Ancient Indian History
Maurya Empire
Ancient Indian empire (c. 321–185 BCE)
Overview
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; and the Edicts of Ashoka. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW).
Source: Wikipedia — Maurya Empire (CC BY-SA)
Key concepts
How Maurya Empire connects to the ideas, people and events around it.
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age system of technology after the Copper Age and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory and progressing to protohistory.
South Asia is the southern sub-region of Asia that is defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's population.
Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the second urbanisation period.
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder and the first emperor of the Maurya Empire, based in Magadha in the Indian subcontinent.
Megasthenes was an ancient Greek historian, indologist, diplomat, ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period.
The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 268 BCE to 232 BCE.
The Northern Black Polished Ware culture is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian subcontinent, lasting c. 700–200 BCE, succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Black and red ware culture.
The Nanda Empire was a vast empire that governed in Magadha and Gangetic plains with an enormous geographical reach in 4th-century BCE northeastern India, with some accounts suggesting existence as far back as the 5th century BCE.
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Questions about Maurya Empire
What is Maurya Empire?
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; and the Edicts of Ashoka.
What are the key concepts related to Maurya Empire?
The main concepts connected to Maurya Empire include Iron Age, South Asia, Magadha, Chandragupta Maurya, Megasthenes, Edicts of Ashoka, Northern Black Polished Ware, Nanda Empire. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.
Which exams cover Maurya Empire?
Maurya Empire is part of Ancient Indian History, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC CGL and 48 more exams.