(“JUST ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN AND CAN YOU TRY TO KEEP THE ANSWER SHORT” THANK YOU )!! 1. The Maurya (324 BCE to 184 BCE) were the first empire to unify large areas o India. There is some evidence that the founding emperor Chandragupta Maurya may have been inspired by Alexander the Great whose death left a political vacuum in Northwest India that the Maurya filled. The empire was ruled by a hereditary monarch aided by an elaborate bureaucracy made up o relatives and close associates who governed ethnicity based regional provinces. The central government was able to collect high taxes, issue a standard currency and maintain control of mining. This was facilitated by an extensive network of spies that kept the central government aware of disloyalty. Further, a powerful standing army that included elephant, chariot and cavalry divisions helped secure this power 1 .What aspects of the Maurya government were present during its existence? 2. While agriculture remained the primary economic activity, an extensive network of roads and maritime connections to Southeast Asia and the Middle East foster both internal and international trade. India profited from the export of cotton cloth, iron, and salt. 2. What other things might have been transported along these connecting roads? 3. In 269 BCE the Emperor Ashoka came to power ushering in a period of religious pluralism and tolerance. As a young man, Ashoka engaged in violen wars of conquest. Guilt assoclated with this violence drove Ashoka to conver to Buddhism. As a Buddhist emperor, he made it state policy to promote Buddhism throughout his empire by erecting pillars that promoted the teachings of the Buddha. This policy was an important factor in ensuring the longevity of Buddhism as a major world religion. 3. What happened to Ashoka and how would this lead to Buddhism remaining a prominent religion? 4. The Maurya Empire fell in 184 BCE as a result of dynastic disputes and invasions by outside enemies. Following a period of political disunity, the Gupta Empire came to power in 320 CE, ruling a portion of North Central India. The founder, Chandra Gupta modeled his rule on that of the Maurya. While the Gupta were able to collect high taxes, demand labor from subject: for state projects, and control metal mining and salt production they were never able to maintain the level of central authority that the Maurya enjoyed Regional hereditary governors were only nominally under the control or the central government forcing the emperor to rely on diplomacy to maintain the unity of the empire. 4. What led to the fall of the Maurya Empire? 5. Hinduism enjoyed a resurgence during the Gupta period leading to the strengthening of the Caste System and the intensification of patriarchy. The tradition of sati, widows throwing themselves on the funeral pyre of their late husbands, became common. Internal and international trade continued to flourish and major advances in mathematics were realized, including the development of the decimal system, Arabic numerals (wrongly named because of their diffusion to Europe through the Middle East), and pi. The Gupta Empire fell in the 500s CE largely because of nomadic invaders from the northwest. 5. What would lead to a strengthen of the Caste System, and what advances will be made?

(“JUST ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN AND CAN YOU TRY TO KEEP THE ANSWER SHORT” THANK YOU )!! 1. The Maurya (324 BCE to 184 BCE) were the first empire to unify large areas o India. There is some evidence that the founding emperor Chandragupta Maurya may have been inspired by Alexander the Great whose death left a political vacuum in Northwest India that the Maurya filled. The empire was ruled by a hereditary monarch aided by an elaborate bureaucracy made up o relatives and close associates who governed ethnicity based regional provinces. The central government was able to collect high taxes, issue a standard currency and maintain control of mining. This was facilitated by an extensive network of spies that kept the central government aware of disloyalty. Further, a powerful standing army that included elephant, chariot and cavalry divisions helped secure this power 1 .What aspects of the Maurya government were present during its existence? 2. While agriculture remained the primary economic activity, an extensive network of roads and maritime connections to Southeast Asia and the Middle East foster both internal and international trade. India profited from the export of cotton cloth, iron, and salt. 2. What other things might have been transported along these connecting roads? 3. In 269 BCE the Emperor Ashoka came to power ushering in a period of religious pluralism and tolerance. As a young man, Ashoka engaged in violen wars of conquest. Guilt assoclated with this violence drove Ashoka to conver to Buddhism. As a Buddhist emperor, he made it state policy to promote Buddhism throughout his empire by erecting pillars that promoted the teachings of the Buddha. This policy was an important factor in ensuring the longevity of Buddhism as a major world religion. 3. What happened to Ashoka and how would this lead to Buddhism remaining a prominent religion? 4. The Maurya Empire fell in 184 BCE as a result of dynastic disputes and invasions by outside enemies. Following a period of political disunity, the Gupta Empire came to power in 320 CE, ruling a portion of North Central India. The founder, Chandra Gupta modeled his rule on that of the Maurya. While the Gupta were able to collect high taxes, demand labor from subject: for state projects, and control metal mining and salt production they were never able to maintain the level of central authority that the Maurya enjoyed Regional hereditary governors were only nominally under the control or the central government forcing the emperor to rely on diplomacy to maintain the unity of the empire. 4. What led to the fall of the Maurya Empire? 5. Hinduism enjoyed a resurgence during the Gupta period leading to the strengthening of the Caste System and the intensification of patriarchy. The tradition of sati, widows throwing themselves on the funeral pyre of their late husbands, became common. Internal and international trade continued to flourish and major advances in mathematics were realized, including the development of the decimal system, Arabic numerals (wrongly named because of their diffusion to Europe through the Middle East), and pi. The Gupta Empire fell in the 500s CE largely because of nomadic invaders from the northwest. 5. What would lead to a strengthen of the Caste System, and what advances will be made?