Aryan is a designation originally meaning “civilized”, “noble”, or “free” without reference to any ethnicity. It was first applied as a self-identifying term by a migratory group of people from Central Asia later known as Indo-Iranians (who settled on the Iranian Plateau) and, later, applied to Indo-Aryans (who traveled south to settle northern India).
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 3000 BCEThe Aryans - nomadic northerners from central Asia - possibly begin to migrate into the Indus Valley in an early phase of migration.
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c. 2000 BCE - c. 1500 BCEThe Aryans expand into the Ganges valley in India.
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c. 1900 BCE - c. 1500 BCEIndus Valley Civilization begins to decline. Aryan culture begins to merge with indigenous traditions.
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c. 1500 BCE - c. 500 BCEIndian scholars of the so-called Vedic Period commit the Vedas to written form; basic tenets of Hinduism are established.
