Vedic period

Quick Facts: Who was Vedic period?

Subject:

Vedic period

Known for:

The Vedic Age (c. 1500–500 BCE): Composition of foundational Hindu texts.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (c. 1500–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and a second urbanisation, which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain c. 600 BCE. The Vedas are liturgical texts which formed the basis of the influential Brahmanical ideology, which developed in the Kuru kingdom, a tribal union of several Indo-Aryan tribes.

Career & Major Achievements

The Vedas contain details of life during this period that have been interpreted to be historical and constitute the primary sources for understanding the period. These documents, alongside the corresponding archaeological record, allow for the evolution of the Indo-Aryan and Vedic culture to be traced and inferred.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Vedas were composed and orally transmitted with precision by speakers of an Old Indo-Aryan language who had migrated into the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent early in this period. The Vedic society was patriarchal and patrilineal.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1500: 1500 Milestone — 1500–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and a second urbanisation, which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain c.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Vedic period

True or False: “True or False: The Vedic period was entirely disconnected from the preceding Indus Valley Civilization.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): False. While marking a cultural shift, the Vedic period followed the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization, suggesting a continuity or interaction between the two major cultures.

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