 They also stand in an oral tradition that stretches back to the late Bronze Age.Indian śruti texts post-dating the Rigveda (such as the Yajurveda, the Atharvaveda and the Brahmanas), as well as the Hebrew Tanakh and the mystical collection of poems attributed to Lao Tze, the Tao te Ching, date to the Iron Age, but their dating is difficult and controversial.The great Hindu epics were also transmitted orally, likely predating the Maurya period.