Thapar Romila. Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas

Oxford University Press, 1961. — 344 p.The Mauryan period witnessed the rise of the first subcontinental empire which required administration appropriate to a changing political economy, communication adequate to a subcontinental territory, and new ideological attempts to draw support from a multicultural population. This book provides a fresh interpretation of the history of early India and its linkages with later developments. It discusses the history of the Mauryas with a special emphasis on the reign and activities of A?oka. The author focuses on sources, socio-economic conditions, administration, Dhamma, foreign relations, and the decline of the Mauryas.Romila Thapar is Professor Emeritus at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She also holds the Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South at the Library of Congress, and is Professorial Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. An Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, she has been Distinguished Visiting Professor at Cornell University.