6.6.1 Chandragupta Maurya and Kautilya In 323 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya created India’s ýrst true empire, The Mauryan Empire, sometimes called the Mauryan dynasty. With help from his adviser, Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), set up a strong central government. Chanakya is also credited with compiling a set of rules on running a government, called The Arthashastra. The Arthashastra laid the basis for responsible administration and a powerful uniýed government across the subcontinent. The Mauryan Empire was divided into districts run by administrators who reported to the emperor, ensured law and order, provided troops for the army and collected taxes. The observations of Megasthenes We learn about Chandragupta’s empire from two main sources. The ýrst is Chanakya’s Arthashastra. The second comes from Megasthenes (see SOURCE3 ) , aGreek ambassador who visited Chandragupta’s magniýcent capital city, Pataliputra. According to Megasthenes, it was a vast and splendid city ringed with a high wooden wall and 570 towers. Chandragupta built his empire through successful battles. He drove out Seleucid forces from northern India in 324 BCE, and when they tried to return in 305 BCE, he defeated them again. After Chandragupta, his son Bindusara
SOURCE2 Bas‐relief from the Great Stupa of Sanchi, showing what appears to be a festive scene from a Mauryan city
made the empire even bigger by conquering 16 more kingdoms. The empire reached its greatest size under Chandragupta’s grandson, Ashoka.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Using SOURCE3 list the
SOURCE3 From an ancient Greek account of a report by a Greek ambassador, Megasthenes, who had visited the Mauryan capital, Pataliputra, on a mission from the Seleucid Empire Megasthenes informs us that this city [Pataliputra] stretched in the inhabited quarters to an extreme length on each side of eighty stadia , and that its breadth was ýfteen stadia, and that a ditch encompassed it all round, which was six hundred feet in breadth and thirty cubits in depth, and that the wall was crowned with 570 towers and had four-and- sixty gates. The same writer tells us further this remarkable fact about India, that all the Indians are free, and not one of them is a slave.
key features of Pataliputra according to Megathenes.
2. Do you think that this
source is reliable or not? Give reasons for your answer.
6.6 SkillBuilder activity USING HISTORICAL SOURCES To use historical sources as evidence, you need to be able to analyse the source. This is often seen as a two-step process. In this activity, you will use SOURCE2 in this lesson as an example. 1. First, you simply need to describe what you can see in the source. Are there people, animals, tools? What is happening in the scene — does it depict a battle, a festival or just a scene from everyday life? 2. Next, you need to interpret any metaphorical meaning that may be contained within the visual source. Perhaps the king is depicted as taller than all other people in the source, denoting his importance and power. This metaphorical meaning can often provide a deeper understanding of the purpose or intent of the source.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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