Aryans eventually gave up their nomadic lifestyles and made villages. They learned to raise crops from local farmers. By about 800 BC, they had learned to make tools out of iron. Their tribes were led by chiefs called rajahs. The Aryans structured their social classes based on occupation.

The Aryans were polytheistic. They worshipped god and goddesses that embodied natural forces. Some major gods and goddesses were Indra, Varuna, and Agni. Their beliefs evolved with their lives, and some later Aryan religious thinkers moved toward the notion of brahman, a single spiritual power that existed beyond the many gods of the Vedas and that resided in all things. There was also a move toward mysticism, seeking direct communication with divine forces. The religions that emerged in India after the Vedic Age were influenced by the notion of brahman and mystics.

The Aryan Civilization