Vedic Age: Origins, Texts and Cultural Shifts

The Vedic Age lasted from 1500 to 600 BC in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India. The period lies between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and the second urbanisation, which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain around 600 BC.

• It is named after the Vedas, a collection of sacred texts composed during this time. The composers of  Vedic texts described themselves as Aryans.
• This era is split into the Early Vedic (1500-1000 BC) and Later Vedic Periods (1000-600 BC). 

Sources for Studying the Vedic Age

• Literary Sources:

• • Vedic texts:
    • Early Vedic Text: Rig Veda
    • Later Vedic Texts: Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda and other texts 
  • Zend Avesta (Iranian text, 14 century BC)
  • Iliad and Odyssey (written by Homer, 8th century BC)

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• Inscriptions:

  • Kassite inscriptions (1600 BC) and Mitanni inscriptions (1400 BC) of Iraq-Syria suggest that a branch of Aryans moved from Iran towards the west in Iraq.
  • Boghazkoi Inscription: The oldest inscription with names of Vedic Gods was discovered in the Turkey-Syria (Bogazkoi) area dated around 1400 BC.

• Archeological Sources:

• • Andronovo culture (2000–1150 BC) of Southern Siberia provides archaeological evidence of the migrations of Aryans. They entered India from the Hindukush (Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex) region.
  • Excavations conducted in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and northern Rajasthan, along the Indus and Ghaggar rivers, dated from 1700 BC to 600 BC.

Conclusion

The Vedic Age was a formative period in India’s history, marked by the arrival of the Aryans and the composition of the foundational Vedic texts.  Archaeological and literary sources, though at times requiring careful interpretation, offer insights into this pivotal era.