The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization gave rise to a new cultural and philosophical tradition in India, known as the Vedic Period. This period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, saw the emergence of a new type of urban center, the city-state, which was characterized by a more decentralized and tribal form of governance. The Vedic Period also saw the composition of the Vedas, some of the most sacred and influential texts in Hinduism.