were also continued. Polyandry seems to have existed, and widow remarriage was also known. People married at the age of – , according to scholars, and there is little evidence of child marriage. Economy: Agriculture Archaeological evidence points to the development of agriculture among the Rig Vedic people.
The ploughshare is mentioned in the Rig Vedas. The field was known as kshetra and the term krishi referred to ploughing. The terms langla and sura referred to plough and the term sita meant the furrow created by ploughing. Water for irrigation was probably drawn from wells by cattle-driven water-lifts using pulleys.
They had knowledge of different seasons, sowing, harvesting and thrashing. They cultivated barley ( yavam ) and wheat ( godhuma ). Pastoralism Cattle rearing was an important economic activity for the Aryans, although they practiced agriculture. Cattle were considered wealth.
The term for war in the Rig Veda was gavishthi which means search for cows (which is the contemporary term ( goshti ) for factions as well). The donations to the priests were mainly cows and women slaves but not land, which reveals the importance of pastoralism. There was no private property in land. Craft Production The Rig Veda mentions artisans such as carpenters, chariot-makers, weavers and leather-workers.
Copper metallurgy was one of the important developments of this period. The term ayas in the Rig Veda refers to copper and bronze. Karmara , smith, is mentioned in the Rig Veda . Likewise, there are references to siri or yarn, indicating spinning which was done by women and to carpenters, takshan .
Weaving of clothes of wool is also referred to and obviously it was necessary in the cold weather. Some of the crafts were fulltime crafts, involving specialists. XI History - Lesson - - Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures Rituals were adopted as a solution to many issues and the problems of day-to-day life and thus the priests had an important role in the society. Characteristics of Society In the early Vedic period lineage and tribes constituted society, and the king had limited