# data[].attributes.body
Prezi by Michael D

# data[].attributes.body
Website by V

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the beginning of the Vedic age people did not have a settled life and were nomads but with development in agriculture people started to settle down in groups. The organization was mainly tribal and the head of the tribe was supposed to be the raja or the King, though the concept of King had yet not developed. With the passage of time large kingdoms started to grow and by the 6th century BC there were 16 Mahajanapadas (Kingdoms).

There were many small republics also in ancient India. These republics had some elements of democracy in their administration. The king (raja) was the supreme head of the legislative, executive and judiciary branches. He was assisted in administration by a number of officials. The members of the council of minister could give advice to the king, but final decisions were left to the king. The ministers and other officials were directly appointed by the king.

During the Mauryan period there existed both civil and military officials. They were paid a salary in cash. The highest official was paid the salary of 48000 panas (Unit of money) per year. The soldiers were paid 500 panas per year. There were officials who maintained the records of population, income and expenditure of government. We find reference to officials and clerks who collected income tax and custom duties. Spy system was an important feature of Mauryan administration.

The royal agents and the spies could contact the king at any time and they reported to the king about various developments in his kingdom. The empire was divided into many provinces and each one of these provinces was governed by a governor and council of ministers. In the provinces there were local officials called rajukas, who became more powerful during the reign of Ashoka. There were certain departments which decided certain important matters of administration. There existed a standing army which was again controlled by certain committees.

Administration structure during the Gupta period was exceptionally good in spite of large empire. During the Gupta period also the administration was more or less like the Mauryas. The most important difference between the Gupta and Mauryan administration was centralization and decentralization of administration. In the Gupta administration, the governors of the provinces were more independent as compared to the Mauryans, where the administration was highly centralized.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
ancient india government - government in ancient india - law government ancient india

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the beginning of the Vedic age people did not have a settled life and were nomads but with development in agriculture people started to settle down in groups. The organization was mainly tribal and the head of the tribe was supposed to be the raja or the King, though the concept of King had yet not developed.

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Secret World of Wellness Ayurveda Ancient India

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Mauryan Empire History | Chanakya Niti Education Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Mauryan Map extended from Uzbekistan to Bengal-Tibet to parts of Tamil Nadu. One of the most Influencel kings on earth. Spread Buddhism to east Asian,Middle east,western world,southest asia,etc.

# data[].attributes.body
Art Gallery

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Virtual Art Exhibit - The Mauryan Empire

# data[].attributes.body
Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Prior to the rise of the Maurya, numerous states, large and small, covered northern India. This was the classical age of the history of ancient India, a time of religious ferment when two new faiths, Buddhism and Jainism, appeared.

One of the largest of these states was Magadha. It was located in the eastern part of the Ganges plain, on the periphery of the Aryan cultural area. At this stage in Indian history other states apparently regarded Magadha as semi-barbarous. Perhaps its position on the frontiers of the Aryan world meant that its people were not too strict in their commitment to the old Vedic religion of northern India. It is certainly the case that the two non-orthodox faiths of Jainism and Buddhism flourished here in their early days, and found patrons amongst the Magadha kings.

Gradually, over a century or more, Magadha extended its borders. Then, under a line of kings of the Nanda dynasty (reigned c. 424-322 BCE), the kingdom dramatically expanded, to cover a large part of northern India.

Chandragupta

The Mauryan period of ancient Indian history was really inaugurated by the conquest of northwest India by Alexander the Great, in 326 BCE. This seems to have destabilized the political situation amongst the Aryan states in the region, allowing the first great conqueror in Indian history, Chandragupta Maurya (reigned 322-298 BCE), to rise to power.

Chandragupta - Statue of a standing young man in red stone.

Chandragupta seized control of the throne of Maghada from the last Nanda king, and then proceeded to conquer that part of northern India which still remained outside Magadha's borders. He drove out the Seleucids, Alexander's successors, from the Indian subcontinent, and went on to conquer the easternmost provinces of Alexander's former empire, reaching into Afghanistan and eastern Iran.

Internally, building on foundations laid by the Nanda kings, his reign saw the establishment of a strong central government. This was the work of his highly capable chief minister, Chanakya.

Chandragupta was succeeded by his son, Bindusara (reigned 298-272 BCE). He continued his father's conquests by extending Mauryan power down into central India.

