Understanding the Evolution and Meaning of the Caste System in India
Understanding the Evolution and Meaning of the Caste System in India 10000 BC. the first known human settlement starts in Jericho with hunter-gatherers putting up a few huts. By 9600 BC Jericho has a wall and an astonishing tower with 22 stone steps. This is the pre-pottery age. Jericho continues to remain settled and follows the routine development of settlements through the ceramic - bronze - iron and other ages.
Around 7500 BC a similar settlement starts near the river Indus. It is called Mehergarh and is now in Pakistan. This is the first evidence of human settlement in the Indian sub-continent, predating the Indus Valley Civillisation by 4200 years. Mehergarh folows development along the lines of Jericho and is abandoned around 2600 BC, in favour of the Indus Valley Civillisation from 3300 BC. The Indus Valley civillisation is one of the most advanced cillilisations every found to have existed during the same period.
To my mind, the fact that Mehergarh predates Indus Valley by 4000 years and has been continuously developing, seem to indicate a very mature civillisation by around 4000 BC to 3300 BC without which the instant splendour of the Indus Valley Civillisation would not have been possible.
The Ancient texts of India perhaps developed around 4000 BC to 3500 BC and were handed down orally over the generations Writing was not invented in India but in Sumeria around 3300 BC. The Indus script dates to 3200 BC but these are still undeciphered and it is contentious whether the script was used for continuous writing, although 4117 characters and seals have been discovered. The first true Indian script is the Brahmi Script which is unreliably dated at around 400 BC.
It is therefore safe to assume that the ancient texts evolved between 4000 BC to about 2000 BC and coincided with the late Mehergarh Civillisation and the entire Indus Valley civillisation.
Now what kind of a society were these? There were obviously highly evolved agrarian
Around 7500 BC a similar settlement starts near the river Indus. It is called Mehergarh and is now in Pakistan. This is the first evidence of human settlement in the Indian sub-continent, predating the Indus Valley Civillisation by 4200 years. Mehergarh folows development along the lines of Jericho and is abandoned around 2600 BC, in favour of the Indus Valley Civillisation from 3300 BC. The Indus Valley civillisation is one of the most advanced cillilisations every found to have existed during the same period.
To my mind, the fact that Mehergarh predates Indus Valley by 4000 years and has been continuously developing, seem to indicate a very mature civillisation by around 4000 BC to 3300 BC without which the instant splendour of the Indus Valley Civillisation would not have been possible.
The Ancient texts of India perhaps developed around 4000 BC to 3500 BC and were handed down orally over the generations Writing was not invented in India but in Sumeria around 3300 BC. The Indus script dates to 3200 BC but these are still undeciphered and it is contentious whether the script was used for continuous writing, although 4117 characters and seals have been discovered. The first true Indian script is the Brahmi Script which is unreliably dated at around 400 BC.
It is therefore safe to assume that the ancient texts evolved between 4000 BC to about 2000 BC and coincided with the late Mehergarh Civillisation and the entire Indus Valley civillisation.
Now what kind of a society were these? There were obviously highly evolved agrarian