Download Indo-European Migrations

Indo-European Migrations
KEY IDEA Indo-European peoples
moved into areas new to them,
including Europe, India, and
Southwest Asia.
Indo-Europeans Migrate
 The Indo-Europeans were semi-nomadic
people who came from steppes (the dry
grasslands) north of the Caucasus, an area
between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
 They rode horses and tended cattle, sheep,
and goats. They spoke many different
languages, but all of them came from the
same original language.
Indo-European Language Family
 The Language of the Indo-Europeans is of
interest to us because it is the foundation for
many of our modern languages such as
English, Spanish, Persian and Hindi.
 Historians study the Indo-European
language in order to determine where
the many different groups of these
people settled.
An Unexplained Migration
 While some peoples built civilizations in the
great river valleys, others lived on the huge
plains of western Asia.
 Then, for some reason, starting about 1700
B.C., they began to leave their homes.
 They moved into some of the settled areas
and began to conquer them.
The Aryans Move into India
 The Aryans were a group of these
nomadic people who entered into India
over the Hindu Kush mountain range.
 They may have migrated because they
sought a better climate, or they may
have migrated to get closer to the major
centers of trade.
Hittite Invaders
 By 2000 BC a group of these Indo-European nomads
– the Hittites- migrated into the area of Anatolia
(Turkey) and occupied it. They established several
independent city-states.
 They rode two-wheeled chariots and used iron
weapons to conquer the area that is now Turkey.
They moved farther and took the ancient lands of
Mesopotamia. When they moved to the south, they
ran into the Egyptians.
 Neither side was able to defeat the other, however,
so they decided to make peace.
Hittites Blend Empire and Technology
 The Hittites adopted many features of the
culture that had grown in Mesopotamia
before they arrived.
 They borrowed literature, art, and
Hammurabi’s code of law. The Hittites
believed the code to be far too harsh so they
modified it to suit their custom better.
The Beginning of the Iron Age
 The Hittites were masters of warfare. They
moved war to a whole new level. They
developed very strong iron weapons in about
1500 BC.
 They used chariots (like the Hyksos): These
chariots were often pulled by two to four
horses. They were built on a very sturdy
wooden frame, embellished with iron
implements, and covered with leather.
End of the Hittite Empire
 Their knowledge of metalwork soon traveled
throughout the area with the Hittite traders
and through their conquests.
 Although the Hittites were superior in war,
their empire came to a very abrupt end
around 1190 BC. Invaders from the north
attacked and burned the Hittite cities.
Aryan Invaders Transform India
 In about 1500 BC, the Aryans were another
Indo-European group that crossed over the
Hindu Kush range and began settling in the
Indus Valley.
 The only archeological evidence we have of
these people is written in their holy books that
are called Vedas. The Vedas are a collection
of prayers, magical spells and instructions for
performing religious rituals.
 Before migrating to the Indus Valley, the
Aryans had already developed a fairly rigid 3level class system.
The priests (Brahmins) were at the top.
The warriors were the 2nd highest class
Everyone else made up the lower class.
When they arrived in India, they set themselves
apart from the indigenous people and created new
class levels for them.
The Aryans were taller, lighter skinned, and spoke
their own language. Also, their religion was quite
different from the native people of the Indus Valley.
These differences became the basis for class
assignment. A fourth class was formed to include the
non-Aryan laborers and craftsmen.
Aryans
Non-Aryans
Name translation
“The nobles”
“dark”
Appearance
Tall, fair skinned
Shorter, dark skinned
Language
Indo-European,
not written
Non-Indo-European,
written
Communities
Herding
urban
Gods
Heroic nature gods
(Indra-thunder &
Agni-fire)
Life giving gods
(goddesses) Shiva,
mother goddess.
The Caste System Becomes Rigid
 The class one was born into determined
his/her role in society. People born into a
caste would be a member of that cast for their
entire lives.
 Membership in a particular caste determined
everything about their lives from what kind of
job that they did to whom they could marry.
Aryan Kingdoms Arise
 The Aryans extended their influence over a
large area to include the Ganges River valley
and the Yamuna River valley.
 These tribal units evolved into small
kingdoms. After years of conflict, a single
strong kingdom emerged and took over
control of the region. This kingdom is called
Magadha. By 200 BC, the Aryan kingdom of
Magadha was in control of the entire subcontinent of India.
Aryan Literature
 These battles are described in India’s
great epic called the Mahabharata (the
longest poem ever composed). This
great poem reflects the struggles that
took place in India as the Aryans were
taking over the lands to the south.
The Mahabharata
 The Mahabharata is written in a way
that both the Aryan and non-Aryan
cultures are expressed. The hero of the
poem is dark-faced (obviously not an
Aryan feature).
Spiritual Quest
 This poem tells of a spiritual quest
where the traditional religious beliefs of
the Aryan and non- Aryans are
questioned. They begin to question the
morality of killing other human beings.
The Rise of Hinduism, Buddhism,
and Jainism
 Due to the bloody
wars during this time,
many people began to
search for the answer
to the ultimate
question: What is
man’s place in the
universe, what is the
place of the gods. Out
of these questions,
new religions emerged
Hinduism, Jainism and
Buddhism.
Answer these Questions
1.
Deduct how the environmental features in
Anatolia helped the Hittites to advance
technologically.
2.
Make an inference about how physical work
was viewed by the ancient Aryans. How
were their ideas reflected in society?
3.
Determine the factors that cause people
migrate (think about modern times as well).