Introduction

India's history begins with the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilization. However, the Indus script is yet to be deciphered. The existing archaeological evidence tells us that the Indus Civilization followed a sort of defensive fort based strategy; the coming of the Aryans with their horses and chariots marked an epochal change in the conduct of warfare. Gradually the pastoral society was transformed into an agrarian society generating adequate surplus for the genesis of monarchies. Literary and numismatic sources are available in adequate quantities to trace the trajectory of warfare and military manpower mobilization of the sedentary polities in the Indian subcontinent from 500 bc onwards. Technological and economic changes along with political fluctuations shaped the composition and size of the armies. Now, let us focus on the emergence of the first civilization in South Asia.

Armies and Warfare from the Indus Valley Civilization to the Vedic Age

River Indus constitutes the western boundary of the subcontinent. Indus separates the subcontinent proper from the arid zones of Persia and Central Asia. The Indus Valley Civilization along the banks of Indus came into existence around 3500 bc. The Indus Valley people used arrows made of bronze and copper. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin (nine parts copper and one part tin) and is harder than pure copper and thus better suited for making weapons. These arrows were flat and thin with long narrow barbs. The Indus people also used double edged swords.