Life in Ancient India Flashcards

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Mohenjo-Daro

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Largest city of the Indus Valley civilization. It was centrally located in the extensive floodplain of the Indus River.

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migrating

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Moving from one place to another

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Aryans

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Nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled

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Vedas

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Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

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sanskrit

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An Indo-European, Indic language, in use since c1200 B.C. as the religious and classical literary language of India.

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oral tradition

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Literature that passes by word of mouth from one generation to the next.

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varna

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The four major social divisions in India's caste system: the Brahmin priest class, the Kshatriya warrior/administrator class, the Vaishya merchant/farmer class, and the Shudra laborer class.

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jati

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A sub-varna in the caste system that gave people a sense of community because they usually consisted of people working in the same occupation.

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caste system

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A set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society.

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Hinduism

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A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms.