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Unit 4-3

Empires of India

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Learning Intention

Success Criteria

Students will understand the development of the empires of Ancient India.

Students can:

  • Explain how Chaundragupta Maurya was able to successfully unite and rule most of the Indian continent.
  • Identify the achievements of the emperor Asoka.
  • Describe the transition from the Maurya to the Gupta empire.

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Warm-Up / Overarching Question

How do empires emerge and gain power?

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What does it take to be a successful leader?

What skills and knowledge are needed to be the leader of a large country?

Make a list of traits needed to be a successful leader based on your knowledge of world leaders, American presidents, or governers.

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Part 1: The Maurya Empire

Unit 4-3

Empires of India

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Timeline: Before the empire

  • 1700-500 BCE: Vedic Age
    • Foundation of Hinduism and the caste system
    • 600 BCE: 16 mahajanapadas, great kingdoms, emerged
    • 599 BCE: Mahavira is born (founder of Jainism)
    • 500s BCE: Siddhartha Guatama is born (became Buddah; founder of Buddhism)
  • 327 BCE: Alexander the Great from Greece invades India
    • His goal: Unite Europe and Asia into one country
  • 321 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya founds India’s first empire

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Go to your Pearson Realize platform and watch this introduction video.

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What do you notice? What do you wonder?

What do you think may have been true about Chandragupta and his rule based on how he is portrayed in this statue?

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Locate the kingdom of Maghada on the map.

Why would gaining power over Maghada be important?

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Who is Chandragupta Maurya?

Legends of his origin:

  • Born into a royal family but left with poor farmers
  • Trained by an educated Brahman named Kautilya who saw signs he could become a leader
    • Question: What stories do you know of leaders or heroes with similar origins?

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  • 321 BCE- a rebel army led by Chandragupta overthrew the king of Maghada.
  • Using strategy and armed with powerful weapons (Indian bow- as tall as a man and shield-piercing arrows), he attacked other kingdoms.
  • By 305 BCE, he ruled much of the Indian subcontinent. For the first time, one state controlled all of northern India.

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What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Chandragupta issued gold coins with his image on them. How could placing his image on coins help Chandragupta rule his empire?

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How Chandragupta successfully ruled a large area with different needs and traditions

Built a Government

  • Divided empire into four regions
  • Subdivided into smaller provinces
  • Set up bureaucracy (appointed officials who carried out his orders)
  • Set up a tax system

Connected to other Regions

  • Established a peace treaty with the Greeks
  • Created friendly relationships with other empires
  • Sent envoys on missions

Subjects and Spies

  • Feared his enemies
  • Set up a huge spy network to watch his subjects
  • Daily reports- had spies watch other spies
  • No privacy or freedom of speech

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Your Turn! Draw your ancestors in front of their houses and contrast it with your family in front of your own home.

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Reflection

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  • Who was Chandragupta Maurya?
  • How did the Maurya empire increase connections to other regions?
  • What are the benefits of expanding an empire?

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Activities

Achieve 3000:

Can You Count to One Billion?

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BrainPOP:

Silk Road

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Final Activity

Flipgrid

  1. Describe Chandragupta Maurya’s rise to power. How did strategy help him?

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  • How did Chandragupta unify and rule India?

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Part 2: Asoka’s Rule

Unit 4-3

Empires of India

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What do you notice? What do you wonder?

How do you think the geography of the area impacted the cities and other settlements?

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What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

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Activities

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Reflection

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  • Who was Asoka?
  • How did the way he ruled his empire change over time?

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Part 3: The Gupta Empire

Unit 4-3

Empires of India

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Learning Intention

Success Criteria

Students will understand the rise of the empires of Ancient India.

Students can:

  • Explain how Chaundragupta Maurya was able to successfully unite and rule most of the Indian continent.
  • Identify the achievements of the emperor Asoka.
  • Describe how the Gupta dynasty created the second Indian empire.

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Warm-Up / Overarching Question

How do empires emerge and gain power?

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Timeline: A Second Empire Emerges

  • 321 BCE - 185 BCE: The Mauryan Empire
  • 185 BCE - 320 CE
    • A series of invasions and different dynasties

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  • 320 CE: The Gupta Empire begins
    • Founded by Chandragupta I
      • Chief in the Magadha kingdom
      • Leader of the Ganges Valley (by marriage)
      • Joined the two territories into one empire

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  • 320 - 550 CE: The Gupta Empire
    • Great cultural achievement and economic success

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What can you infer about the southern region of India?

How does the region of the Gupta empire compare to the Maurya Empire?

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Compare and Contrast

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List similarities and differences between the rulers of the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire

Gupta Empire rulers

Maurya

Empire Rulers

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Final Reflection

  • How did India become an empire?

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  • What qualities must a leader possess to be effective?

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  • How are your local community, state, or country leaders similar to those of ancient empires? How are they different?

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