Name: _______________________________________________ period: _____________
Creating a New Society and Culture: The Aryans and Hinduism
The sub-continent of India is a region of rich diversity and tradition. The people living there
have created a unique blend of cultures and ideas that have shaped the society. India is a blend of
different people: there are different races, ethnic groups and tribes. Many of these groups migrated to
India after the last Ice Age ended. As the people migrated, they spread their religion, and lifestyle. They
also began to add parts of other cultures to their society. As the people settled in, the physical
geography of India created unique cultural regions. People living in river deltas, valleys or on the plains
all developed their own unique elements of culture. These cultures became united roughly 4,000 years
ago by a group known as the Aryans. The story of how they united India is a great example of how
humans can blend geography and culture to create a community.
The Aryans were not the first great society to live in
India. Before the Aryans arrived, a group of people who
lived in northern India began farming the fertile areas of
the Indus River Valley. The Indus Valley Civilization
developed into one of the world’s first complex
civilizations and was at its peak in the year 3,500 B.C.E.
Two major cities served as the centers for the Indus
Valley Civilization, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Each was
populated by over 200,000 people and had advanced
elements of culture such as writing, advanced shelter, tools, and irrigation for watering their crops.
These cities grew into major culture centers. Many of the people developed new types of jobs: farmers,
metalworkers, scribes (people who write), traders, politicians, soldiers, and religious leader. The cities
that were developed had many advanced features like tall stone buildings and water systems to bring
water from the rivers to the crops (this is called irrigation).
Around 1,500 B.C.E. another group of people,
called the Aryans, began to migrate east out of Europe.
They followed the river valleys into India and moved into
a fertile region, the Indus River valley. By this time, the
Indus Valley Civilization had begun to collapse. There
were too many people and not enough political
organization to bring all of the people together. The
Aryans were able to quickly win a war against the Indus
Valley Civilization. The Aryans took over and began to
develop their own civilization. This civilization would be
known first as the Vedic Culture, and later, the Hindu
civilization. Unlike many other conquerors, when the
Aryans won the war, they did not decide to destroy the
old culture. Instead, they began to bring in elements of the existing cultures. This process is a unique
type of cultural diffusion called assimilation.
Name: _______________________________________________ period: _____________
Many of the cultures that already existed in India had
religions, languages and customs/traditions that were very
important to them. Instead of trying to replace these
elements of culture, the Hindu civilization began to use the
existing elements of culture and slowly replaced certain parts
of these cultures only when they had to. This meant that
many people did not have to change their daily lives and
India was a peaceful place. As the government of the Hindu
civilization continued to move south, deeper into India, they
used stories, religious idols (like gods) and customs to bring
people together.
The most important element of culture that the
Hindu civilization spread was their religion. The Hindu
religion used many gods and traditions to unite people. It
taught people that they had an energy inside of them that
came back to Earth when they died and that treating one another with kindness would help clean the
energy and make it ready to join the universe. This religion created peace. When the priests came across
new religions or gods, they figured out ways to incorporate, or bring in, the existing religion. This way,
people did not need to change their lives and they were willing to join the Hindu civilization without
war. To help teach the religion, the Hindu people created books and stories in a new language. This
language was called Sanskrit and was learned by people all over India. The religion and the traditions
inside of the religion organized people’s lives and created unity in every city.
The Aryan migration into India is an
excellent example of how a society can use
the elements of culture to create a
community. By combining elements of
geographic luck and cultural diffusion many
the Aryans built the Hindu civilization. The
end result was a civilization that has lasted
until today. The civilization has been
around for so long because it does not
always try and replace the cultures it
comes into contact with. By figuring out
ways to assimilate new elements of
culture, there is always a sense of
community in the Hindu civilization.