Bindusara was followed by his son, Ashoka (also spelt Asoka - reigned 272-232 BCE). Asoka proved to be one of the most remarkable, and attractive, rulers in the history of India, and indeed the whole of world history.

After a bloody war against Kalinga, in eastern India, Ashoka renounced warfare and converted to Buddhism. He determined that henceforward he would reign in peace.

Indian relief from Amaravati, Guntur. Preserved in Guimet Museum. Reproduced under
Creative Commons 3.0

He actively promoted the spread of Buddhism; and sent missions abroad, to Sri Lanka (headed by his son, Mahinda) and South East Asia. Here they laid the foundations for Buddhism's later triumph as the predominant faith. He also sent missions to the Greek-speaking kingdoms to the west, which had carved up Alexander the Great's conquests between them. Here they seem to have made little impact.

We can still see the pillars Ashoka erected around his empire, on which were inscribed royal edicts and encouragements to his subjects to live in harmony with one another. These edicts and exhortations give an insight into Ashoka's mind. What comes across is a compassionate, tolerant but firm ruler, seeking justice and well-being for all his subjects.

Mauryan Government

There seems little doubt that one of the main architects of Maurya power was Chandragupta's chief minister, Chanakya. He is widely regarded as the author of a political treatise called the Arthashastra, a down-to-earth manual on how to rule. Although most scholars agree that this work was in fact written a long time after the Maurya had left the stage, many think it does reflect conditions from that time. In any case, Chanakya seems to have organized an efficient military and civil administration, on which the Mauryan kings could build a solid power.

Maurya kings were advised by a council of advisors, and was served by an elaborate administrative structure. The empire was divided into provinces, each governed by a member of the royal family. Under them, local rulers seem to have been kept in place, if they were loyal to the Maurya and forwarded the taxes from their domains promptly to the imperial treasury in the capital. Their activities, however, were checked on by senior royal officials, through regular inspections, and also watched by Mauryan spies, secretly. The Mauryan regime had an extensive espionage system, which Chandragupta in particular used to great effect.

The cities of the empire were directly administered by a hierarchy of royal officials, responsible for the upkeep of such public facilities as roads and wells, and for the maintenance of justice.

Mauryan power rested ultimately on its formidable army, which Greek and Roman authors regarded (probably wrongly) as the largest in the world at that time. One claimed that it included 700 elephants, 1000 horses and 600,000 infantry, surely an exaggeration.

The Mauryan government and the economy

As with most ancient administrative systems, the Mauryan bureacracy's main purpose was to collect taxes. These consisted primarily of the land tax. Since this depended on agricultural prosperity, the government sponsored the reclamation of large amounts of land from forests and wastelands (it seems to have been illegal for private persons to clear land). Irrigation projects were undertaken to increase productivity.

Taxes were also levied on trade, and trade was officially encouraged. The construction of a network of roads, certainly as much for military as commercial purposes, will have significantly affected trade for the better; and such measures as the planting of roadside trees for shade; and the construction of rest houses every few miles, illustrates the government's concern in this area.

Economy and society

The Mauryan period, particularly during the reign of Ashoka, was one of the very few times in Indian history when the population as a whole experienced an extensive period of peace. As always, peace encouraged prosperity, and as we have seen, the government actively sponsored agriculture and trade. Trade routes would have been more secure than at any time before in ancient India, and indeed for most periods since. This would have made long-distance commerce easier.

Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE

The archaeological record suggests that the standard of living rose appreciable under Mauryan rule. Iron implements came into wider use, which would have helped the reclamation of land for farming, and led to greater productivity for farmers. Metal coinage became more widespread, which would have stimulated trade. The expansion of trade is reflected in the spread of northern pottery styles into south India. Palitpura, the Mauryan capital, was a large and imposing city.

Links with other regions of the world

The Mauryan government was in regular diplomatic relations with the Greek-speaking kingdoms to its west. This was of course specially true for the Seleucid empire, the nearest, but contacts with Macedonia, Egypt and other kingdoms of the Hellenistic world are also mentioned. One of the Seleucids' ambassadors to the Mauryan court was an official called Megethsenes, from whose account, the Indica, we can glean much information about India at the time of the Mauryan empire. There seem to have been marriage alliances between the Seleucid and Mauryan royal families.

