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About 3,600 years ago, a group of cattle herders from Central Asia settled into India. This
group of people, called the Aryans, brought with them their beliefs, customs, and writing system
(Sanskrit). They introduced a rigid caste structure that divided people into four classes.
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Under this setup, Brahmins or priests made up the highest caste. They held a tremendous amount of power
over everybody else. They were the only ones who could both study and teach the holy texts, known as the
Vedas. They were also the only ones who could perform sacrifices and other religious rites. Because of their
authority, people of other castes often gave them generous donations. By giving Brahmins (also spelled as
Brahmans) valuable goods, people of other castes believed that they would be rewarded in their next life.
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Next to the Brahmin class was the Kshatriya (pronounced "shuh-TREE-uh") class. It consisted of warriors
and rulers. Kshatriyas' main duties were to govern and defend the country. Though they could learn the Vedas
as Brahmins did, they could not teach the holy texts. As Kshatriyas were responsible for the national defense,
they underwent extensive military training. They were the experts in Archery, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand
combat.
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The Aryans categorized farmers and merchants as their society's third caste, called the Vaishya
(pronounced "VYSH-yuh"). Vaishyas were expected to tend cattle, to farm, or to trade. Like Kshatriyas, they
could only learn, but not teach, the Vedas.
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Beneath the Brahmin, the Kshatriya, and the Vaishya castes was the Shudra (also spelled as Sudra) caste. It
represented the majority of the populace. People in this caste did menial, labor-intensive work. They took on the
duties of servants, craftsmen, or laborers. Shudras received little informal education. They were not allowed to
learn the Vedas, so they could not participate in the initiation ceremony that boys of the three upper castes were
entitled to when they began learning the holy texts. The ancient Indians believed that a person who had the
initiation ceremony was "twice-born." The first was, of course, the person's physical birth. The second was his
spiritual birth. As Shudras could not learn the Vedas, they would never experience a spiritual birth. Thus, they
had only one birth.
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Though Shudras were the lowest of the four classes, they were still better off than the so-called outcastes.
The outcastes, as the name suggests, were people who did not belong to any of the four castes. They did work
that nobody else wanted to do. They swept the streets. They collected garbage. They cleaned up toilets. And
they disposed of dead animals or humans. The outcastes could not live in cities or villages. They led a lonely,
humiliated life. When they ate, they could only take meals from broken dishes. When they traveled, they needed
to move off the path if someone from a higher caste was approaching. When they entered a marketplace, they
had to strike a piece of wood to announce their presence, so that other people could avoid them. The outcastes
were not allowed to drink from a public well. They were not allowed to enter a temple. And they were not
allowed to study. Given that they stirred fear and were despised everywhere they went, nobody in the ancient
Indian society wanted to see, hear, or touch them. This group of people in India suffered the worst fate. They
simply became known as the untouchables!
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The Aryans' Caste System came from local legends. When Brahma, the god of creation, made humans, his
mouth became the Brahmins, his arms the Kshatriyas, his legs the Vaishyas, and his feet the Shudras. Tales
aside, the caste system was a very important element in ancient India. It followed a specific set of guidelines
(called the Laws of Manu) that dictated every person's behavior. The guidelines set rules from the type of jobs a
person could hold to the type of foods a person could eat. According to the Laws of Manu, each caste was
represented by a color. White was for the Brahmins, red for the Kshatriyas, yellow for the Vaishyas, and blue
for the Shudras. Marrying someone within a person's own caste was norm. Marrying someone outside of a
person's caste was rare, but possible. Children born from an inter-caste marriage needed to follow a different set
of rules to determine what caste they belonged to.
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The ancient Indians believed that each person had an eternal soul that could be reborn in a new body after
death. While that person could never move from one caste to another in this life, he or she could be reborn to a
different caste in the next life. If the person did a lot of good deeds (such as giving Brahmins generous
donations) in this life, he or she would have the chance of being reborn to a higher caste in the next life. If the
person did a lot of horrible things (such as committing a crime) in this life, he or she would risk being reborn to
a lower caste in the next life.
What else can I help you with?
How many hours have you worked if you worked 8AM to 5PM?
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What is better deal 4 hours worked for 12 or 7 hours worked for 28?
7 for 28.
Carlos worked twice as many hours as Alan on Monday After each boy worked nine more hours on Tuesday the sum of their hours was three times the number of hours that Carlos worked on Monday.?
c = 2a then c + 9 + a + 9 = 3c 2a + a + 9 + 9 = 6a 3a = 18 On Monday Carlos worked 12 hrs, Alan worked 6; on Tuesday each worked 9 hours giving totals for Carlos 21 and Alan 15, ie 36 overall which is 3 times Carlos' Monday shift.
When you complete a job but use more time and deffort than is truly necessary how have you worked?
When you complete a job but use more time and effort than is necessary how have you worked.
Which of these equations is used to calculate straight time pay?
Straight time pay = hourly wage x hours worked per week x number of weeks worked.
Why were the laborers and craftsmen of the great wall important?
they worked on the great wall and helped
What was the largest group of people in the latin American colonial system that worked as servants and laborers?
The mestizos
Which of these were craftsmen who worked with tin?
whitesmiths
What was the manor and who made up most of its population?
The manor was a large estate owned by a lord during medieval times, typically consisting of the lord's residence, lands, and various buildings. Most of the population of the manor would have been peasants who worked the land as serfs or laborers, as well as a smaller group of craftsmen, servants, and the lord's own family and retinue.
What different type of jobs did slaves in the middle colonies hold?
they worked in cities as skilled laborers as blacksmiths and Carpenter's slaves worked on farms, onboard ships, and in the growing shipbuilding industry.
Who was the craftsmen who worked with tin called?
They were known as: tinsmiths.
Craftsmen who worked with tin were more commonly known as?
Tinsmiths.
What kind of jobs did peasents have?
Peasants in medieval times typically worked as farmers, laborers, craftsmen, or servants. They were responsible for working the land, tending to livestock, and producing goods for their own consumption or for trade. Peasants often lived in small rural communities and were subject to the authority of landowners or nobility. Their work was essential for the functioning of the feudal system.
What types of jobs do Mexicans do in America?
they worked as farmers and laborers
How many workers did it take to build the Elizabeth tower?
It took thousands of workers to build the Elizabeth Tower, also known as Big Ben. The construction began in 1843 and was completed in 1859. A team of skilled craftsmen, laborers, and engineers worked on the tower throughout the project.
Why may Leland Stanford proffered Chinese laborers?
they worked for fewer wage
What did Aaron Douglas parents do for a living?
they were laborers. I dont know when or where they worked.
