The Aryan Kingdom of Magadha

The Aryan Kingdom of Magadha began among other smaller kingdoms. Over time, Magadha expanded and incorporated surrounding lands to form a large kingdom.

The story of Magadha has been turned into an epic in the Mahabharata.

The Aryans Invade India

The Aryans were an Indo-European people whose homeland was most likely between the Caspian and Aral seas.

Around 1500 B.C., the Aryans crossed the Hindu-Kush mountains and moved into India. They established a civilization and incorporated a caste system. Native Indians were placed toward the bottom of the caste system.

The Hittite Empire in Anatolia

The Hittite capital of Hattusas served as the center of an empire that dominated southwest Asia for 450 years.

These people were avid iron workers, developing advanced weapons, including formidable chariots.

They blended their culture and language with the nearby Babylonians (which they conquered) to facilitate communication among peoples.

The Steppes of the Caucasian Mountains

The Indo-Europeans were a group of nomadic peoples who came from the steppes -- dry grasslands that streched north of the Caucasus mountians, between the Black and Caspian Seas.

These were pastoral people who herded sheep, cattle, and goats.

They all spoke forms of a language now referred to as Indo-European.