MAURYA EMPIRE. It is an empire that encompassed much of what is now India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Beluchistan. It lasted from 320 to 180 a. C. and had its largest extension around 265 a. C. It is a remarkable period for the spread of culture, an extraordinary religious freedom, something unthinkable for the time, and where Buddhism and the doctrine of peace were introduced. In addition to its expansion he contributed to the Mauryan emperors, Seleuco I, an ex-general of Alexander the Great, who after his death expelled the Macedonians from the subcontinent. More than 1653 languages were spoken.
