Vedic Culture :

The Paleolithic Age or Period is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered, and covers 95% of human technological pre-history. It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools, probably by Home habilis initially, 2.6 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene around 10,000 BP. The Paleolithic area is followed in the Mesolithic. The date of the Paleolithic-Mesolithic boundary may vary by locality as much as several thousand years. During the Paleolithic period, humans grouped together in small societies such as bands, and subsisted by gathering plants and fishing, hunting or scavenging wild animals. The Paleolithic is characterized by the use of knapped stone tools, although at the time humans also used wood and bone tools. Other organic commodities were adapted for use as tools including leather and vegetable fibers; however, due to their nature, these have not been preserved to any great degree.

The Palaeolithic period in India is severally taken to be 35,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C. Difference types of tools were used by the Palaeolithic man in India like axes, spears, hammers etc. The main items of food were fruits, nuts, flesh of wild animals etc. The people of this age knew the use of fire. The people of this age are used to live in the drifts of rivers or lakes or in caves. There are ample proofs to show that the dead were left to natural decomposition.

The "Mesolithic," or "Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age. The Mesolithic period began at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, some 10,000 BP and ended with the introduction of agriculture, the date of which varied by geographic region. In some areas, such as the Near East, agriculture was already underway by the end of the Pleistocene. In areas with limited glacial impact, the term "Epipaleolithic" is sometimes preferred. Regions that experienced greater environmental effects the last ice age ended have a much more evident Mesolithic era, lasting millennia. In Northern Europe, societies were able to live well on rich food supplies from the marshlands fostered by the warmer climate. Such conditions produced distinctive human behaviours which are preserved in the material record, such as the Maglemosian and Azilian cultures. These conditions also delayed the coming of the Neolithic until as late as 4000 BCE (6,000 BP) in northern Europe. Microlith is a small stone tool, typically knapped of flint or chert, usually about three centimetres long or less; they are typically one centimetre long and half a centimetre wide when finished. Microliths were either produced from small blades (micro-blades) or made by snapping normal big blades in a controlled manner, which leaves a very typical piece of waste (micro-burin). The latter type of microliths are called geometric microliths. They can be formed as various kinds of triangles, lunate shaped, trapezes, etc. The shape of the microlith can be used for dating. Microliths were produced during the middle stone age (Mesolithic) until the introduction of agriculture (8000 B.C.). Some types of microliths, such as trapezes, were used in the Neolithic as well (the Linear Pottery culture and Funnel beaker culture). They were probably used as barbs, arrows, spears and composite tools.

There are several theories as to the origin of the Indus Valley civilization. The earliest hypothesis was that it was an early form of a Vedic and early Sanskrit civilization which would come to dominate most of South Asia, which was presumed to have been characterized by influence from Indo-European migrations. However, this theory began to be rejected when no signs of the traditional culture associated with the Vedas was uncovered in that of the Indus Valley. The next theory put forward was that the civilization was of proto-Dravidian origin. This theory was first proposed by researchers from Russia and Finland who attempted to show that Indus Valley symbols could be derived from the Dravidian language group. Today, the Dravidian language family is concentrated mostly in southern India and northern Sri Lanka, but pockets of it still remain throughout the rest of India and Pakistan (the Brahmi language), which lends credence to the theory. Finnish Indologist Asko Parpola concludes that the uniformity of the Indus inscriptions precludes any possibility of widely different languages being used, and that an early form of Dravidian language must have been the language of the Indus people. However, the proto-Dravidian origin theory is far from being confirmed due to an emphasis on linguistic connection while evidence of a broader cultural Around 1800 BCE, signs of a gradual decline began to emerge, and by around 1700 BCE, most of the cities were abandoned. However, the Indus connection remains to be found. Valley civilization did not disappear suddenly, and many elements of the Induscivilization can be found in later cultures. Current archaeological data suggests that material culture classified as Late Harappan may have persisted until at least c. 1000-900 BCE and was partially contemporaneous with the Painted Grey Ware culture. Archaeologists have emphasised that, just as in most areas of the world, there was a continuous series of cultural developments. These link the so-called two major phases of urbanisation in South Asia. A possible natural reason for the IVC's decline is connected with climate change that is also signaled for the neighbouring areas of the Middle East. The Indus Valley climate grew significantly cooler and drier from about 1800 BCE, linked to a general weakening of the monsoon at that time. Alternatively, a crucial factor may have been the disappearance of substantial portions of the Ghaggar-Hakra river system. A tectonic event may have diverted the system's sources toward the Ganges plain, though there is complete uncertainty about the date of this event as most settlements inside Ghaggar-Hakra river beds have not yet been dated. Although, this particular factor is speculative, and not generally accepted, the decline of the IVC, as with any other civilization, will have been due to a combination of various reasons. New geological research is now being conducted by a group led by Peter Clift, from the University of Aberdeen, to investigate how the courses of rivers have changed in this region since 8000 years ago in order to test whether climate or river reorganizations are responsible for the decline of the Harappans.

