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Mauryan and Gupta Empires
First Empires of India Mauryan and Gupta Empires
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Mauryan Empire Chandragupta Maurya conquered the remains of Alexander the Great’s kingdom and controlled most of present-day India Forced people to pay high taxes, sometimes up to 50%
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Mauryan Empire Chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka, expands empire throughout India by war Battle of Kalinga – Asoka sees the damage of war and converts to Buddhism *Under Asoka unified Northern India and promoted the spread of Buddhism Taught Religious Toleration: - acceptance of people who have different beliefs
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Mauryan Empire Accomplishments During Asoka’s Reign
Religious Toleration Built roads so he could travel to all parts of his empire Improved communication in the vast empire Demonstrated concern for Asoka’s subjects Promoted policies of toleration and non-violence
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Vocabulary Religious Toleration
Acceptance of people who held different religious beliefs
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Spread of Buddhism under Asoka
Mauryan Empire Spread of Buddhism under Asoka
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Tamil Family Groups Broke away after Asoka’s death
Primarily in southern India *Matriarchal culture based on the mother Divided into three kingdoms Always at war with each other and other groups
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Vocabulary *MATRIARCHAL PATRIARCHAL
The mother was the head of the family *Mostly southern India (Tamil) PATRIARCHAL Eldest male was the head of the family Mostly northern India
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Gupta Empire No relation to Chandragupta (Mauryan Empire)
Returns India to Hinduism Expands India through northern regions
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Gupta Empire First Indian Empire that historians have information about daily life Traded with cities throughout Mediterranean and along the Silk Road Used marriage to keep alliances and spread the empire *Indians experienced great advances in art, literature, science and mathematics
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*Classical or “Golden Age” of India
Literature: Kalidasa – poet/playwright *Astronomy: Round Earth!! (over a 1000 yrs before Columbus/Europeans!) Math: developed the “Arabic # system” *concept of Zero Decimal system
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Classical or “Golden Age” of India
*Science & Medicine: Classified over a 1000 diseases surgery (plastic surgery too) Time: used calendars based on cycles of sun rather than moon Adopted seven days in a week and 24 hours in a day *After 200 years of Civil War, India is finally united under one government!!!
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Spread of Indian Trade *Silk Road – Caravan route that crossed central Asia, introducing silk from China to Western Asia and onto the Roman Empire
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Spread of Indian Trade *Silk Road was used to trade silk from China to western Asia and on to Rome *Indians made huge profits by acting as middlemen on the Silk Road Indians would buy goods like Silk from the Chinese then sell the good to traders that were traveling to Rome
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Spread of Indian Trade *Increased trade along the Silk Road also increased banking system. Bankers would lend money to merchants & charge high interest rates Trade items such as spices, cotton cloth, ivory, gems, timber, and eventually silk *Indian styles of art, architecture, dance and religion were impacted by Indian traders on Southeast Asia.
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