Product Description First published in 1961, this classic work is based largely on the edicts of Asoka, whose policies are analyzed against the background of Mauryan civilization during the third and fourth centuries B.C. The present edition has been thoroughly revised with a new afterword and archaeological sitemap. About the Author Romila Thapar is Professor Emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Professorial Fellow at the Nehru Museum and Library, New Delhi.