Chapter 3 AP World History Vocabulary Flashcards

grandson of Chandragupta Maurya; extended conquests of the dynasty; converted to Buddhism and sponsored its spread throughout his empire

creator of a major Indian and Asian religion; born in the 6th century BCE; taught that enlightenment could be achieved only by abandoning desires for earthly things

founder of the Mauryan dynasty, the first empire in the Indian subcontinent; first centralized government since Harappan civilization

built an empire in the 3rd century CE that included all but southern Indian regions; less centralized than Mauryan Empire

region marking the northern border of the Indian subcontinent

the sum of merits accumulated by an individual; determined the caste one would be born into in the next life

political adviser to Chandragupta Maurya; wrote political treatise

Indian epics, deeply imbued with Hindu teachings

established in Indian subcontinent in 4th century BCE following invasion of Alexander the Great

the Buddhist state of enlightenment; a state of tranquility

the successive rebirth of the soul according to merits earned in previous lives

the classical and sacred Indian language

the most important Hindu deities

stone shrines built to house relics of the Buddha; preserved Buddhist architectural forms

lowest caste in Indian society; performed tasks that were considered polluting (street sweeping, removal of human waste, tanning)

later books of the Vedas; combined sophisticated and sublime philosophical ideas

the categories organizing Indian society into a functional hierarchy