1. Powerful Empires in India
Section 3
Powerful Empires in India

2. Maurya Empire (321 BC to 185 BC)
Founder > Chandragupta Maurya > forges a dynasty
Well-organized bureaucracy
Rule was effective but harsh
Secret police reported corruption, crime, and dissent
Most honored emperor > Asoka
Forged his empire through a long bloody war
Ends up converting to Buddhism and renouncing violence
Paves the way for Buddhism in Asia
His rule brought peace and prosperity
After his death Maurya Empire declines

3. Kingdoms develop in the Deccan Plateau
People of the Deccan Plateau were Dravidians
Aryan culture from north will blend with Dravidians in the South
Example of a well-known kingdom
Tamil Kingdom
Traded with the Romans

4. Gupta Empire (Golden Age 320 AD to 520 AD)
Organized strong central government
Brought peace and prosperity
Trade and farming flourished
Period of great cultural achievement (golden age)
Learning important > students studied religion along with an multitude of subjects
Created a decimal system and the concept of zero
Medicine
Cures for illnesses (vaccinating people for smallpox)
Surgeries
Expansion in literature > folk tales and fables
Decline due to > weak rulers, civil war, and foreign invaders

5. Family/Village Life
Ideal family > joint family > parents, children, and offspring shared a household
Patriarchal > father the head > great authority
Children were trained in the traditions and duties of their caste
Parents arranged marriages
Women enjoyed more rights in Aryan society
Women restricted to the home in Gupta times > primary duties were to marry and raise children
The village was the heart of daily life
Each village included people of different castes
Had a headman and council
Farming highly dependent on the monsoons