type of service providers. The priest played an important role in legitimizing the role of king through various rituals. Wealth was measured in terms of cattle and animals. There is a mention of offerings of camels, gold necklaces, horses and , cows as dakshina .
ancestor. Persons of the same gotra were considered as brothers and sisters and could not therefore intermarry. Several unilineal descent groups existed with common ancestors. Several related clans formed the tribe.
Family The household became more structured, which means it became more organised. The family was an important social unit. The family was patriarchal with patrilineal descent. The relations within the family were hierarchical.
Polygyny (taking many wives) was prevalent. Several household rituals were also developed for the welfare of the family. The married man with his wife was the yajamana . The concept of asramas , referring to various stage of life, was not well established in this time.
While brahmacharya , grihasta and vanaprastha are mentioned, sanyasa had not developed. Women The status of women declined as the society became more structured and the patriarchal family became more important. In the family the father was the head. The right of primogeniture was strong.
Though women had participated in rituals in the Rig Vedic period, they were excluded in the later Vedic period. Daughters are spoken of as a source of trouble. Their work was to look after the cattle, milking animals and fetching water. Economy The economic activities of this period were quite diversified.
Agriculture, pastoralism, craft production and trade contributed to the economic development. Agriculture Agricultural activities increased during the Late Vedic period. The Satapatha Brahmana mentions rituals related to ploughing undertaken by the kings. This suggests the importance given to cultivation by the rulers, and the shift to agriculture to support the increasing population.
The god Balarama is XI History - Lesson - - Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures heterodox faiths such as Buddhism and Jainism which emphasized correct human behaviour and discipline. Philosophy and Education The disciplines of philosophy,