1. What is mean by the following: Saptasindhu, painted Grey Ware site ( PGW).
Ans: The Saptasindhu region ( land of the seven rivers represented by the Indus and its principal tributaries ) in the north - western part of India. witness the growth of a new culture called the vedic culture. The name vedic is derived from the Vedas which happen to be the creation of the Indo- Aryans who contributed this culture.
Historians are of the opinion that the Laber Vedic texts were complied in the upper Gangetic basin in C. 1000 - 500 BC. Digging and exploration carried out in the upper Gangetic basin have brought to light nearly 700 inhabited sites pertaining to the period of the later Vedic texts. These are called painted Grey Ware. (PGW).
2. What area is regarded as the paint of origin of the Aryans?
Ans: The issue of the original place of the Aryans is hotly contested by historians, it is generally believed that the Indo - Aryans of India were members and descendants of 'Aryan' ( a language ) speaking groups living around the Caspian Sea in central Asia.
3. List two attributes of the Aryans culture.
Ans: Animal sacrifice, cremation of the dead and male - dominated society were two attributes of the Aryan society.
4. List four sources for the Vedic Age.
Ans: Vedic literature is broadly divided into two categories, early and later Vedic literature. Early Vedic literature pertains to the period 1500 - 1000 BC and consists of the Samhita of the Rig Veda. Rig Veda has 1028 hymns in praise of various gods intended to be used as a means of invoking the deities and soliciting their support.
Some important Brahmanas include the Aitareya Brahmana, the Shatapatha Brahmana and the Jaiminiya Brahmana. Along with the vedas and Brahmanas, the Zater vedic the texts also include the Aranykas and Upanishadas.
5. Broadly identify the areas associated with the Early Vedic and the Later Vedic cultures.
Early Vedic Period ( 1500 - 1000 BC )
Economy : - The mainstay of the early Vedic economy was pastoralism. This is attested by direct references in Rig Veda to cattle.
Gau or cow seems to be the chief form of wealth during the period, Limited references to agriculture in the Rig Veda suggest its relative unimportance in the Early Vedic Economy.
Society: - In social terms, Early Vedic Society was broadly egalitarian. Differences did exist in term of rank, age, sex and to some extent wealth but it was still not divided into distinct social classes. The basic social unit probably was the male - dominated extended family. Other social units were vish and jana vish probably meant a clan while jana referred to the entire tribe.
Party : - polity in Early Vedic period was organised along ties of kinship. Thus the king of Rig Veda was the king of his kinsmen or tribe and not a territory. The king essentially was the first among the equals and his primarily role was to lead the tribe in warfare.
Religion: - The dominant form of religious expression in the Early Vedic period was the sacrifice, which was a fairly simple ritual in which members of the community participated. Agni was symbolic of the sacrificial fire which served as a medium between gods and men. Varuna was associated with water. overall, therefore the Early Vedic people worshiped the natural forces as deities.
Later Vedic Period ( 1000 - 500 BC )
Economy: - The Later Vedic economy is characterized by a marked shift from pastoralism to agriculture. In contrast to the Early Vedic times the later Vedic texts refer to many grains like vrihi ( rice ) godhuma ( wheat ) etc. In crafts use of iron became important during this period. By the end of the later Vedic period in wound the sixth century BC, we start getting direct evidences of coins, which indicates monetization of the economy.
Society : The major social change evident in the later Vedic period seems to have been the growing importance assigned to the Varna hierarchy. In gender terms, the later Vedic period saw attempts to establish at gender hierarchy by differentiating between men and women, as their participation in the assembly was no longer considered important.
Polity : - The basis of later Vedic Polity became territory. Thus the king was no more the king of merely the kin - group or tribe. The raja of Later Vdeic period abandoned many of the attributes of the tribal chief of the earlier period. Weakening of the popular assemblies further helped the king's position, in becoming more absolute.
Religion: - With the Later Vedic society and economy becoming more and more complex the simplicity and materialistic out look of the Early Vedic times also made way for a more elaborate and complex kind of religious expression during the Later Vedic period. Two trends could simultaneously be seen during the period in the sphere of religion.
6, What was the mainstay of the Early Vedic economy ?
Ans: The mainstay of the Early Vedic economy was pastoralism. This is attested by direct references in Rig Veda to cattle. There also are prayers for pashu.
7. What was the nature of Bali in the Early Vedic period ?
Ans: A cattle formed an important item of gift ( dana ) made to the priests either by the Raja or Rajya and may have formed a prat of the voluntary tribute. It is called Bali.
8. Name the term used in Rig Veda for grain.
Ans: The term used in Rig Veda for many grains like Vrichi ( rice ), godhuma ( wheat ), mudga ( moong) masa ( urad ) etc.
9. Name two popular assemblies of the Vedic period.
Ans: The chiefs redistributed the acquired wealth in assemblies such as the Vidhata or gana. Vidhata was the most important assembly in the Rig Vedic period, and gana many be understood in the sense of an assembly or a troop. The chiefs gave gifts to both members of the vish and to the priests, thus ensuring the continued support of both groups.
10, What was a Janapada ?
Ans: Janapada is area where the jana or tribe settled down. Some of these new janapadas were formed through amalgamation of separate janas, the kuru panchala janapada of the Ganga Yamuna doabs being the most outstanding example of this.
