[Preview] Samraatya Maurya

[Ritter-Floh]

Samraatya Maurya

Overview:
The Mauryan Empire (322 BCE - 185 BCE) supplanted the earlier Magadha Kingdom to assume power over large tracts of eastern and northern India. At its height, the empire stretched over parts of modern Iran and almost the entire Indian subcontinent, barring only the southern peninsular tip.
The empire came into being when Chandragupta Maurya stepped into the vacuum created by Alexander of Macedon's departure from the western borders of India. Chandragupta subjugated the border states, recruited an army, marched upon the Magadha kingdom, killed its tyrannical king who was despised by the populace, and ascended the throne. He thus founded the Mauryan dynasty. In his rise to power, he was aided and counselled by his chief minister Kautilya (also known as Chanakya), who wrote the Arthashastra, a compendium of kingship and governance.

CONSOLIDATION OF POWER
Chandragupta embarked upon an aggressive expansion policy. Seleucos I Nicator, who was Alexander's satrap for the eastern Macedonian conquests, was defeated and had to cede the entire territory under him to Chandragupta, along with a daughter and considerable money. He also sent Megasthenes, who wrote the Indica, to the Mauryan court as the Greek ambassador.

Chandragupta used marriage alliances, diplomacy, trickery, and war to extend his kingdom. Under him, the Mauryan empire stretched from eastern Iran to the western borders of the Burmese hills, and from the Himalayan tribal kingdom to the southern plateaus of peninsular India. After ruling for about 25 years, Chandragupta abdicated in favour of his son, Bindusara, and became a Jain monk.

Bindusara maintained his father's large dominions efficiently and extended the southern borders to cover the peninsular plateau of India. When he died, his son Ashoka seized the throne after a fratricidal succession dispute. The empire that Ashoka inherited was large, but a small kingdom on the east coast, Kalinga, was outside its pale. Ashoka decided to conquer it. The war that ensued was bloody and long. Kalinga resisted to the last man but fell. After Kalinga, Ashoka did not attack any kingdom but proceeded on a mission of peace. He erected several pillars throughout his kingdom, exhorting people to give up violence and live in harmony with each other and with nature. He actively patronised Buddhism, built several stupas and repaired older ones, and sent evangelical missions abroad, two of which comprised his own son and daughter.

The successor's of Ashoka were not strong enough to hold the empire together. It started disintegrating bit by bit, and in 185 BCE, almost 150 years after Chandragupta had overthrown the Magadha king, the last Mauryan ruler was assassinated by his commander-in-chief while inspecting his troops.

ECONOMY
Trade and enterprise were public-private affairs: the state could own and engage in business activities just like ordinary citizens could. The royal revenue was drawn from taxes (and war booty). Additionally, the king owned timber land, forest land, hunting groves, and manufacturing facilities, and their surplus was sold off. The state had monopoly over coinage, mining, salt production, arms manufacture, and boat building.

Farmers comprised the largest part of the population, and agriculture was taxed. Tradespeople were organised into guilds that held both executive and judicial authority and also functioned as banks. Craftspeople engaged in a particular industry tended to live together. Goods could not be sold at the place where they were produced; they had to be brought to specific markets. Tolls were collected for roads and river crossings; and goods sold within the kingdom were taxed, as were imports and exports. The state fixed the wholesale price of goods and inspected weights and measures. Barter was prevalent, as were gold, bronze, and copper coins. Money was lent on interest against promissory notes.

The main road that ran through the entire kingdom and connected it to the western Greek world was well maintained and well patrolled, with pillars and signposts marking the distances and the by-roads. Ships sailed down the Ganges and its tributaries, and to foreign shores such as Sri Lanka, China, and the African and Arabian harbours, and the state took care to destroy pirates.

ADMINISTRATION
The king was the head of the state and controlled the military, executive, judiciary, and legislature. He took advice from a council comprising the chief minister, the treasurer, the general, and other ministers. The kingdom was divided into provinces under governors, who were often royal princes. Provinces were further composed of towns and villages under their own district and village administrators. It was a large bureaucracy that the king employed. Like today, the rungs in the civil services were clearly defined, and those at the very top were far removed from the lower grades. For example, the ratio of a clerk's salary to the chief minister's has been estimated at 1:96. With such high levels of salary, we can assume that the higher officers were expected to carefully oversee the functioning of their departments.