These diplomatic relations also involved trade missions, and under Asoka, missionary expeditions as well. In 251 BCE Ashoka's son, Mahinda, led a missionary expedition which introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

Religion

Buddhism flourished under the Maurya. Some scholars believe that it was in this period of ancient India, especially under Ashoka, that Buddhism became established as a major religion within the Indian sub-continent. Jainism also flourished, especially amongst the merchants of the cities - who, as we have seen, were experiencing a time of prosperity. The merchants were to some extent on the margins of the early Hindu scheme of society. They would probably have been less patient than other social groups with the traditional Brahmin dominance over religious matters, and hence more attracted to the new heterdox faiths of Buddhiam and Jainism.

(Read more on ancient Indian literature and art and architecture, including from the Mauryan period)

Fifty years or so after Ashoka's death, perhaps sooner (there is very little evidence from the later Maurya period), the huge empire began to crumble. Outlying provinces fell away, and by the mid-2nd century BCE the empire had shrunk to its core areas.

Why did this decline set in, and why was it so rapid?

Ashoka has sometimes been blamed for sowing the seeds of decline by his too-gentle rule. He might have left unchecked destabilizing forces, which came to full power after he was gone.

For this idea there is no evidence; indeed the edicts scattered around the empire suggest a firm and vigorous ruler. The causes of decline probably lie elsewhere, and can be summarized as follows:

Causes of decline

First, Ashoka seems to have been followed by a succession of weak rulers, who could not exert their will over such a large empire.

This is related to the second reason, the Maurya's failure to develop robust imperial institutions. Unlike the Han empire in China, which continued to run smoothly for almost 400 years, even when the emperors were nonentities, the effectiveness of Mauryan rule was always directly dependent upon the personal ability and energy of the king.

Later experience from around the world - for example, from China and the Roman empire - shows that, unless there is a well-working system for selecting and promoting capable and comparatively honest officials, a bureaucracy can soon become fragmented amongst the followers of over-powerful ministers and provincial governors. Something like this may well have occurred in late Maurya times, culminating in the breaking-away of large provinces from the empire.

Finally, the fragmentation of the Mauryan empire was, to some extent, a product of its very success. During the peace and unity the Mauryan kings had brought ancient India, Aryan culture had spread throughout much of the sub-continent. Towns and cities had sprung up - normally as centres of Mauryan administration - in places distant from the old seats of civilization. Economic development had come to areas which were previously the abode of forest peoples, of nomads and hunter-gatherers. All this had put in place the economic and administrative foundations upon which new, independent states could be built; and, with the firm hand of the early Mauryan kings gone, such states soon appeared.

The Mauryan legacy

In later Indian records, the Mauryan empire appears only as an entry in the long list of kingdoms that made up the vast and complex history of India; no special significance was attached to it.

No magnificent architecture was left - the towns where the Maurya carried out most of their building work continued to be lived in right up to the present day, and so Mauryan remains are buried under streets and buildings used by later generations.

Apart from a few brief mentions in some accounts, this great empire was all but forgotten - an astonishing fact given the great importance accorded by peoples in other parts of the world to their ancient empires.

In the 19th century, however, some British officials began to wonder, who built those mysterious pillars dotted around India? How come they are hundreds - thousands - of miles apart from one another? What do the inscriptions on them mean?

Then the truth about the Maurya gradually began to emerge. When it was realised that these pillars were the work of one king, Ashoka, whose realm covered a vast area of India and beyond, it was realised that here was a phenomenon of huge significance for the history of ancient India.

The Mauryan empire in world history

The Mauryan empire was the first great empire of the history of ancient India, and that in itself gives it major importance in world history.

Mauryan architecture in the Barabar Mounts. Grottoe of Lomas Richi. 3rd century BCE.

It was one of the great empires of the ancient world; in size if not in longevity it was on a par with the Persian, Roman and Han empires.

The spread of Indian civilization

The Mauryan empire spread Aryan culture throughout most of India. It stimulated the economic development of then-peripheral regions, as these were incorporated into Aryan society. In accomplishing this, the Mauryan empire vastly expanded the horizons of ancient Indian civilization, and so made it a more powerful force in world history.

In due course, southern India, which only under the Maurya began to be drawn into what we today think of as Indian culture, would play a pivotal role in the development of Indian Ocean trade networks, and act as a bridge for goods and ideas between the Middle East and South East Asia.

