Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Kingdom of Magadha
Agriculture
Trade in Ganges valley, Bay of Bengal
Chandragupta Maurya
Mauryan dynasty
Chandraguptas Government
Advisor Kautalya
Recorded in Arthashastra, manual of political
statecraft
Foreign policies, economics
Domestic policies
Network of spies
Ashoka Maurya
Grandson of Chandragupta
Represents high point of Mauryan empire,
r. 268-232 B.C.E.
Expanded empire to include all of Indian
subcontinent except for south
Positive ruler-ship integrated Indian society
Much better known as a ruler than conqueror
Based in Magadha
Founded by Chandra Gupta (no relation to
Chandragupta Maurya), ca. 320 C.E.
Slightly smaller than Mauryan empire
Highly decentralized leadership
Foundations for studies in natural sciences and
mathematics
Gupta Decline
Patriarchy entrenched
Child marriage common (eight-year-old girls
married to men in twenties)
Women encouraged to remain in private sphere
Brahmins (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors, aristocrats)
Vaishyas (peasants, merchants)
Shudras (serfs)
Jainism
Vardhamana Mahavira, 540-468 B.C.E.
Abandons privileged family to lead ascetic life
Promotes seventh century movement based on
Upanishads
Emphasis on selfless living, concern for all beings
Ahimsa
Principle of extreme nonviolence
Jainists sweep earth, strain water, use slow
movements to avoid killing insects
Ahimsa continues to inspire modern movements
(Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.)
Appeal of Jainism
Early Buddhism
Appeal of Buddhism
Nalanda
Buddhist monastery
Quasi-university: Buddhism, Hindu texts,
philosophy, astronomy, medicine
Peak at end of Gupta dynasty
Helped spread Indian thought
Mahabharata
Ramayana