(Teachers please click here for your introduction page)
The history of Ancient India saw the development of three major religions that are still practiced by millions of people today: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. It also saw the rise and fall of major empires, a series of great invasions from central Asia, and vast cultural achievements.
To go to the first map in this unit, Ancient India 500 BCE, please click HERE.
In this unit, a sequence of maps offers a panoramic overview of the history of Ancient India, between 500 BCE and 500 CE (for the earlier history of India, including the Indus Valley civilization, see the unit Early Civilizations).
The period covered by this sequence of maps includes:
- The rebirth of urban, literate civilization in Ancient India
- The emergence of Buddhism and Jainism
- The rise and fall of the Maurya Empire
- The reign of he emperor Asoka
- The Indo-Greek kingdoms of Northwest India
- The empires of the central Asian invaders, the Saka and Kushana, and the Gandhara culture they fostered
- The rise of the Gupta empire, and the apogee of classical Indian civilization
For the start of this unit, please go to Ancient India 500 BCE.