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Historical Document

Edicts of Ashoka

Ancient Inscriptions and Epigraphic Records

The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as on boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire, who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 268 to 232 BCE. The inscriptions are dispersed across modern-day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan and provide the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. They are the earliest written and datable texts from India, and because they were inscribed on stone rather than handed down orally like the earlier Vedic texts, they survive exactly as they were originally carved.

Facts
Document Type
Document Type (category)
Decree 1
Classification
Medium or Support
Stone or Inscription 1
Document Type
Rock and pillar inscriptions (edicts) 1
Connections

In Era

Classical Antiquity, Eras
Source Edicts of Ashoka, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases

Used In

Ancient Greek

Also in Language Atlas: which uses this subject.

Aramaic

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Prakrit

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Originated In

Afghanistan

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Bangladesh

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

India

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Nepal

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Pakistan

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Edicts of Ashoka, Wikipedia
  • Lead section, description
    a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls
  • Edicts of Ashoka: Medium
    They are the earliest written and datable texts from India, and because they were inscribed on stone rather than handed down orally like the earlier Vedic texts, they survive exactly as they were originally carved.
  • lead paragraph
    The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emp
  • In Era: Classical Antiquity, lead paragraph and infobox, date
    The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emp
  • In Group: Ancient Inscriptions of Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Lead
    The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 268 BCE to 232 BCE.
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