The spread of Buddhism

The Mauryan empire played a key role in the spread of Buddhism. It is quite possible that it was the Mauryan period which saw Buddhism's establishment as a major religion within ancient India - a development encouraged by official policy under Ashoka. This will have helped establish the sub-continent as a base from which Buddhism could later spread to other parts of Asia.

Moreover, the Maurya directly promoted Buddhist missions to other regions, and although in most cases it was only later that the peoples of many of these countries became Buddhist to any large extent, these Maurya missions seem to have been directly responsible for the conversion of the ruling class of at least one country, Sri Lanka.

In any case, the fact that China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia all now have large Buddhist populations is in some part owing to the great Maurya king, Ashoka.

A saintly ruler

Asoka offers a rare example in world history of a saintly yet capable ruler. Although his outstanding personality was hidden in the historical records until the 19th century, since then it has given all those who study world history pause for thought. As world history becomes a subject of more widespread study, his example can only become more widely known.

Institutional failure

Nevertheless, there is a negative side to the Maurya's role in world history: their failure to create an empire that endured for more than a century. This meant it did not play in Indian history the role that the Han empire played in Chinese - that is, act as a powerful model for a unified government system which future generations would set about recreating, and leaving to them the institutional means by which they could do that.

Unlike in Chinese history, the history of India is not one of a succession of great empires under which the sub-continent was united under a single regime. It is interesting to ponder the question - had the Mauryas succeeded in creating a tradition of unity, and Indian history had been more like China's, with a series of great empires providing unity and strength for the nation as a whole, how would world history have been different?

It would be one and half millennia before India again came near to unification, under the Delhi Sultanate - and then only very briefly. Likewise the Mughals and the British after them achieved brief moments of unity; but there was no ingrained habit of unity, no urge to merge, which rulers could draw on - a situation so different in Chinese history, where the only truly legitimate rulers are those who govern the entire (or at least the bulk) of that giant country.

Further Study

Articles on Ancient India:
Ancient India - an overview of the civilization of Ancient India The Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient India The Vedic Age of Ancient India The Classical Age of Ancient India
History maps
Ancient India and South Asia in 3500 BCE: Prehistory
Ancient India and South Asia in 2500 BCE: Indus Valley Civilization
Ancient India and South Asia in 1500 BCE: The Aryan Migrations
Ancient India and South Asia in 1000 BCE: The Vedic Age
Ancient India and South Asia in 500 BCE: India at the time of the Buddha
Ancient India and South Asia in 200 BCE: The Mauryan empire

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Mauryan Empire of Ancient India - TimeMaps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Prior to the rise of the Maurya, numerous states, large and small, covered northern India. This was the classical age of the history of ancient India, a time of religious ferment when two new faiths, Buddhism and Jainism, appeared. One of the largest of these states was Magadha.

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ashoka the Great - Kings of India | History for Kids | Educational Videos by Mocomi

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An introduction to the civilization contemporaneous with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia that inhabited the region around the Indus River in modern day Pakistan and northwestern India.

# data[].attributes.headline
Early Civilizations of Ancient India - Contributions

# data[].attributes.subject
Early Civilizations of Ancient India - Contributions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The culture of ancient India produced three important mathematical concepts.

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization | Harappa and Mohenjo Daro Excavations - Ancient Indian History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
More Videos, Visit : http://bit.ly/16VNVQg This 3D documentary is about Harappan civilization (also known as The Indus Valley Civilization ) which has its earliest roots in cultures. The two greatest cities, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, emerged circa 2600 BCE along the Indus River valley in Punjab and Sindh.[5] The civilization, with a writing system, urban centers, and diversified social and economic system, was rediscovered in the 1920s.

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Amazing Scientific Reasons Behind Indian Traditions & Culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Prasansa Tantradhar Narrator Prasun Sankar Sanyal Hinduism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Hinduism Sanatan Dharma of India History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient India | Hindu Dharma or Religion ? | Yoga Meaning | Hinduism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Difference between dharma and religion. What is yoga? Yoga and religion similarities. Developed by Prasansa Tantradhar Narrator Prasun Sankar Sanyal

# data[].attributes.body
Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hinduism & Buddhism - how similar or different are they? Here's an animated page from the graphic novel 'Religion: a Discovery in Comics' by Margreet de Heer to explain a bit about the history and beliefs of these two main Eastern religions.

