The Edicts of Ashoka
An emperor carves calls for non-violence on rocks and pillars
After the Kalinga War the Maurya emperor Ashoka (reigned 268–232 BC) had more than thirty inscriptions carved on pillars, boulders and cave walls across his empire. He preached dhamma — non-violence, tolerance of all faiths and humane conduct; the Brahmi-script edicts were deciphered in the 19th century by James Prinsep.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 3rd century BC
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 264 BC–241 BC The First Punic War — 4 years earlier
Middle East
- c. 247 BC Arsaces founds the Parthian kingdom — 13 years later
Africa
- c. 285 BC Library of Alexandria — 25 years earlier
- c. 280 BC–247 BC Lighthouse of Alexandria — 20 years earlier
- c. 250 BC The rise of Djenné-Djenno — 10 years later
Alive at the time
- Archimedes (aged 27)
- Ashoka (aged 44)
- Eratosthenes (aged 16)
- Xunzi (aged 50)
- Han Fei (aged 20)