There were departments to govern, look after, and control almost every aspect of social life: industrial art, manufacturing facilities, general trade and commerce, foreigners, births and deaths, commercial taxes, land and irrigation, agriculture, forests, metal foundries, mines, roads, and public buildings. The high-ranking officers were expected to go on inspection tours to ensure that the bureaucracy was discharging its duties well.

The empire also had a large spy network and maintained a large standing army. The king's army was not really disbanded even after the third Mauryan king, Ashoka, gave up war. Next to the farmers, it was the soldiers who formed the bulk of the population. Soldiers were expected to only fight and were not required to render any other service to the king; when there was no war, they could amuse themselves in whatever manner that caught their fancy. There were separate departments for the infantry, cavalry, navy, chariots, elephants, and logistics. Soldiers not only drew their salary from the exchequer but were also provided with arms and equipment at the state's expense. We have descriptions of some of the arms that these soldiers carried: foot soldiers carried man-length bows (and arrows), ox-hide bucklers, javelins, and broadswords. The cavalry rode bareback and used lances and bucklers.

RELIGION
Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty, was a Hindu. In later life, he became a Jain. His grandson Ashoka put the state's entire resources to promote Buddhism, but whether he formally converted to the faith remains unclear. The populace, by and large, belonged to one of these three religions while other noticeable groups were atheists, agnostics, or those who subscribed to primitive faiths.

DOWNFALL
About 50 years after Ashoka's death, the Mauryan king was killed by his general-in-chief, Pushyamitra, who founded the Shunga dynasty. Scholars give several reasons for the empire's downfall, the major ones being its size and its weak rulers after Ashoka. Border states had started asserting their independence right after Ashoka's death. The empire started shrinking under Ashoka's successors. By the time Pushyamitra seized the throne, the mighty Mauryan Empire was a fraction of its size, reduced to only the three city-states of Pataliputra, Ayodhya, and Vidisha, and some parts of the Punjab.

TIMELINE:
c. 350 BCE - 275 BCE
Life of Kautilya, Indian stateman and philosopher, chief advisor and Prime Minister of the Indian Emperor Chandragupta.
340 BCE - 298 BCE
Life of Indian Emperor Chandragupta, first ruler of the Mauryan Empire.
322 BCE - 298 BCE
Reign of Chandragupta, first ruler of the Mauryan Empire.
321 BCE
Dhana Nanda, king of Magadha, is killed by Chandragupta Maurya.
320 BCE
Chandragupta Maurya seizes the throne of Magadhan and expands the kingdom over northern and central India.
c. 320 BCE - c. 180 BCE
Mauryan rule in the Gandhara region, beginning with Chandragupta Maurya.
305 BCE
Emperor Changragupta signs a treaty with Seleucos I, establishing borders and giving the Punjab to Chandragupta in return for 500 war elephants.
300 BCE - 273 BCE
Reign of Bindusara, the second ruler of the Mauryan Empire.
298 BCE - 272 BCE
Chandragupta's son, Bindusara, rules and expands the Maurya Empire.
298 BCE
Chandragupta voluntarily abdicates the throne in favour of his son Bindusara. Jain sources say that Chandragupta turned into an ascetic and follower of Jainism, migrated south and starved himself to death.
273 BCE - 236 BCE
Reign of Ashoka, third ruler of the Mauryan Empire.
c. 268 BCE
Ashoka becomes emperor of the Maurya dynasty in India.
262 BCE
Ashoka conquers Kalinga. The bloodshed makes him remorseful, and he turns towards non-violence.
232 BCE
Indian ruler Ashoka dies and the Maurya empire declines.
185 BCE
Brihadratha, the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty is assassinated by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Shunga.


Units:
This faction overhaul reworks all existing units and adds 5 new units to the Mauryans. Here are some pictures of the units:

Spear Infantry:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(Mauryan Levy Spearmen) These fighters are poorly trained but disciplined, and armed with three meter long spears of bamboo, reinforced with iron heads. For defence, they use large bell-shaped wooden shields, sometimes covered with thick hide.


