1. The Mauryan Empire
Chapter 6.3

2. Origin of an Empire Divided into small kingdoms
Conquered by the Persians
Greeks under Alexander the Great defeated Persians

3. India’s First Empire Chandra Gupta Maurya Built a strong army
First ruler of the Mauryan dynasty
Skilled administrator
Well run government
Postal system

4. What Did Ashoka Accomplish?
Began with fierce wars
Began to follow Buddhism
Became a man of peace
Created hospitals for people and animals
Built roads
Promoted Buddhism
Sent missionaries to spread Buddhism
Developed a trade network

5. Ashoka Accomplishments
Built stupas-Buddhist shrines shaped like a dome or burial mound

6. The end of the Mauryan Empire
After Ashoka died, Mauryan Empire declined
New rulers made merchants pay heavy taxes
Indian people rebelled
The last Mauryan king was murdered by his generals

7. The Gupta Empire Gupta dynasty came to power in Ganges
Gupta rulers practiced Hinduism
Traded salt, cloth, and iron

8. The Literature of India
Vedas were first written works
Hindu epics teach moral lesson
The Mahabharata-epic contains 90,000 verses. Describes the struggle for control of a kingdom. Contains stories about heros
Bhagavad Gita- part of Mahabharata- the deity Krishna goes with a prince into battle. The prince does not want to fight because members of his family are on the other side.

9. The Ramayana About 25,000 verses before it was written down
Tells the story of prince Rama and his wife Sita
Sita is kidnapped by an evil king

10. Mathematics Aryabhata-scientist that used Algebra
Explained the idea of infinity
Invented the symbol “0”
Developed symbols for numbers 1-9 that we use today
Numbers were known as Indian-Arabic or Hindu Arabic

11. Advances in Science Advances in astronomy Advanced metalworking
Proposed the theory the Earth was round and Earth revolved around the sun
Advanced metalworking
Constructed the pillar of iron of Delhi

12. Advances in Medicine Treated dental problems
Gupta Doctors could set broken bones,
Sew wounds, perform surgeries
Make scalpels and needles
Repaired damaged noses
Used herbs to cure illness