The Golden Ages

India

India

Empires of India

The Maurya Empire322 B.C.E – 185 B.C.E

TTYN – What is an empire?

India

India

Empires of India

The Maurya Empire

Maurya – MOW uhr yuh

Founder - Chandragupta Maurya ( First empire/emperor)

Gained control of the subcontinent through conquest and alliance

Area – From the Indus plain and Himalayas to the tip of the

peninsula

Divided empire into provinces

Delegated power to governors

IndiaThe Maurya Empire

Well-organized bureaucracy

Officials supervised the infrastructure (roads, buildings, harbors)

Officials collected taxes

Managed state-owned factories and shipyards

People justice in royal courts

Secret Police reported on corruption, crime, and dissent

Chandragupta’s rule was effective but hard remind you of someone?

Women were trained as warriors (You go girls!)

IndiaThe Maurya Empire

Asoka, grandson of Chandragupta; the most honored emperor

Mauryan reached its greatest glory

the two sides of Asoka -

Fought a long and bloody war to conquer the Deccan region

Horrified at the slaughter (over 100K) dead – turned his back on

further conquests

Converted to Buddhism- rejected violence; rules by a moral code

IndiaThe Maurya Empire – Quote from Asoka

“All people are my children, and just as I desire for my children that

they should obtain welfare and happiness, both in this world and the

next, so do I desire the same for all people”

Took steps to help his “children”

building roads, rest houses for travelers, and hospitals.

Preached tolerance for other religions

India

Decline of the Mauryan Empire

Mauryan empire began to decline following death of Ashoka, 232 BC

Sons battled for power, central control weakened

Distant provinces began to slip away

Last Mauryan emperor killed by one of generals, 184 BC

Mauryan empire lasted 140 years, then collapsed

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Mauryan

India

India

Empires of India

The Gupta Dynasty350 C.E – 550 C.E

India

The Gupta Dynasty

Controlled much of northern India

Northern plains

Ruled according to the Hindu-Buddhist doctrine of dharma

follow moral law

Golden Age of Gupta

Great cultural achievements: Advancements in learning

Literature

Arabic numerals-1,2,3….

Decimal system-.0123

Surgeons and vaccinations

Pioneered the use of herbs and other remedies to treat illness

Vaccinating people against smallpox – about a

thousands years before this practice was used in Europe

Architecture – stone temples and stupas

Golden Age of Gupta

Daily Life in India

Majority of Indians are farmers; entire family raises crops

together

Families are patriarchal—headed by the eldest male

Farmers have to contribute work to government and pay heavy

taxes

Religions Support of Hinduism

Buddhism prospered, spread during period between Mauryan,

Gupta empires

Hinduism lost popularity during this period

Under Guptas, Hinduism became main religion

Rulers supported building Hindu temples, promoted revival of

writings

Buddhism began to lose influence during this period

Golden Age of Gupta

India

Decline of Gupta

Weak rulers

Civil war

Foreign invaders

Huns

Destroyed cities and trade

Split into many kingdoms

Rival princes battled for control of the northern plain

India brakes into small, individual kingdoms

455 Invasions of Huns (ca. 455-528)

Successive invasions of Huns

Other Central Asian tribes help destroy the Gupta empire.

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Decline of Gupta

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Gupta

India