The Vedic culture is the Indo-Aryan culture associated with the Hindu sacred texts of Vedas, which were orally composed in Vedic Sanskrit. Vedas are some of the oldest extant texts. This period lasted from about 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. The reconstruction of the history of Vedic India is based on text-internal details. Linguistically, the Vedic texts could be classified in five chronological strata: Rigvedic: The Rigveda is by far the most archaic of the Vedic texts preserved, and it retains many common Indo-Iranian elements, both in language and in content, that are not present in any other Vedic texts, Mantra language, Samhita prose, Brahmana prose, Sutra language. The concept of Varna (class) and the rules of marriage were rigid as is evident from Vedic verses. The status of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas was higher than that of the Vaishyas and Shudras. The Brahmins were specialized in creating poetry, preserving the sacred texts, and carrying out various types of rituals. Functioning as intellectual leadership, they also restricted social mobility between the varnas, as in the fields of science, war, literature, religion and the environment. The proper enunciation of verses in ritual was considered essential for prosperity and success in war and harvests. Kshatriyas amassed wealth (cattle), and many commissioned the performance of sacrifices. Kshatriyas helped in administering the polity, maintained the structure of society and the economy of a tribe, and helped in maintaining law and order. In the early Vedic period all the three upper classes --Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas were considered as -relatively-equal Arya, but in the later Vedic Age the Brahmins and Kshatriyas became upper class. The Vaishyas were pastoralists and farmers; the Shudras were the lower class; they included artisans and were meant to serve the upper three classes. As the caste system became deep-rooted there were many restrictions and rules which were to be followed. Cattle were held in high esteem and frequently appear in Rigvedic hymns; goddesses were often compared to cows, and gods to bulls. Agriculture grew more prominent with time as the community gradually began to settle down in post-Rigvedic times. The economy was based on bartering with cattle and other valuables such as salt or metals. Families were patrilineal, and people prayed for the abundance of sons. The society was strictly organized in a system of four varnas.

Models of the Indo-Aryan migration discuss scenarios of prehistoric migrations of the early Indo-Aryans to their historically attested areas of settlement (North India). Evidence for Indo-Aryan migration is primarily linguistic. It includes a multitude of data stemming from Vedic religion, rituals, poetics well as some aspects of social organisation and chariot technology. The Indo-Aryans derive from an earlier Proto-Indo-Iranian stage, usually identified with the Bronze Age. The debate over such a migration, and the accompanying influx of elements of Vedic religion from Central Asia is politically charged and hotly debated in India. Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) organizations, especially, mostly remain opposed to the concept. Outside India, the perceived political overtones of the theory are not pronounced, and it is discussed in the larger framework of Indo-Iranian and Indo-European expansion.

Economic Condition - Agriculture was the main means of occupation. The words like shepherds and pastures have been casually mentioned which shows that they were nomads and went here and there grazing their animals. They had developed many arts and industries like weaving, carpentry and smithy. The blacksmith and the goldsmith have been mentioned and the utensils, instruments and the ornaments they could make have also been mentioned like bracelets, necklace and anklets 'The blacksmith would make arrows, spears, knives, daggers and swords.

Metals like bronze and copper were also known to them and they were used for household utensils.

They had simple way of dressing but stitching was known to them.