Question

Which of the following is true regarding the Aryan economy?
I. Aryan crossed the nomadic stage.
II. Lions, elephants and boars were not known to them.
III. Coins were known to them.

A. Only I
B. II, III
C. I, III
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint:Aryans were a nomadic group of people who had migrated from the Caucasus Mountain regions, from the north of the Black Sea towards Central Asia. These Indo-European people were initially nomadic and practiced herding of cattles and raising livestocks.

Complete Answer: Aryans have been understood to be practicing nomads but after their arrival in India, most of the clans that came in had started settling down in the Gangetic Plains. These settlements led to the rise of the second urbanisation, first being witnessed during the flourishing Indus Valley Civilisation. This would essentially mean that even though they had been nomadic in the earlier stages, post their arrival in the Indian subcontinent, they started witnessing struggle for territory and therefore, were past the nomadic stage.

Let's look at the pointers and deduce the correct option accordingly.

I- Since the Aryans had started settling down after their first wave of migration to India, they were past the nomadic stage. Therefore, this is correct.

II- It cannot be claimed that lions, bores and elephants would not have been known to these groups of people as they had belonged to the Indo-European regions where these animals have been found to exist. So, this is false.

III- Aryans were a trading community but there was no minting of coins at that time and the economy was dependent on the barter system. Therefore, this is false.

Thus, the only true option is (I). So, the correct answer is option (A).

Note : After the second urbanisation, which is dated from 600 BCE to 200 BCE, the use of iron technology came to the forefront. The use of iron technology did not only ease the farming capabilities and could be used for the production of better tools, it also boosted the economy as a consequence and trade grew multifolds. This is when the first evidence of coinage is found from the region of Magadha, the most prominent Mahajanapada.