(Mauryan Spearmen) These men, armed with spears and flat, long shields, are the mainstay of the Indian infantry. Some of the warriors wear a simple armoured corselet made from strips of hardened leather, and most are dressed in their everyday clothing. Their spears, which they wield in an underarm position, are made of wood or bamboo with iron spearheads.


(Mauryan Elite Spearmen) From the warrior caste, these elite fighters enjoy a special status - the privilege to work and to be served. Their shields are made of wood and reinforced elephant hide, and they wear lamellar or scale armour. Their spears are made of wood or bamboo with iron spearheads.

Melee Infantry:

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(Mauryan Swordsmen) Armed with chopping swords and tall, curved shields, these swordsmen are the shock infantry of Indian armies. Their training isn't constant, as they hand in their weapons and horses at the end of a war. They are not armoured and can suffer casualties against heavier enemies.


(Mauryan Axemen) These axe-bearers are not guards, but regular soldiers. They wield long two-handed iron axes with wooden or bamboo handles. Since they wear little to no armour and do not carry shields, they are vulnerable to missile fire, but their halberd-like poleaxes can cut through infantry and cavalry alike. Axemen like these can be seen on paintings in the Ajanta Caves.


(Mauryan Macemen) Warriors from the higher tiers of the Kshatriya caste, these men have chosen to fight with the mace, a weapon with substantial symbolic importance in India. These men are professional soldiers, paid by the government and very well-trained in combat. Heavily equipped - some of them wear armour like corselets of hardened leather and scale armour - and well-trained, these men are excellent infantry to send into the fiercest melee.


(Mauryan Warrior Guildsmen) These infantrymen, members of self-regulating professional guilds called "Sreni," are equipped with the best that money can buy. For defence, they wear armour of iron and brass scales over a quilted cotton cuirass, with additional protection for the arms, legs, and shoulders. For offence, they carry a large sword-axe made of high quality iron from the mines of Magadha. This type of sword is known in Arthasastra as "asiyasi."


(Mauryan Elite Macemen) These men are armed with a long, two handed mace, used for powerful blows. They wear a short, armless scale cuirass, the simplest type of metal body armour described by Kautilya in the Arthashastrsa. In addition to traditional hair knots and turbans, some wear helmets.


(Mauryan Heavy Swordsmen) These experienced Kshatriyas, members of the warrior caste, are armed with Khanda broadswords and bell-shaped shields. These warriors make quite good assault infantry and their swords cut through most opponents. In addition, they carry javelins which they throw before melee starts.


(Mauryan Imperial Guard) This guard is the most elite and prestigious infantry in the Mauryan standing army - it's also an excellent place to become an officer. They are never disbanded under any circumstances and are fiercely loyal to the Emperor.

Missile Infantry:

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(Mauryan Slingers) These slingers from the mountain and forest tribes carry small leather slings, just as easily used for hunting game as for hunting men. They carry no shields, as they do not intend to close with their prey until it is already downed. Nonetheless, they carry simple wooden clubs, useful for disposing their injured prey, but which can also be used for self-defence in melee, should the situation call for it. As speed and flexibility are key to their battlefield tactics, they wear no cumbersome armour, and their dress is the same simple clothing that they would wear on the hunt or out foraging.


(Mauryan Skirmishers) These javelinmen are primarily missile troops, but they are also equipped with swords and light shields of raw oxhide or wood to fight hand-to-hand. This flexible force can be used as a screen for elephants and chariot flanks, to harass enemies, or as infantry of the line.


(Mauryan Longbowmen) The Indian bow is a long, heavy, powerful bamboo weapon, typically as long as the archer is tall. These men are also equipped with a short, broad-bladed sword to fight in hand-to-hand combat. These archers can use their bows with great efficiency, and though they may not have the best aim, the power and range of their weapons more than makes up for this, and their broadswords make them more capable in melee than most archers.

Cavalry:

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(Mauryan Light Cavalry) These light horsemen are used to harass enemies, escort elephants, or seize suitable battle sites. Most, if not all, are unarmoured javelinmen. They also carry short swords and bell-shaped shields, smaller than those of the infantry.


(Mauryan Lancers) Protected by armour, helmets, and bell-shaped shields, these cavalrymen come from the upper tiers of the Kshatriya class and some among them may have Saka or Yavana blood in their veins. They are the most powerful cavalry fielded by the Mauryan army.


