1. Statue of Chandragupta Maurya
Aim: Do the Mauryan or Gupta deserve to be called Classical civilizations?
NY State Standards 2
Common Core RS 5, 9, WS 2
Statue of Chandragupta Maurya

3. I Rise of the Mauryan Empire (323-185 BCE)
A) Prior to the arrival of Alexander the Great, India was mostly composed of small independent states, with the exception of Northern India ruled by the Nanda dynasty. B) 326 BCE Alexander the Great conquered northern Indian and made it into a Macedonian tribute state. But his army refused to go any further into Asia; the Macedonian army turned back and left India. C) Chandragupta was a noble of the Kshatriya (warrior) caste, related to the Nanda family but in exile. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, General Seleucus took control of the Eastern Macedonian territories. Chandragupta raised an army and attacked Seleucus. In 305 BCE, Chandragupta signed a treaty with Seleucus, and the land was given to Chandragupta in exchange for 500 war elephants. D) 322 BCE Chandragupta seized the throne in Pataliputra, ending the Nanda dynasty. After defeating the rest of Alexander’s generals, he created the first unified Indian Empire.

4. General Seleucus

5. Pataliputra

6. II King Asoka (Ruled 270- 232 BCE)
A) King Asoka was Chandragupta’s grandson. Born Hindu, he converted to Buddhism in 262 BCE and sought to spread Buddhism throughout his empire. B) He erected the Edicts of Asoka (stone pillars) that listed public works projects such as irrigation systems, roads, hospitals, and promoted Buddhist beliefs. They were written in Brahmi, Greek and Aramaic!
“…While being completely law-abiding, some people are imprisoned, treated harshly and even killed without cause so that many people suffer. Therefore your aim should be to act with impartiality. It is because of… envy, anger, cruelty, hate, indifference, laziness or tiredness -- that such a thing does not happen... This edict has been written for the following purpose: that the judicial officers of the city may strive to do their duty and that the people under them might not suffer unjust imprisonment or harsh treatment…” Edicts of Asoka, Kalinga

7. Asoka And the Expansion of Buddhism
“…During the expansion of the Mauryan Empire, Asoka led a war against a feudal state named Kalinga… around 261 BCE... with around 300,000 casualties... Allegedly Asoka was so horrified that despite having called himself a Buddhist for 2 years prior to the war, he began to take the tenants of Buddhism seriously. After the war of Kalinga, Asoka controlled all the Indian subcontinent except for the extreme southern part and he could have easily controlled that remaining part as well, but he decided not to... Whatever his reasons were, Asoka stopped his expansion policy. India for a time became at least somewhat peaceful, and he erected numerous pillars with his Edicts… Asoka turned Buddhism into a state religion and encouraged Buddhist missionary activity... Prior to Asoka Buddhism was a relatively minor tradition in India... Was Asoka a true follower of the Buddhist doctrine or was he simply using Buddhism as a way of reducing social conflict by favoring a tolerant system of thought and thus make it easier to rule over a nation composed of several states that were annexed through war? The intentions of Ashoka remain unknown...” Cristian Violatti published on 02 September 2013

8. Pillar of Asoka, Vaishali, 3rd century BCE

9. III Decline of the Mauryan Empire
Weak kings after death of Asoka
Military coup
Division into smaller kingdoms and city-states
Stupas are mound-like or hemispherical structures containing Buddhist relics (typically the ashes of Buddhist monks), used by Buddhists as a place of meditation. The Sanchi Stupa is the most famous stupa built by King Asoka.

10. IV Rise of the Gupta (320 – 550 CE)
A) 500 years after the Mauryan Empire ended, the Gupta came to power in 320 CE. B) The Gupta period is known as the golden age in Indian History. Chandragupta II gained territory militarily and through strategic political marriages. He was a patron of art, culture, literature and music. His son Kumaragupta built the Nalanda University.
Chandragupta II
Nalanda University

12. V Golden Age of the Gupta
Discovered the concepts of zero & infinity. Created our modern number system, including decimals. These numbers would later be diffused to Europe by way of Arabs (why they’re called “Arabic” numerals).
2. Invented vaccinations for smallpox. Plastic surgery.
3. Created monuments and art from iron.
4. Aryabhatta (an astronomer and mathematician) proved the earth rotates on its axis, explained solar and lunar eclipses, solved quadratic equations, decimal place value system with zero, and approximation of pie (π).

14. Iron Pillar, New Delhi, India

15. Vaccinations for Smallpox
"Take the fluid of the pock on the udder of the cow...upon the point of a lancer, and lance with it the arms between the shoulders and elbows until the blood appears; then, mixing the fluid with the blood, the fever of the small-pox will be produced.”
–Dhanwantari, circa 550 CE

16. V Gupta Government & Society
Center of government in Pataliputra. Adopted and promoted Hinduism.
Center of life in villages. Caste system governed life.
Patriarchal. Arranged marriages based on caste.

17. VI Sati/Suttee
A) Sati (also called suttee) is the practice among some Hindu communities by which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by force or coercion commits suicide as a result of her husband's death. Often the widow burns to death on her husband's funeral pyre, but she may also be buried alive with the husband's corpse or drowned.
B) “Sati” is derived from the original name of the goddess Sati (Dakshayani), who self-immolated because she was unable to bear her father Daksha's humiliation of her (living) husband Shiva.
C) Sati as practice is first mentioned in 510 CCE. However, there is greater historical evidence of its existence during and after the Gupta.
D) The later Muslim Mughal Dynasty tried to ban it, as well as the colonizing British. Today the practice is illegal in India, although it still occurs.
Heaphy, Linda

18. Decline of the Gupta Central Asian White Huns invaded 400s
Gupta military costly  debt
Problems disrupted trade
Gupta rule ended 550 CE. Again India was divided into small kingdoms.
Map of White Huns 500 CE

19. Focus Questions
Fill in your Period 2 Civilization chart for the Mauryan and Gupta Empires. 1. How should King Asoka be remembered? Explain your position. 2. What were the 2 greatest achievements of the Gupta? 3. What was the practice of sati/suttee? Why do you think it was done? How can we prevent it from occurring today?

20. Key Vocabulary
Arabic Numerals Aryabhatta Chandragupta II Chandragupta Maurya Edicts of Asoka Gupta Empire Infinity Iron Pillar of New Delhi King Asoka Mauryan Empire Pataliputra Sati/Suttee Smallpox Stupa Vaccination