# data[].attributes.body
Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A non-theistic religion, Jainism comes from a Sanskrit verb ji, 'to conquer'. Jains practice ascetism, as did the man counted as Jainism's founder, Mahavira, the last of 24 Tirthankaras. Mahavira is a possible contemporary of the Buddha; however, Jains trace their religious history back thousands of years earlier.

Karma and reincarnation are important elements of Jainism. Jains seek release from karma so that the soul can attain nirvana.

Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan empire, is supposed to have been a convert to Jainism.

Jainism practices a form of vegetarianism that doesn't allow practitioners to destroy the plant, so certain common root vegetables are off-limits. More "

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Religions of the Indian Subcontinent Stretch Back for Millennia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A non-theistic religion, Jainism comes from a Sanskrit verb ji, 'to conquer'. Jains practice ascetism, as did the man counted as Jainism's founder, Mahavira, the last of 24 Tirthankaras. Mahavira is a possible contemporary of the Buddha; however, Jains trace their religious history back thousands of years earlier.

# data[].attributes.body
Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School sessions and resources for ages 7–11 (KS2).

# data[].attributes.headline
Early Civilizations of Ancient India - Flash cards

# data[].attributes.subject
Early Civilizations of Ancient India - Flash cards

# data[].attributes.body
Flash Cards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The security system for this website has been triggered. Completing the challenge below proves you are a human and gives you temporary access.

# data[].attributes.body
Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Some of the oldest human remains in South Asia date back to around 75,000 years ago. These early humans made tools and lived a nomadic hunter/gatherer life. Artifacts indicate that around 5000 BCE, farming developed in South Asia. Slowly, people began to live in permanent places and villages slowly developed-eventually these villages turned into cities and created one of the earliest human civilizations in the world. This civilization is known by many names: Ancient India, Indus Valley, and Harappan Civilization. Historians and archeologists believe the Indus Valley Civilization began around 3000 BCE. There is evidence of trade between Ancient India and

South Asia is one of the four early places where human civilization began-similar to Egypt (Nile), China (Yellow), and Iraq (Tigris and Euphrates). Civilization in South Asia began along the Indus River. The land of South Asia is dominated by three main types of physical features. Mountains, rivers, and the massive triangular-shaped peninsula of India.

50 or 60 million years ago India slowly smashed into Asia and formed the Himalaya and Hindu Kush Mountains that nearly block off India from the surrounding area. Except for the coast, there are only a few narrow passes through the mountains such as the Khyber Pass that have allowed people to enter this land. The other main physical features are the Indus River in modern day Pakistan and the Ganges River in modern day India. The Indus River is in a very dry area called the Thar Desert--this Arid climate is the site for another of the world's first human civilizations.

The water in the Indus River mainly comes from melting glaciers and natural springs from the mountains that surround it. As the water runs down the mountain it picks up fertile silt. This area would flood at least one time every year and provide irrigation water for farmers. When the flood waters went away the left a thin layer of fertile silt. Today, much of South Asia experiences an annual change of wind direction called monsoon that usually brings massive amounts of rain. Some historians claim the Indus Valley received two annual floods.

Mesopotamia as early as 3200 BCE. This an other evidence suggests Ancient India relied on trade in a larger way than other early civilizations.

Ancient India

Ancient India is often called the Harappan Civilization because one of the ancient cities was called Harappa. Harappa was just one of 1500 cities in the Indus River Valley. Another well-known city is called Mohenjo-Daro. Historians estimate Ancient India to be the biggest of all four early civilizations. This civilization was not discovered until the 1920's CE, and much of this civilization remains a mystery. One reason the Indus Valley civilization is so mysterious is because historians have not been able to translate their complicated written language called Indus Script. There are thousands of artifacts with 400-600 different written symbols. Most of these symbols were pressed into soft clay with seals. A seal is similar to a stamp that makes an impression in the soft clay. Seals are sometimes in a cylinder shape so they can be rolled on the clay. Indus Script symbols have been discovered in Mesopotamia, which suggests they maintained a regular trade.

The archeologist have found the remains of cities to be incredibly well planned out. Historians estimate that each major city could support as many as 80,000 people, so Ancient India was by far the largest early civilization. The buildings were made from mud-bricks that had been fired in a kiln to make it harder. A kiln is a hot oven or furnace to bake clay pottery. City planners started by digging water wells and water drainage systems with main roads and small roads laid out in a square grid. Finally homes were built along the roads, sometimes with multiple stories. It appears that most urban homes had water drain systems in the their home--a technology that wouldn't be matched in history for over 3000 years. However, most people didn't live in the urban areas. Most people lived in farming villages in rural areas.

