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Class 7 The Rise of Empires: cheat sheet
CBSE Social Science. How Magadha grew into the Maurya Empire, Kautilya’s Arthashastra and the seven parts of a kingdom, and what Ashoka’s edicts tell us.
Key ideas
- An empire is a large state in which one ruler controls many smaller kingdoms or territories.
- Magadha had fertile plains, forests with elephants, iron ore and rivers for transport.
- Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire, with its capital at Pataliputra.
- Kautilya (Chanakya), a teacher at Takshashila, wrote the Arthashastra on governance and economics.
- The Greek envoy Megasthenes described Chandragupta’s court in the Indika.
- Ashoka’s edicts, mostly in Prakrit and the Brahmi script, record his own words and show how far the empire spread.
- Ashoka had shade trees planted, wells dug and rest houses built along roads for travellers.
- India’s national emblem is the lion capital from Sarnath, and the Ashoka Chakra is on the national flag.
Remember
| Maurya rulers in order | Chandragupta → Bindusara → Ashoka |
| Capital | Pataliputra |
| Saptanga (seven parts) | swami, amatya, janapada, durga, kosha, danda, mitra |
| Guild (shreni) | an association of traders or craftspeople |
| Vassal | a ruler who submits to a stronger king and pays tribute |
| Ashoka’s reign | about 268 BCE to about 232 BCE |
| Years between BCE dates | the bigger BCE number − the smaller |
Watch out
- Mixing up Chandragupta Maurya (the founder) with Ashoka (his grandson).
- Adding BCE dates to find the gap: subtract the smaller from the bigger.
- Thinking the bigger BCE year is later: 268 BCE came before 232 BCE.
Worked example
Which happened first, and how many years earlier? (a) Ashoka’s reign ended (about 232 BCE) (b) Ashoka’s reign began (about 268 BCE)
Working: 268 − 232
Answer: Ashoka’s reign began, 36 years earlier
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