Early Vedic Period - Society & Economic Life Short Notes PDF

Vedic Age - Pastoralism Agriculture Craft-Industry & Trade of Ancient Indian History Notes For All Competitive Exams #Blog-13

Dec 02, 2021 By Careericons

In this article, you will read a comprehensive note on Early Vedic Period Pastoralism Agriculture Craft-Industry & Trade of Ancient Indian History.

Useful for aspirants preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, Railway, BANK IBPS exams. Learn with practice MCQ models & Study materials links provided in this page givrn below.

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THE EARLY VEDIC AGE (1500 – 1000 BCE)

Important Vedic Pastoralism, Agriculture, Craft-Industry & Trade

What kind of society was Early Vedic society?

• The early Vedic Aryans were pastoralists. Early Indo-Aryans were a late bronze age centred around the Punjab region, organised into tribes rather than kingdoms, and primarily sustained by a pastoral way of life.
• They used it for milk products, wool, leather, agriculture, drawing chariots, the animals were raised.
• The Early Vedic people’s total culture was revolved around wealth in the form of cattle. Hence, the unit of the family was called ‘Gotra’.
• Lots of ceremonies were performed at the time of returning of cattle from pastures, called as ‘Goraja Muhrta’
• A large number of words are derived from the word ‘go’ meaning cow. A wealthy person was known as gomat and the daughter was called duhitri which means one who milks the cow.
• The word gaveshana literally means the search for cows, but it also means battle since many battles were fought over cattle.

What were the agriculture farming methods of the Early Vedic Period?

• The evidence for agriculture in comparison with pastoral activities in the portions is meager and mostly late insertions.
• The people started the agricultural practices such were ploughing, sowing, reaping and harvesting on auspicious days only.
• The Vedic Aryans know basic agricultural techniques, like adding fertilizers, cutting crops with the help of sickles, arranging water sources etc. They produced Yara (modern jau or barley), which was rather a generic word for cereals.
• Simple agricultural tools, namely the langala or sira (the plough), the wooden Phala (ploughshare), the Khanitra (hoe), the datra (sickle) and the parasue (axe), were made use of, probably used for shifting cultivations.

What are Crafts and Trade in the Vedic Civilization?

• People were engaged in many other economic activities. Such as Hunting, carpentry, tanning, weaving, chariot-making, metal smeltery & pottery, etc. 
• Vedic Aryans used to wear colourful clothes made up of cotton and wool material. Such colourful clothes were embroidered by women, known as ‘Peshaskari’. The weaver is called ‘Vaya’, whereas the Charakha is called ‘Tasar’.
• Goldsmith is also found who were called ‘Hiranyakar’. The jewellery ornamental made up of gold are used for both humans and horses.
• The smity was related to copper only. Iron was not entirely unknown (Krishna-ayas), however, the metallurgy was not known.

How was the trade and Commerce activities done during the Vedic Period?

• The trade was on the levels of exchanges only that was of 'barter-system'.
• There was no inter-dependence between two neighbouring local areas. The surplus product was kept for their future consumption. This state of full economic independence did not however last so long. Society became very complex.|
• A large section of the community gave up the simple agricultural life; the primitive arts and crafts drew away a large number; owing to these and various other causes, there arose a scope for interchange of commodities between different local areas.
• The people involved in the trade was called ‘Pani’.
• The growth of trade facilitated the growth of standards and measures of exchange. In course of time, a metallic currency grew and displaced simple barter or the use of the cow as a standard of value. The types of machinery for measuring quantities came into existence.
• Cows were the most favoured medium of exchange.
• The priests received cows, horses and gold ornaments as fees for performing sacrifices.

Click & Learn each and every important Indian History (Ancient, Medieval & Modern) topics for all competitive exams which are listed below,

1. Stone Age,
2. Pre Historic Period,
3. Indus Valley Civilization,
4. Vedic Period,
5. Buddhism Jainism & Religious Movement,
6. Maurya & Post Mauryan Period,
7. Gupta & Post Gupta Period,
8. Emergence Of Mahajanapadas & Magadh,
9. South India Sangam Period (Chola, Chalukya, Pallava),
10. Harshavardhan Period,
11. Ancient Indian Architecture & Literature,
12. Pre Medival Period,
13. Delhi Sultanate,
14. The Mughal Empire,
15. Advent Of Europeans,
16. Initial Modern India,
17. East India Company And Nawab Of Bengal,
18. Regional States : Punjab And Mysore,
19. Governor, Governor General And Viceroy Of INDIA,
20. Impact Of British Rule On Indian Economy,
21. British Period,
22. Chronology Of British India,
23. Indian Freedom Struggle I (1857–1917), and
24. Indian Freedom Struggle II (1917–1947), etc.

Note: Read each and every articles relevent to the topics which are provided with adeqaute informations.