SSAC_IRNSG.book Page 105 Tuesday, September 20, 2005 3:47 PM
(321 B.C.–A.D. 540)
I FORN
I
AL
A
India’s Empires and Achievements
C
Chapter 9
Chapter Standards
History-Social Science 6.5.6,
6.5.7
What You Will Learn
At about 300 B.C., India was a single empire known as the
Maurya empire.
Chapter 9 Focus Question
As you read through this chapter, keep this question in
mind: How was India united into an empire, and what
were the legacies of its golden age of art and culture?
Section 1
The Maurya Empire
Section 1 Focus Question
How did Chandragupta unite and control the Maurya
Empire? To begin answering this question,
• Find out how Chandragupta united India.
• Learn about this emperor’s iron rule.
Key Events
321 B.C.
Chandragupta
overthrows the
King of Magadha
and begins
his wars of
conquest.
185 B.C.
Mauryan Empire
comes to an end.
330 A.D.
Samudra Gupta
extends his
father’s empire.
499 A.D.
Aryabhatta writes
a book on
advanced
mathematics.
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Section 1 Summary
Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler to unite the Indian
subcontinent under a single empire. His government
brought order to a land of many peoples.
Chandragupta Unites India
Chandragupta Maurya (chuhn druh GUP tuh MOWR yuh)
built India’s first empire. Little is known about his early life.
Most tales about his early life say that he came from a poor
family. As a young man, he teamed up with Kautilya.
Kautilya (kow TIHL yuh) was a Brahmin seeking revenge
against the king of Magadha. Kautilya helped Chandragupta raise an army and come up with a strategy for
conquering Magadha. A strategy (STRAT uh jee) is a longterm plan for achieving a goal.
Chandragupta armed his men with powerful weapons
and used brightly painted elephants to carry soldiers into
battle. The appearance and size of the animals terrified
enemy soldiers.
Unit 3 Chapter 9 Section 1
105
SSAC_IRNSG.book Page 106 Tuesday, September 20, 2005 3:47 PM
✓ Checkpoint
List two things Chandragupta did
that helped his men in battle.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Vocabulary Builder
How would the meaning of the following sentence change if the word
duty were replaced with the word
goal?
The book said it was the ruler’s
duty to please his people.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
List three ways Chandragupta’s
empire was divided to make it easier to rule.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
The Emperor’s Iron Rule
Although Chandragupta had conquered a vast empire, he
lived in fear of his enemies. He had his food tasted for
poison and slept in a different bed every night.
As emperor, Chandragupta faced the same problems as
empire builders in Mesopotamia and Egypt. How could he
establish rule over a large area with many cultures and
ethnic groups? He solved this problem by creating a bureaucracy. A bureaucracy (byu RAH kruh see) is a system of
government based on fixed rules that are carried out by
appointed officials.
The empire was separated into four regions, each run by
a trusted official. Each region was broken into provinces. A
province (PRAHV ihns) is a district or region of a country
with its own government bureaucracy. Each province was
divided into groups of villages. Through this system, Chandragupta’s rule reached every village in the empire.
The work of the central government was divided among
six committees. Each committee oversaw one key activity,
such as agriculture, trade, or tax collection. Money collected
as taxes was used to pay government officials and support a
large army.
Chandragupta continued to rely on Kautilya for many
ideas. Kautilya’s theories on government were collected in a
book, the Arthashastra. The book advised a ruler on how to
deal with his subjects (SUHB jehkts), or people under his
control. The book said it was the ruler’s duty to protect his
people, but it also said the ruler could not trust his people.
Using this advice, Chandragupta set up a large network of
spies to report on people’s activities. Kautilya’s influence
helped Chandragupta create a powerful government. ✓
Check Your Progress
1. Why did Kautilya help Chandragupta conquer
Magadha?
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
2. What was the Arthashastra?
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
106
Unit 3
Chapter 9
Section 1
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✓ Checkpoint
After conquering Magadha, Chandragupta moved on to
other kingdoms. By 305 B.C., he controlled most of the
Indian subcontinent. ✓