India and China Establish
Empires 400 B.C.-AD.550
Chapter Opener

Asoka: The
Buddhist King of
India
• Buddhism turned
Asoka, the
bloodthirsty king of
ancient India’s
Mauryan Empire,
into a peace-loving
ruler.
Section 1: India’s First Empires
The Mauryan Empire is Established


Chandragupta Maurya
Seizes Power
• In 321 B.C.
Chandragupta Maurya
seizes power, starts
Mauryan Empire
Chandragupta Maurya
Unifies North India
• Chandragupta defeats
Seleucus I; north India
is united for the first
time
• Chandragupta uses
taxes to support his
large army
The Mauryan Empire is Established

Running the Empire
• Chandragupta’s chief adviser is Kautilya,
a priest
• Chandragupta creates a bureaucratic
government
• He divides the government to make it
easier to rule
The Mauryan Empire is Established

Life in the City and
the Country
• A Greek ambassador
writes glowing praise of
the empire
• Chandragupta’s son
rules from 301 to 269
B.C., (32 years)
• Aŝoka—Chandragupta’s
grandson, brings the
empire to its height
Mahabodhi Temple, site of first temple built
by Asoka (3rd century B.C.) on spot of
Buddha’s enlightenment. Bihar, India
The Mauryan Empire is Established

Asoka Promotes Buddhism
• After a bloody war with Kalinga, Asoka
promotes Buddhism and peace
• Preaches religious toleration—accepting
people of different religions
• Builds roads, with wells along them
A Period of Turmoil

The Breakup of the Mauryan Empire
• Asoka dies in 232 B.C.; kingdoms in
central India soon break away
• The Andhra Dynasty dominates central
India for centuries
• Northern India receives immigrants
from Greece and other parts of Asia
• Tamils—a people living in southern
India—remain separate and frequently
war with rival peoples.
The Gupta Empire is
Established

Chandra Gupta Builds
an Empire
• Chandra Gupta
marries into kingship
in north India in A.D.
320
• Starts Gupta
Empire—India’s
second empire;
flowering of Indian
civilization, especially
Hindu culture (see
next slide)
• His son Samudra
Gupta expands
empire with conquest
Radha and Krishna in the grove.
Painting (about 1780)
The Gupta Empire is
Established

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
• Some Tamil families are matriarchal—
led by mother rather than father
The Gupta Empire is
Established

Height of the Gupta Empire
• Chandra Gupta II rules from A.D. 375415
• He defeats the Shakas and adds
western coast to empire
• Gupta Empire sees flourishing of arts,
religion, and science
• After Chandra Gupta II dies, the empire
declines