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Pataliputra
Pataliputra, in the southern Gangetic plain near modern Patna in Bihar, India, was capital of Magadha and the Maurya Empire and one of ancient South …
Timeline
- c. -600–-400Pataliputra · BiharThe kingdom of Magadha established its capital at the confluence of the Ganges and Son rivers; Pataliputra became an important political and trading settlement of northern India, thanks to its fertile agricultural region and river transport advantages.
- c. -322–-185Pataliputra · BiharThe Maurya dynasty made Pataliputra its capital; according to the Greek envoy Megasthenes, the city had wooden palisade defenses and magnificent palaces, becoming the hub of a great empire ruling South Asia.
- c. -185–1Gangetic plain · IndiaAfter the decline of the Maurya Empire, Pataliputra lost its status as imperial capital but continued to maintain its function as a regional political and economic center, relying on Ganges river transport and agricultural resources.
Sources
- Megasthenes, Indica (fragments in Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander) — Megasthenes
- Romila Thapar, Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 — Romila Thapar (2002)