LO- SWBAT understand the nuances of

efficient administration of Ashoka’s

empire
SC- Students can differentiate between
Kingdom, Empire and Dynasty
What is the difference between
Kingdom and Empire?
 Empire- A large
Kingdom- A Kingdom (ruled
country ruled by an Emperor).
by a king or a It can be made
queen of small
kingdoms
How are empires different from
kingdoms?

● Larger ● Relatively smaller

● Need more ● Need fewer resources to
resources to sustain sustain
● Have more officials ● Have less number of
officials as compared to
empires
What is a Dynasty?
 Dynasty- A family of
rulers who rule over a
country for a long time
 In this chapter we are going to look at the dynasty of
Mauryans,and focus on Ashoka The Great

Chandragupta Maurya Bindusara Ashoka The Great

Founder of the Mauryan The most famous Mauryan
dynasty ruler
 Ashoka transformed the kingdom into a great
empire

Chandragupta Ashoka The

Maurya Great

Kingdom Empire
Let us understand
some of the
features of
Ashoka’s Empire
 1.Capital Cities

● Pataliputra was the main

center from where the
Emperor ruled.
● Taxila was a gateway to the
northwest, including Central
Asia.
● Ujjain lay on the route from
north to south India.

Merchants, officials and crafts

persons lived in these cities.
2. Villages

● In other areas there were villages of farmers and herders.

● In some areas such as central India, there were forests where
people gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food.
3. Diversity

● People in different parts of the empire spoke different

languages.
● They probably ate different kinds of food
● and wore different kinds of clothes as well.
4. Administration

● As the empire was so large, different parts were ruled

differently.
● Provinces were ruled from the capitals- Taxila, Ujjain
and Pataliputra.
● The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control
of the emperor.
4. Administration

Royal princes ● Officials were appointed

to collect taxes from Messengers went to and
were fro
farmers, herders, crafts
often sent as persons and traders
governors ● Officials also punished
those who disobeyed the
ruler’s orders.
● Many of these officials
were given salaries.

Spies
kept a watch on the officials.
How was he able to
expand his Empire
Taxes and Tributes

Taxes are a compulsory Tributes are gifts

contribution to intended to show
government, imposed on respect.
the worker’s profits

Taxes were collected Tribute was collected as

regularly and when it was
possible
Taxes were collected
from herders, farmers,
traders, craftspersons
Taxes and Tributes

For example, the Arthashastra

tells us that
● the north-west was important for blankets
● south India for its gold and precious stones.
● forested areas were expected to provide elephants,
timber, honey and wax

It is possible that these resources were collected as tribute.

 Who was Megasthenes?
Let us read

The account
written by him is
called Indica
 Do you think
Empires still exist?