Question: What philosophical movement appeared during 800-200 BCE?
Answer: Shramana-movement

Question: What was the origins of the Shramana movement?
Answer: Jainism and Buddhism

Question: During what time were the first Upanishads written?
Answer: between 800 and 200 BCE

Question: What period started after 500 BCE?
Answer: Second urbanization

Question: Where was the central location of the Muayan Empire?
Answer: Central Ganges Plain

Question: By what age had many small states covered the subcontinent?
Answer: later Vedic Age

Question: How many small states covered the Ganges Plain of India?
Answer: sixteen monarchies

Question: What were the sixteen kingdoms called?
Answer: Mahajanapadas

Question: What second period did the rise of the small kingdoms show?
Answer: urbanism

Question: What was the first major urbanization in India?
Answer: Indus Valley Civilisation

Question: Where was the Vajji confederation located?
Answer: Vaishali

Question: How early did the small republic states exist in India?
Answer: 6th century BCE

Question: Until what century did the republic states endure in India?
Answer: 4th century CE

Question: In what language did the educated Indian speak?
Answer: Sanskrit

Question: What was the general population's common language ?
Answer: Prakrits

Question: When were the earliest Upanishads composed?
Answer: 7th and 6th centuries BC

Question: Of what philosophical system do the Upanishads form the basis?
Answer: Hinduism

Question: What are the Upanishads called in Hinduism?
Answer: Vedanta

Question: What part of the Hinduism belief system did the Upanishads attack?
Answer: ritual

Question: What worship system is central to Hinduism?
Answer: Self

Question: What did the shramana movements challenge?
Answer: orthodoxy of rituals

Question: Who was the founder of Jainism?
Answer: Mahavira

Question: What prominent icon founded Buddhism? 
Answer: Buddha

Question: What path did Buddha find to soothe the strictness of Sramana religions?
Answer: Middle Way

Question: What belief system taught the idea of samsara?
Answer: Shramana

Question: Of what was Magadha one of sixteen?
Answer: Mahā-Janapadas

Question: How does the Sanskrit translate Maha-Janapadas?
Answer: Great Countries

Question: Where was the center of Magadha?
Answer: Bihar

Question: Where were there early records of the Magadha kingdom?
Answer: Vedic texts

Question: What time do the texts locating Magadha kingdom predate?
Answer: 600 BC.

Question: Where is the earliest mention of Magadha people?
Answer: Atharva-Veda

Question: In the development of which religions did Magadha participate?
Answer: Jainism and Buddhism

Question: Where was the location origin of the Maurya and Gupta empires?
Answer: Magadha

Question: Due to advances in science and culture, what are the Magadha region empires considered to represent?
Answer: Golden Age

Question: What were local villages' assemblies called in the Magadha kingdoms?
Answer: Gramakas

Question: What Persian king wanted tribute from the tribes of northern India?
Answer: Cyrus the Great

Question: By 520 BC what empire ruled the northwestern Indian subcontinent?
Answer: Persian Achaemenid Empire

Question: What king ruled Persia in 520 BC?
Answer: Darius I of Persia

Question: How long did the Persian empire control the northern India subcontinent?
Answer: two centuries

Question: What did India supply to the Persian war efforts against Greece?
Answer: mercenaries

Question: When did Alexander the Great reach India?
Answer: 326 BC

Question: Who did Alexander defeat in the area now Pakistan?
Answer: King Porus

Question: At what battle did Alexander beat King Porus?
Answer: Battle of the Hydaspes

Question: Where did Alexander's army finally mutiny?
Answer: Hyphasis

Question: The strength of what empire's army pushed Alexander to retreat?
Answer: Nanda Empire

Question: What was the first empire to unify India?
Answer: Maurya Empire

Question: What was the time span of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: 322–185 BCE

Question: Who formed the Maurya Empire in Magadha?
Answer: Chandragupta Maurya

Question: What dynasty did Chandragupta Maurya defeat?
Answer: Nanda Dynasty

Question: In what year did Chandraguta's son come to the throne?
Answer: 297 BC

Question: What are the basic written records of the Mauryans?
Answer: Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka

Question: What is the archaeological period of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: Northern Black Polished Ware

Question: What metal was developed in south India during the time of the Mauryan Empire?
Answer: Wootz steel

Question: To where was wootz steel exported?
Answer: China and Arabia

Question: What organization closely monitored business dealings in the Mauryan Empire? 
Answer: government

Question: During what period did Tamil literature thrive?
Answer: Sangam period

Question: How many Tamil dynasties ruled during the Sangam period?
Answer: 3

Question: What was the extent of the Sangam period?
Answer: 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE

Question: In what part of India did the Tamil dynasties rule?
Answer: southern India

Question: How were Tamil writers different from earlier Sanskrit writers?
Answer: non-Brahmins

Question: What empire covered most of India from 230 BCE?
Answer: Śātavāhana Empire

Question: Of what were the Satavahanas patrons?
Answer: Hinduism and Buddhism

Question: What did the Satavahanas issue embossed with their king's head?
Answer: coins

Question: When was the Satavahana Empire divided into smaller states?
Answer: 3rd century CE

Question: From what did the Satavahana Empire protect much of India?
Answer: foreign invaders

Question: What was the time span of the Shunga Empire?
Answer: 187 to 78 BCE

Question: Who founded the Shuga empire after the fall of the Maurya empire?
Answer: Pushyamitra Shunga

Question: How long did Pushyamitra Shunga rule?
Answer: 36 years

Question: What script variant was used to write the Sanskrit language?
Answer: Brahmi

Question: What tradition did Shunga rulers help begin?
Answer: sponsorship of learning and art

Question: What Kalingan ruler brought the Chedi dynasty back into power?
Answer: Khārabēḷa

Question: What power had previously defeated the Kalingans? 
Answer: Ashoka

Question: In what arena was Kalinga a formidable power?
Answer: maritime

Question: What maritime advantage did the Kalingans have?
Answer: trade routes

Question: What militaristic leader restored might to the Kalinga empire?
Answer: Khārabēḷa

Question: From what area did the Kushan Empire come?
Answer: Afghanistan

Question: Who was the first ruler of the Kushan empire?
Answer: Kujula Kadphises

Question: In the middle o what century did the Kushan empire begin?
Answer: 1st century CE

Question: What was the language base of the Kushans?
Answer: Indo-European

Question: What had the Kushans conquered much of by the time of Kanishka
Answer: northern India

Question: By what is India under the Gupta Empire referered?
Answer: Classical India

Question: What was the time span of the Gupta Empire?
Answer: c. 320–550 CE

Question: What is the period of the Gupta Empire called?
Answer: Golden Age of India

Question: What philosophy  formed at the time of the Gupta Empire?
Answer: Hindu culture

Question: What numeral system originated in India?
Answer: Hindu-Arabic

Question: What did the Guptas promote in their reigns?
Answer: Indian culture

Question: Besides the Vedic practices, what other religion did the Guptas patronize?
Answer: Buddhism

Question: What Guptas brought much of India under Gupta rule?
Answer: first three rulers

Question: What business activity made the Gupta Empire prominent in India?
Answer: Strong trade ties

Question: What did the Gupta Empires trade ties influence?
Answer: nearby kingdoms

Question: During what time did Kadamba rule northern Karnataka?
Answer: 345 – 525 CE

Question: Where did the Kadamba dynasty originate?
Answer: Karnataka, India