Free
As the earliest Indus Valley cities were declining around 1500 B.C., a group of people known as the Vedic Aryans were crossing into India through the Hindu Kush Mountains.
Their migration took place over hundreds of years. The Aryans traveled first into the Indus Valley, but they were different from the earlier peoples along the Indus. They were not city dwellers. They were nomadic herders, moving from place to place to find grasslands for their cattle. Fierce fighters who had bronze weapons, they easily defeated any challengers.
Over time, the Vedic Aryans gave up their nomadic life. They settled in the valley of the Ganges River, in northern India. Aryan society vanished long ago, but its traditions and beliefs have left their mark on Indian culture and life. Both the Indian social system and Hinduism, a major religion, have their roots in ancient Aryan ways.
