crops that were cultivated. There

were the two main cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Both had fortified walls and a large granary

along with marketplaces, temples, buildings, broad streets, etc.

Although much is not known about the Harappan Society (no translation for their writing), we

can see that they had social distinction in their culture and societies. They strongly put an emphasis on

fertility in their religion, but their society started collapse slowly from 1,900 B.C.E. This was due to many

factors such as natural calamities, economic crises, and by 1,500 B.C.E was pretty much completely

destroyed.

The next main societies to appear in South Asia were the Indo-Europeans and Aryans people.

The Aryans migrated in India and were a pastoral economy that relied on an oral tradition called the

Vedas. From 1,500-500 B.C.E, there was the Vedic Age where there a lot of conflict and turmoil among

the peoples and chieftains. They developed a caste system in their society which meant hereditary, or

unchangeable social classes. There were four main varnas or classes that were known after 1,000 B.C.E.

The Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats), vaishyas (merchants, cultivators), and the

shudras (serfs and peasants). Later in the 6th century there was the introduction of a subcaste or “jari”.

This included a more elaborate social distinction which more classes. These subcastes (jari) were

determined by the occupation of the citizen, and was...