History glossary
edicts
royal inscriptions through which Ashoka communicated policy and moral instruction.
- Category
- Royal inscription
- Region
- Maurya Empire
- Date range
- 3rd century BCE
What it means
Ashoka's edicts were inscriptions placed on rocks, pillars and cave walls across his realm. They communicated royal orders, moral teaching, administrative concern and Ashoka's public commitment to dharma.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Maurya Empire
From Chandragupta's overthrow of the Nandas to Ashoka's edicts and the empire's fall, the Mauryas created the first imperial state to unite much of the Indian subcontinent.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
The Han Dynasty
From Liu Bang's foundation to the end of the dynasty in 220 CE, the Han built the institutions, Confucian statecraft, frontier policy, and cultural memory that shaped imperial China for centuries.
