| A | B |
|---|
| Mauryan Empire | first empire in India, founded by Chandragupta Maurya |
| Asoka | grandson of Chandragupta, leader who brought the Mauryan Empire to its greatest height |
| religious toleration | acceptance of the right of people to have differing religious beliefs |
| Tamil | language of southern India; also the people who speak that language |
| Gupta Empire | second empire in India, founded by Chandra Gupta |
| patriarchal | relating to a social system in which the father is the head of the family |
| matriarchal | relating to a social system in which the mother is the head of the family |
| Mahayana | sect of Buddhism that offers salvation to all and allows popular worship |
| Theravada | sect of Buddhism focusing on strict spiritual discipline |
| Brahma | creator of the world (Hinduism) |
| Vishnu | preserver of the world (Hinduism) |
| Shiva | destroyer of the world (Hinduism) |
| Kalidasa | one of India's greatest poets and playwrights |
| Silk Roads | caravan routes that crisscrossed central Asia |
| Han Dynasty | Chinese dynasty that ruled for most of the period from 202 BCE to 220 CE |
| centralized government | government that concentrates power is a central authority |
| civil service | administrative departments of a government; also, word describing government jobs and employees |
| monopoly | one group's complete control over the production and distribution of certain goods |
| assimilation | policy of encouraging conquered peoples to adopt the institutions and customs of the conquering nation |