(Mauryan Bodyguard Cavalry) Rajanya means "related to kings" or "of the royal family." These guards supersede most other warriors, and the wealth of these men is clearly seen on their clothing, coloured with expensive dyes. Their armour is made of a leather base with scales of metal, usually of iron, bronze, or copper, attached to it.

Chariots:

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(Mauryan Chariot Archers) Chariots are used to break the enemy line, though more often in support of cavalry than against solid infantry formations. They take honour in fighting in the same manner as the ancient Vedic-Aryan heroes of bygone days, and attempt to equal the bravery of Krishna and Arjuna in battle. Many wear heavy armour, as well as decorative jewellery in gold, such as necklaces and earrings.

Elephants:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(Mauryan Elephants) Elephants, along with chariots, are the most prestigious troops in the Indian ranks. War elephants are large, fierce, and unpredictable beasts, terrifying in battle. They are the ultimate shock troops available to any commander, so are used to break enemy lines. Bigger than African elephants, they carry one archer, but they can also gore and trample opponents.


(Mauryan Armoured Elephants) Towering over most other creatures, these war elephants can easily scare men and horses alike with both their size and smell, though elaborate bells and trappings often add to their intimidation. They carry javelinmen, but they can also gore and trample opponents.


(Mauryan Royal Bodyguard Elephants) A king on his elephant is a clearly visible inspiration and rallying point for his army, but is vulnerable to attack. The catch with elephants is that they can panic when injured and run amok. In this case, anyone who gets in the way is in danger, regardless of whether or not they are friend or foe. A howdah (tower) is also attached to the elephant's back, which serves as a fighting platform.

Reform Units:

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(Indo-Hellenic Peltasts) After the kingdom of Baktria attacked and seized its Indian possessions, it found the Greeks who had been living there had adapted somewhat to native ways. These peltasts wear a Phrygian-style helmet, light cotton Thracian trousers, and carry javelins, in addition to a small, light shield. This allows them to be excellent elephant killers, as well as to defeat the more lightly armoured infantry of the East.


(Indo-Hellenic Cavalry) These horsemen are armed as heavy peltast cavalry, in a mix of Hellenic and eastern equipment, protected by a heavy bronze muscle cuirass, pylos helmet, and bronze plated pteruges, and wear trousers.


(Indo-Hellenic Hoplites) These men settled in India after the Baktrian conquest of northern India, and are influenced by both the native and the conqueror's culture. Along with partially Hellenised local Indians and the part-Indian children of Hellenic families, Greeks form the bulk of this varied local levy. After the conversion of the Baktrian King Menander to Buddhism, as reported in various later Buddhist texts, they likely evolved into the bulk of his successors' light infantry.

AOR Units:

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(Dravidian Mercenaries) The word "Dravidian" comes from the Sanskrit term "dravida," which means southern. These Dravidian tribal warriors wear simple loincloths or even skirts made out of plants, and are armed with simple spears and bows. While not directly subjects of the emperor, a substantial part of Mauryan armies consists of auxiliary troops levied from allied kingdoms and subservient tribes, used to bolster the size of the army.


(Ujjaini Swordsmen) Inhabiting regions of southern India, these swordsmen are fearsome warriors, wielding the Aruvaazh (or Sickle-Sword), a single-sided heavy sword. They wear no armour, much like the North Indian tribes. These men are more spiritual and fanatical, hence they are very warlike in nature. They are tireless and ferocious in battle.


(Gandharan Medium Cavalry) The Gandharans are famous for their horses as well as the cavalrymen who ride them. They are also popularly known as Ashvakas, "the horsemen," and their land is known as "the Home of Horses." They carry spears and round shields, which allows them to hold their own in melee, although they are more adept at spearing down fleeing enemies.

Credits:

- Unit ideas and names from svramj
- Descriptions recycled from existing DeI units, finetuned by Augustusng
- There are 19!!!! (in words: nineteen!!!!) new models masterly created by assurbanippal and textured by Ritter-Floh
- visually part (unit creation, shield patterns, clipping errors) by Ritter-Floh
- Overvew text from Ancient.eu
- The mastermind behind the tables (inserting all of my stuff): Dresden itself!
- Balancing another huge load of units - our tireless Kam 2150
- I think i used this phrase inflationary, but im sure, this will be my last faction overhaul, but no worries: Don_Diego will be more than suitable to make Dresden more grey hair over the time.

