(322-ca 200 BCE)

-Empire founded 322 BCE
-Chandragupta ruled from 324 to 301 BCE
-Ashoka ruled from 269 to 232 BCE
-Conquered Kalinga in 260 BCE
-Bargained with the clergy in 258 BCE ; clergy should hear scriptures frequently
-Around 258 BCE he made a pilgrimage to the scene of Buddha's enlightenment
-200 BCE the empire broke up into separate states
-Empire collapsed 185 BCE

• ruled from 324 to 301 BCE
• established the first imperial Indian state
• originally was ruler of the Ganges state Magadha
• 305 BCE Chandragupta made a treaty with
Alexander the Great's heir that set the border along the Hindu Kush Mountains
• political realist
• rule was influenced by Legalist ideas

• Mauryan capital city
• on the Ganges river
• 500,000 residents
• largest city in the world during that era
• surrounded by timber wall with 570 towers
• wall was about 21 miles
• Patna covered about 9 miles and was surrounded by a moat

• Ruled from 269 to 232 BCE
• Conquered Kalinga in 260 BCE
• 258 BCE he made a pilgrimage to the scene of
Buddha's enlightenment
• Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta
• Rose to power by eliminating his rivals
• After his conversion to Buddhism, promoted policies of peace
• Thought of himself as a semi-deity
• Stopped military conquest after his conversion

• Promoted pascifist teachings of the Buddha
• Designed laws to encourage Buddhist virtues like compassion, mutual tolerance, and respect for all forms of life
• Dispatched Buddhist missions to different countries and was able to spread the religion to
Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan
• He toured the empire, distributing alms and consulting holy men
• Made a pilgrimage to the scene of Buddha's enlightenment

• Before his conversion, Ashoka used the might of the military to rise to power and conquer foes
• Ashoka had edicts carved into rocks and sandstone pillars; early edicts talked of Ashoka’s conquests

• within 50 years of the death of Ashoka, regions were breaking away from the empire
• it is a possibility that Ashoka's pacifist way of life and laws led to the break up by weakening the military

• Political Centralization
• Entire empire ruled by a powerful state
• Maintained order with army and officials
• Hands-on rulers
• Claimed ¼ to ½ of all agricultural production
• Heavily taxing
• Created the universal emperor, a divinely sanctioned leader with a special role in the cosmic scheme of things

• Caste Society
• Women were imperfectly human
• Buddhism-practiced by monarchy
• Cultural Unity

• Private and public enterprise
• Material gain
• Economic activities were taxed
• Commerce

• Mauryan prosperity
• Highways fostered commerce
-east-west highway
• Merchant quarters
• Active exchange with adjacent countries

Preconditions-
 Environmental Mosaic
 Agricultural Potential
 Military Resources
State-level government
No dominant states
Mutual antagonisms between states
 Idealogy of Conquest
Major Rewards-
-Economic
-Political
Empires Fall-
Conquest beyond practical limits
Revolutions
Failure to conquest affects economy