T he Emperor a n d theRightWayof Liv i n g Some 2,200 years ago the emperor Ashoka ruled India Like many ancient rulers he expanded his empire by conquering new lands But unlike most rulers Ashoka suddenly turned his back on warfare and began to govern according to the nonviolent beliefs of Buddhism EA R C H LIG S H T It is said that Ashoka became a Buddhist when he saw the horrors caused by the wars he’d led After that he decided to serve his subjects and all humanity instead of conquering others He called this conquest by dharma In India dharma means the right way of living and universal truth This included being honest truthful and kind It also meant being merciful generous and thoughtful Ashoka was an Indian a mathematician b emperor c priest The emperor himself would often tour the countryside preaching his belief in dharma to the people Ashoka also appointed dharma ministers to help relieve people’s sufferings These ministers were assigned to look after the special needs of women and people living in religious communities Ashoka passed laws to prevent cruelty to animals and had hospitals built for both people and animals He also started construction projects to make all people’s lives easier Trees were planted on roadsides wells were dug and watering sheds and rest houses were built The only recognition Ashoka wanted was for people to remember that he had ruled according to dharma To preserve his ideas Ashoka had his teachings carved on rocks and pillars columns in public areas These inscriptions are called the Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts The most famous is the lion pillar found at Sarnath which has become India’s national emblem D I D YO U K N O W Despite his reputation as a kind and g e n e r o u s r u l e r s o m e s t o r i e s d e s c r i b e Ashoka as cruel and ruthless l his A c c o r d i n g t o o n e s t o r y h e h a d a l in order to seize the brothers ki throne led l LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES JULIUS CAESAR CHARLEMAGNE MAHATMA GANDHI Sarnath an archaeological site in northern India is said to be the place where the Buddha first preached to his followers Ashoka built this stupa shrine and others as well as pillars to honor the event Brian A Vikander Corbis 6
ASHOKA Answer b emperor
l l D I D YO U K N O W i a m S h a k e s p e a r e s p l a y Julius is told to beware the In Wi ides refers to the Caesar C a e s a r ides of March The time around the 15th of the month To d a y t h o s e f a m o u s w o r d s a r e sometimes used as a warning
JULIUS CAESAR R ome’s Remarkable G e neralandStatesma n Julius Caesar was a brilliant general and a gifted writer But most important he helped create the ancient Roman Empire Early in his career Caesar formed a bond with the two most powerful men in Rome the wealthy Crassus and the general Pompey In 59 BC they helped elect Caesar as one of Rome’s two consuls the government’s highest rank After a year as consul Caesar left Rome to govern Gaul now France There he earned a reputation as a military leader He stopped uprisings and invasions and he even landed in Britain Caesar also wrote detailed accounts of his battles While Caesar was in Gaul Crassus was killed Sculpture of Julius Caesar in the National Museum in Naples Bettmann Corbis Pompey now controlled Rome and he turned against Caesar He declared Caesar a criminal and ordered him to break up his army Instead Caesar declared war and marched to Rome Pompey fled to Greece At that time Rome was governed by a senate a supreme council But Caesar felt the government was corrupt and needed a strong leader In 49 BC he declared himself dictator and he spent five years fighting a civil war against Pompey to make his rule secure Some of the Roman senators worried that Caesar had too much power On March 15 44 BC they murdered Caesar on the floor of the Senate In the short time he led Rome Caesar proved to be a great statesman The changes he made helped begin the 500-year Roman Empire And for almost 2,000 years after his death some world leaders used a form of the title caesar such as Kaiser in Germany and czar in Russia S EA R C H LIG H T Fill in the blank Caesar took power in Rome after defeating ___________ his former political supporter LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES ASHOKA CHARLEMAGNE CLEOPATRA By crossing over the stream known as the Rubicon in 49 BC Caesar basically declared war against the Roman Senate Crossing the Rubicon the subject of this engraving became a phrase that means taking a step from which there’s no turning back Bettmann Corbis former political supporter Answer Caesar took power in Rome after defeating Pompey his 9
