| Description |
xix, 460 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Summary |
"Ashoka Maurya--or Ashoka the Great as he was later known--holds a special place in the history of India. Through his third century BCE quest to govern the Indian subcontinent by moral force alone, Ashoka transformed Buddhism from a minor sect into a major world religion. His bold experiment ended in tragedy, and in the tumult that followed the historical record was cleansed so effectively that his name was largely forgotten for almost two thousand years. Yet, a few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived the purge. In Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor, historian Charles Allen tells the incredible story of how a few enterprising archaeologists deciphered the mysterious lettering on keystones and recovered India's ancient past. Drawing from rich sources, Allen crafts a clearer picture of this enigmatic figure than ever before."--Publisher's website. |
| Contents |
The breaking of idols -- The golden column of Firoz Shah -- Objects of enquiry -- Enter Alexander -- Furious orientalists -- The long shadow of Horace Hayman Wilson -- Prinsep's ghat -- Thus spake King Piyadasi -- Brian Hodgson's gift -- Records of the western regions -- Alexander Cunningham the Great -- Sir Alexander in Excelsis -- Corpus inscriptionum indicarum -- India after Cunningham -- Ashoka in the twentieth century -- The rise and fall of Ashokadharma. |
| Subject |
Aśoka, King of Magadha, active 259 B.C.
|
|
India -- History -- To 324 B.C.
|
| ISBN |
1468300717 hardcover |
|
9781468300710 hardcover |
|
