Transcript The Mauryan Empire - Leon County Schools

The Mauryan Empire
Lesson 9.3
Origin of an Empire
 By the 500s B.C., India was
divided into many small
kingdoms. The Greeks,
under Alexander the
Great, entered India but
turned back when his
homesick troops
threatened to rebel.
India’s First Empire
 After Alexander left India, an Indian military
officer named Chandra Gupta Maurya built a
strong army. He set out to conquer northern India
and unify the region under his rule.
 Chandra Gupta was the first ruler of the Mauryan
dynasty. He set up a government in the capital city
of Pataliputra where he set up an efficient postal
system.
 Chandra Gupta’s powerful army crushed any
resistance to his rule.
What did Ashoka
Accomplish?
 The Mauryan Empire reached
the height of its glory under
Chandra Gupta’s grandson
Ashoka.
 While he started his rule with
fierce wars of conquest, he
came to hate killing and
decided to follow Buddhist
teachings and became a man of
peace.
What did Ashoka
Accomplish?
 Ashoka made laws that encouraged people to do
good deeds, practice nonviolence and respect
others.
 The first ruler to promote Buddhism, Ashoka also
had thousands of stupas built throughout India.
Although he was a devout Buddhist, Ashoka was
tolerant of all beliefs and allowed Hindu
subjects to practice their religion.
Empire:
The End of the Mauryan
Empire
 After Ashoka died in 232 B.C., the
Mauryan Empire declined. The new
rulers made merchants pay heavy taxes
and took land from peasants.
 The Indian people rebelled and the land
of the Mauryan Empire split into many
small warring kingdoms.
The Gupta Empire
 In A.D. 320, the Gupta dynasty came to power in the
Ganges River Valley. Chandra Gupta I, the first
Gupta ruler, had the same name as the first ruler of
the Mauryan dynasty. He ruled for 10 years.
 Chandra Gupta I’s son, Samudra Gupta, expanded
the Gupta Empire in northern India. Under
Samudra Gupta, India entered a golden age.
The Gupta Empire
 Trade helped the Gupta Empire thrive. Salt, cloth, and iron
were common goods traded in India. Gupta rulers benefited
from their control of much of the trade – they owned silver
and gold mines and large estates.
 Cities arose along trade routes. Pilgrims used the routes to
travel to holy sites.
The Gupta Empire
Literature of India
 Along with Vedas, the literature
of ancient India included epics,
sacred texts that teach important
moral lessons.
 The Mahabharata is the longest
poem in any language with
about 90,000 verses. The epic
describes a struggle for control
of an Indian kingdom.
 The Ramayana epic tells the
story of Rama and is about
25,000 verses long.
The Arts & Architecture
 Ancient Hindus believed that music was a gift from
god. Many sacred texts were probably sung.
The Arts & Architecture
 The most important structures in early India were the
rulers’ palaces and the temples used for religious
worship. During Ashoka’s reign, many stone pillars
carved with Buddhist messages were placed alongside
roads.
Mathematics
 Aryabata was one of the first scientists known to have
used algebra. The Indians’ invention of zero affected the
study of mathematics and science.
 Gupta mathematicians developed symbols for the
numbers 1 to 9 that we use today.
Advances in Science
 Indian astronomers mapped the movements of
planets and stars. They also proposed the theory
that the Earth was round and revolved around the
sun.
Advances in Medicine
 Indian doctors treated dental problems using
tools such as the bow drill. The tool was
usually used to make fire.
Advances in Medicine
 Doctors during the Gupta
era could set broken
bones, sew wounds, and
perform complicated
surgeries. Fixing
damaged noses was an
early type of plastic
surgery.
Review Questions
 The Mauryan Empire reached the height of its
glory under which ruler?
 Ashoka was the first ruler to promote what
religion?
 The Gupta Empire came into power around what
River Valley?
 The invention of what number affected the study
of math and science?