Unknown Soldiers Episode #19: Caesars of India - Images, Maps, Sources

Alright, guys, this was one of the toughest episodes to write and research. There's just not a whole lot of English-language works on a lot of ancient Indian history, which is a shame because it's awesome. There's not a lot of great English-language works on Indian history in general as a matter of fact. If I ever do a series on the Mughals or the British conquest of India, it's gonna be a hurdle and a half to get the books I need.

But luckily, I DID find sources, and I do have maps and images. Happy dark and bloody Monday, and I will see you next week!

Arjuna and Krishna, depiction from the Bhagavad-Gita

Statue of Chandragupta Maurya, left; artist's portrayal of Kautilya/Chanakya, right

Poster for Indian TV series Chandragupta Maurya, 2018-2019. Center is Chandragupta played by Kartikey Malviya, shadowed by Tarun Khanna as Kautilya

Artist's depiction of Ashoka alongside the four-headed lion statue that marks many of his great pillar edicts; the four-headed lion is a symbol of modern India

Portrayal of Ashoka by Siddharth Nigam in TV Series Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat 2015-2016

The Mauryan Dynasty at its greatest extent under Ashoka

Another map; all the red dots and rectangles are Ashoka's rock edicts!

SOURCES

Boesche, Roger. "Kautilya's Arthasastra on War and Diplomacy in Ancient India." Journal of Military History 67, no. 1 (Jan. 2003): 9-37.

Easwaran, Eknath. The Bhagavad Gita. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 2007.

Habib, Irfan and Vivekanand Jha. A People’s History of India, Vol. 5: Mauryan India. New Delhi: Tulika, 2004.

Keay, John. India: A History. New York: Grove Press, 2000.

Lynn, John. Battle: A History of Combat and Culture. New York: Basic Books, 2004.

Rangarajan, L.N. Kautilya: The Arthashastra. New York: Penguin, 1992.

Roy, Kaushik. Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia from Antiquity to the Present. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Roy, Kaushik. Warfare in Pre-British India 1500 BCE to 1740 CE. New York: Routledge, 2015.

Strong, John S. The Legend of King Aśoka: A Study and Translation of the Aśokāvadāna. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993.