Farmers domesticated several plants including melons, wheat, peas, dates, sesame seeds, and cotton, as well as many animals. Archeologists have discovered what food the Ancient Indian people ate by examining the teeth of skeletons and food storage areas. Another example of how well planned the Indus Valley civilization was is their grain storage building. Some historians believe they have discovered a massive granary nearly 200 feet long to store and dry wheat. However, there is no evidence of grain in this building, so once again, historians are uncertain about the mysterious Indus Valley civilization.

Ancient India was different from the Egyptians and Mesopotamians in several ways. One way they are different is that there appear to be very few large structures in Ancient India. One of the largest structures that has been discovered is called the Great Bath. Basically its a public pool that is over 40 feet long, 20 feet wide, and nearly 10 feet deep. If large temples or palaces once existed they are gone today. This leads to a curious question--did Ancient India have kings or high ranked religious leaders? What did the social pyramid look like? The remains of the civilization suggests they were a very egalitarian society. Egalitarian means everyone in society was basically equal. Another difference is in military and weapons. There is very little evidence of weapons and military culture in the Indus Valley. Another difference is that astronomy seems to be less important in India than in other civilizations unless the text has been lost.

The Indus Valley religion is also mysterious because the language hasn't been translated. Historians believe they may have worshiped a Mother Goddess. They believe the Great Bath could have been used for some type of baptism. A small artifact has been found that some historians think may be a priest (right), but archeologists have yet to find a temple of any kind. Some of the Indus Script symbols are related to the images of the modern religion of Hinduism (left), but historians don't all agree about the symbols. The image to the left shows a three-faced person sitting in the lotus position. The lotus positions is a Yoga position of meditation where a person sits upright with their legs folded in their lap. Yoga is a spiritual practice of meditation, breathing, and body position used in many religions, especially Hinduism.

By 1500 BCE, the once vast and powerful civilization began to decline at some point it suddenly ended. Historians are uncertain why this area's power declined. There are some theories that a great earthquake crumbled cities and changed the path of rivers, which caused them to move to a new location. Another theory claims the climate may have changed, which forced them to move. Yet another theory suggests invading armies destroyed some cities and forced most people to move. One thing we know for sure is that the civilization that once lived in this area ended and new people moved into this area.

Some people have disputed this arrival of the Indo-Europeans, however, the spoken language that these Indo-European people brought to India, recorded in Sanskrit, is very similar to other Indo-European languages such as Greek and Latin. There are many examples of similar words between the languages spoken in these areas. In addition, some DNA evidence supports the arrival of the Indo-Europeans to these regions. However, this is a theory of history that some historians don't agree with. In addition to their spoken language, the Indo-Europeans brought their religious beliefs with them to India. The story and beliefs of first written down in a language called

Sanskrit. Sanskrit was a spoken language that was written down in different writing systems that developed later on such as Devanagari--the early form of Hindi (picture on right), India's main language today. Indo-Europeans also brought the domesticated horse into South Asia-this suggests the Indo-Europeans were at least semi-nomadic. Vedic Period

Around 1500 BCE, Indo-European people migrated to India. These people came from the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea (purple on the map on the left). Between 4000 and 1000 BCE, Indo-Europeans migrated all over Europe and Asia. Some went to Europe and influenced the Romans and the Greeks; some settled in Turkey and became the Hittites, others migrated southeast instead. Some stopped in Iran, later becoming Persian, while others continued southeast to Pakistan and India. The slow migration did not arrive in northern India until about 1500 BCE. In India, the Indo-Europeans are sometimes called the Aryans.

Hinduism were recorded in a collection of stories and songs called the Vedas.
There are many historians that believe the Hindu religion actually began in the Indus River Valley civilization. The Vedas were

Castes were very important to people's identities. There were four castes, but there was another group

The Indo-Europeans first settled along the Indus River, in the same place where the Indus Valley people had lived. They settled down and mixed with the local Indian people. They lived there and eventually expanded throughout the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It was at this time that the caste system got started in India. It is believed that the Indo-Europeans had a similar division of their society, but historians don't agree about how the caste system originated. The caste system is the permanent division of people into certain levels within society. Each level or caste has particular jobs such as merchant, warrior, or priest.
below the four castes known as Dalits or Untouchables. Untouchables usually did the worst jobs, like cleaning up people's poop from the gutters, collecting garbage, and dealing with dead bodies. The lowest of the castes was the Sudras - the servants and farmhands who did not own their own business or their own land, and who had to work for other people. The largest number of people belonged to this caste. Above them were the Vaisyas, or farmers and traders, who owned their own farms or businesses. Above these people were the Kshatriyas, or warriors. The most powerful caste was the Brahmins (pictured below), the priests and other leaders. Many historians believe that when the Indo-Europeans arrived they treated the native Indus Valley people as the Untouchables.