Some sources we used to create the models and units:

Based on this drawing and other images from Ancient Indian Empires and Weapons we created most of the new models

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Another picture showing the 2handed axes - from early Ajanta Cave paintings, 2nd-1st Century BC.:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

2 of the created sword types are based on this nice original swords:

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the spearheads where built based on pictures from the Ajanta cave and this nice find:

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Artwork i used as inspiration:

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[Jake Armitage]

well...

[Falco]

Great job!

[KAM 2150]

I need to play campaign as them asap

[Fluke]

Soon to be a paid DLC near you!

Great job, CA will be inspired.

I can't wait to play them.

[Oryx]

Simply outstanding i mean there was no need the mauryans already had great work done and a very nice roster and now you guys pull this amazing most beautiful work ever really speechless, cant wait to play with it great job

[Basilius]

Wonderful work.

Dresden, or someone else on the mod team, is the "1.2 Overview & Previews Collection" thread up to date with this and other recent roster previews?

[Tenerife_Boy]

Ready to kill them all !

[nopantsjack]

Look really cool, they coming out the same patch as reworked Carthage? I'm gonna be spoiled for choice!

[Dresden]

This will be released with 1.2.3, which will also include Carthage and some other surprises.

[Hydrall]

Very exciting!

One thing I'm curious about: Will their campaign mechanics be remaining the same, AKA the castes as political parties? Or will that be altered?

[Dresden]

For now their political parties are staying the same. Its hard to come up with another idea for them.

[Satansblofish]

Amazing work! Between this and now Carthage it really is insane how spoiled we are as a community.

[~Seleukos.I.Nikator~]

That's gorgeous, guys, my congratulations!

Now I'm just looking forward to the release date.

Chandragupta embarked upon an aggressive expansion policy. Seleucos I Nicator, who was Alexander's satrap for the eastern Macedonian conquests, was defeated and had to cede the entire territory under him to Chandragupta, along with a daughter and considerable money. He also sent Megasthenes, who wrote the Indica, to the Mauryan court as the Greek ambassador.

305 BCE
Emperor Changragupta signs a treaty with Seleucos I, establishing borders and giving the Punjab to Chandragupta in return for 500 war elephants.

Just a couple of remarks from me on those historical notes above.

Seleucos has never been a satrap of any kind under Alexander. The position he held at the death of Alexander was the commander of the Hypaspists.

The treaty of the Indus, as it's commonly referred to, was signed when Seleucus was already an established ruler of his kingdom.

To my knowledge, there was never any military confrontation between the two kings. In 305 or 304 BC Seleucus crossed the Hindu Kush with his army, but shortly after the kings reached the diplomatic agreement without meeting each other on the battlefield.

With regard to the terms of that agreement, Seleukos received 500 elephants from Chandragupta and they agreed to the marriage alliance between them. It was likely Chandragupta who married a female relative of Seleucus. In exchange, Seleucus ceded a large portion of land to Chandragupta, previously conquered by Alexander, which included certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Geodrosia, and possibly also Arachosia as far as Herat, encompassing thus some of the previously established Greek colonies. We know, for example, of the later Ashoka's inscription from Alexandria-in-Arachosia, written partly in Greek, that encouraged the Greek population of that settlement to convert to the Buddhism.

For Seleucus that was an important political act aimed at delimitating the boundaries of his vast kingdom, and thus making it more manageable. Apparently, he never had any interest in maintaining his dominion over those eastern fringes of Alexander's empire. That settlement turned out to last for a long time until the next eastern anabasis of Antiochus III in 206/205 BC.

[suras333]

Gorgeous!!! I can hardly wait to play with them

[asdfasers]

these unit models are awesome

[McCarronXLD]

Beautiful work! Those shields are absolutely gorgeous.

[Fest]

Truly impressive work, and a great update for an already remarkable mod.

[nopantsjack]

This will be released with 1.2.3, which will also include Carthage and some other surprises.

I'm by far more excited for this than thrones of britannia, great work guys

[Aurelianus753]

Can't waint until 1.2.3. BTW do you guys pave plans about Kartli faction? As they don't have much units in the game.