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Q2 (IAS/2017) History & Culture › Ancient India › Vedic age society Official Key

With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them. 2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron. 3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is option C (statements 1 and 3 only).

**Statement 1 is correct**: While the sources provided don't directly address armor usage, the Rigvedic Aryans used chariots with spoked wheels and used bows and arrows[1], indicating advanced warfare technology. There is no archaeological evidence of the Indus Valley people using coats of mail or helmets in warfare.

**Statement 2 is incorrect**: This statement contains a factual error about the metals known to each civilization. The Harappans made beads and ornaments from metals like copper, bronze and gold[2], and they knew how to use metals like copper and gold, using these metals to make various objects, from utensils to jewellery[3]. Additionally, while there is no proven evidence for smelted iron in the Indus Valley civilization, iron ore and iron items have been unearthed in eight Indus Valley sites[4]. The Rigvedic Aryans also knew multiple metals but crucially, there is hardly any evidence of the Harappans using iron[3], contradicting the statement's claim that Indus Valley people knew iron.

**Statement 3 is correct**: From the Vedas it is evident that Aryans used domesticated horses and chariots[1], while there is no evidence for horse in the Harappan culture[5].

Sources
  1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > The Aryans > p. 22
  2. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation > Craft Production > p. 11
  3. [3] Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The World of Metals and Non-metals > The impact of iron on the progress of civilisation of India > p. 44
  4. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_metallurgy_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
  5. [5] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > The Aryans > p. 23
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Q. With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are…
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Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 3.3/10
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Statement 1
Is there historical or archaeological evidence that Rigvedic Aryans used coats of mail (mail armor) and helmets in warfare?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > The Aryans > p. 22
Strength: 4/5
“Though the Rig Veda is in Sanskrit, about 300 words of the Munda and Dravidian languages have been identified in it, suggesting cultural mix with earlier inhabitants. From the Vedas it is evident that Aryans used domesticated horses and chariots. Their chariots had spoked wheels and they used bows and arrows. They practiced agriculture and pastoralism. They buried and also cremated the dead. The cult of fire and the use of soma drink were prevalent among the speakers of the Indo-Aryan languages. The home of Indo-Europeans and Indo-Aryans is still a matter of debate. Many scholars are of the view that the Aryans came to India as migrants from Central Asia.”
Why relevant

States the Rigveda records Aryans using domesticated horses, chariots, and bows and arrows — showing organized battlefield practices and mobile warfare.

How to extend

A student could use this to ask whether contemporaneous chariot-war cultures possessed metal armour/helmets and then look for archaeological finds or metallurgical evidence from the same period/region.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones > Evidence of an "invasion" > p. 18
Strength: 4/5
“Much later, in 1947, R.E.M. Wheeler, then Director-General of the ASI, tried to correlate this archaeological evidence with that of the Rigveda, the earliest known text in the subcontinent. He wrote: The Rigveda mentions pur, meaning rampart, fort or stronghold. Indra, the Aryan war-god is called puramdara, the fort-destroyer. Where are – or were – these citadels? It has in the past been supposed that they were mythical … The recent excavation of Harappa may be thought to have changed the picture. Here we have a highly evolved civilisation of essentially non-Aryan type, now known to have employed massive fortifications … What destroyed this firmly settled civilisation?”
Why relevant

Mentions fortress (pur) and Indra as 'fort-destroyer' — indicating sieges/fortified warfare in Rigvedic imagery.

How to extend

One could investigate whether cultures that built fortifications in the subcontinent used heavy personal armour (mail/helmets) and search excavations of fort sites for metal armour fragments.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > Dasas and Dasyus > p. 23
Strength: 3/5
“The Rig Vedas speak about not only the Arvans, but also about the non-Aryan people, whom the Aryans encountered in India. When the Rig Vedic people moved into India they came into conflict with people whom they referred to as Dasyus or Dasas. Evidently the Aryans differentiated themselves from the dark native people who had different cultural practices, and sought to maintain their distinction. The Rig Veda has references to several other groups. Simyu and Kikata are grouped with the dasvus. Sambara, son of Kulitara, is mentioned as a chief with 90 forts or settlements. Varchin was another chief with many troops.”
Why relevant

Refers to chiefs with many forts or settlements and troops — implying organized military forces that might deploy protective equipment.

How to extend

A student might compare the scale of troops described with archaeological expectations for metal-armour use and then examine burial or battle-site finds for armour components.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > Characteristics of Society > p. 26
Strength: 3/5
“In the early Vedic period, lineage and tribes constituted society, and the king had limited power. The various tribal groups of Aryans and non-Aryans fought to control territories. Social divisions did not take deep root, although the concept of varna and Aryan identities existed. Pastoralism was predominant, and cattle-centered clashes were common, although agriculture also played an important role.”
Why relevant

Notes tribal conflicts and cattle-centered clashes among Vedic peoples — evidence of recurrent warfare as a social pattern.

How to extend

From the prevalence of conflict, one can reasonably ask whether technology (metalworking) advanced enough in the region to produce mail/helmets and then seek metallurgical/archaeological confirmation.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 2: Early India: The Chalcolithic, Megalithic, Iron Age and Vedic Cultures > Social Divisions > p. 24
Strength: 3/5
“The Vedic people distinguished themselves from the non-Aryan people. Varna was the term used by Aryans to refer to color and category. The Rig Veda refers to Arya varna and Dasa varna. The Dasas and Dasyus were conquered and treated as slaves. They came to be considered sudras in the later period. Social classes were classified as warriors, priests and common people. Sudras as a category of people appeared at the end of the Rig Vedic period.”
Why relevant

Identifies 'warriors' as a distinct social category in the Rigvedic period, implying an institutional role that could be equipped with specialized weapons or protection.

How to extend

Use the existence of a warrior class to justify targeted searches in archaeological reports and Rigvedic vocabulary for terms denoting armor/helms to test for evidence.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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