There were also dozens of smaller groups within each castes. People who came from different castes could not eat together. Usually people from one caste did not marry or make friends with people from another caste. Untouchables were not allowed in temples and were seen as "polluted" compared to Brahmins who were "pure". Today, the caste system is outlawed by the modern Indian constitution, and in urban areas most people ignore the caste traditions. However, in traditional rural areas caste divisions still exist. The developing Indian culture of the Indo-European mixed with native Indus Valley people began to grow quickly. Their civilization spread from the Indus River Valley to the Ganges River. Similar to other civilizations, kingdoms developed as the territory expanded.

Indian Kingdoms and Foreign Invasions

For about 1000 years the Indo-Europeans and native Indians mixed and migrated throughout the the northern part of the region. Cities began to grow in number, and size and by 600 BCE these slowly developed into 16 different kingdoms called Maha Janapadas. It was during this time period that Siddhartha Gautama gave up his title as a prince to search for truth and an end to the suffering. On his rare trips out of the royal palace, Siddartha noticed most people suffering through life. He also grew tired to the priests who dominated society. He gave up his royal life and started a quest to find real truth. After years of searching, he achieved " enlightenment" and became known as the Buddha or "enlightened one". The Buddha traveled throughout South Asia and taught others his new ideas-these teachings became known as the religion of Buddhism.

Another religion called Jainism also developed during this time. Both of these new religions clearly developed from Hinduism in the same way Christianity and Islam clearly developed from Judaism. These new religions were a rebellion against cultural ideas such as the caste system and importance of priests in religion. Some of the first significant architecture in South Asia also came from these new religions. Since many of the building of the Indus Valley have been lost to erosion, Buddhist architecture has become India's most famous architecture. The first development is called a stupa. A stupa (below, left picture) is a mound-like structure that contains the ashes and relics of a loved Buddhist leader. Later, the stupa transformed into a new Buddhist structure called a pagoda. A Pagoda (below, right picture) usually has many levels or "tiers" of roofs. It is also a Buddhist temple. Today Buddhist pagodas can be found all over China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

In 520 BCE, the Persians invaded and took control of northern Indian subcontinent. This conquest was under the mighty Persian leader Darius the Great. Persia controlled this region for about 200 years until Alexander the Great invaded South Asia. Alexander and his army were far from home and completely exhausted from years of constant war as they rampaged toward the east. It was in India that Alexander's army finally refused to fight, and Alexander the Great was forced to return to Greece. The pattern of Persia conquest followed by Greek conquest occurred in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Iraq (Mesopotamia), and Ancient India. The only ancient civilization that didn't suffer from the Persian and Greek conquest is ancient China. This is mainly due the the barriers of geography. Ancient China is separated from these other areas of civilization by vast deserts and high mountains. These obstacles are very difficult to pass even in today's society. This is the main reason that China developed in a unique way. The Silk Road trade route between China and the the rest of the world, over a 1000 years later would finally link all four major civilization areas.

The Persians and Greeks entered South Asia through the Khyber Pass, as did the Indo-Europeans, during their migration into South Asia. The Persians greatly influenced the style of government in India and some Greeks remained in northwest Pakistan and influenced the culture to this day, although the religion of Hinduism has had the greatest influence in India. The impact of the Indus Valley is not completely understood, but surely time and archeology will tell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient India - Ancient Civilizations for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Some of the oldest human remains in South Asia date back to around 75,000 years ago. These early humans made tools and lived a nomadic hunter/gatherer life. Artifacts indicate that around 5000 BCE, farming developed in South Asia.

# data[].attributes.body
Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By now you have realized that religion has played a big role in Indian history! The people of modern-day India mainly follow the Hindu religion, but there are also followers of Buddhism, Islam, Jainism and Christianity. Let's look at each of these religions one by one.