1. Mauryan and gupta empires
South Asian Civilizations

2. India prior to the Mauryans
Ruled by the Persians (Darius I)
Ruled by the Greeks (only about two years)
Chandragupta Maurya unites northern India for the first time

3. Mauryan Government under Chandragupta
Divided into provinces and districts
Advisor, Kautalya, writes a detailed political handbook
Administration
Taxes
Foreign relations
Uses spies (and prostitutes) as informants
Perhaps abdicated to become a monk

4. Ashoka (r. 268-232 BCE) Expanded the empire Brutal early in his rule
Converts to Buddhism and ends his violent ways
Encourages others to convert
Builds monasteries
Achievements:
Tax collecting system
Built roads & encouraged trade
Ended slavery
Recorded history of his empire
Promoted peace in the region

5. Mauryan Decline and Legacy
Falls about 50 years after Ashoka’s death
Army becomes ineffective
Neighboring empires fight for control
TRADE!
Goods: silk & spices (from China)
Ideas: art (from Rome and Greece)

6. Gupta Empire – The Golden Age of India
Smaller than Mauryan
Not an elaborate bureaucracy
Lets locals control & pay tribute
Science and Math
Discovers zero
Plastic surgery
Earth is round and rotates on its axis
Trade – merchants (and others) are able to travel across the area without fear of being attacked

7. Decline of the Gupta Invasions by the White Huns
Fell in to regional kingdoms until 16th c. CE