NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 5 The Rise of Empires
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
An empire is a collection of smaller kingdoms or territories controlled by one powerful ruler. The word comes from the Latin imperium , ‘supreme power’. The smaller kings kept their thrones but became tributaries — they paid tribute and accepted the emperor's overlordship. An empire runs on six things: an army , an administration , laws, coins, weights and measures , control of resources , support for art and learning , and communication networks of roads and waterways. Trade paid for empire. Traders organised themselves into guilds (śhrenīs) with an elected head and their own internal rules; the king did not interfere. The Uttarapatha and Dakṣhiṇapatha were the two great trade routes. Magadha rose because of the fertile Ganga plains, forests for timber and elephants, iron ore from nearby
- Chapter opening
- Features of an empire (Fig. 5.4.1)
- Before ‘Trade, trade routes and guilds’
- The map of trade routes (Fig. 5.5, page 92)
- The Rise of Magadha
- The Arrival of the Greeks
- Alexander and Porus
- Kauṭilya's concept of a kingdom
- The King Who Chose Peace
- Aśhoka's edicts
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Remember it by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | A collection of smaller kingdoms or territories over which one powerful ruler exerts power, ruled from a capital | ‘What is an Empire?’, page 87 | From Latin imperium = ‘supreme power’ |
| Tributary / vassal | A ruler or state that has submitted to an emperor and pays tribute — gold, grain, livestock, elephants — as a sign of submission | Margin note, page 87 | The small king keeps his throne but loses his independence |
| Samrāj, adhirāja, rājādhirāja | Sanskrit words for ‘emperor’: ‘lord of all’, ‘overlord’, ‘king of kings’ | Page 87 | Three words, one idea — a king above kings |
| Śhrenī (guild) | A powerful association of traders, craftsmen, moneylenders or agriculturists, with an elected head and its own rules | ‘Trade, trade routes and guilds’, pages 91–93 | Collaborators, not competitors |
| Uttarapatha / Dakṣhiṇapatha | The great northern and southern trade routes of the Subcontinent | Fig. 5.5, page 92 | Uttara = north, dakṣhiṇa = south, patha = road |
| Saptānga | Kauṭilya's seven limbs of a kingdom — swāmi, amātya, janapada, durga, koṣha, daṇḍa, mitra | Fig. 5.15, page 102 | Sapta = seven, anga = limb |
| Arthaśhāstra | Kauṭilya's famous work, literally ‘the science of governance and economics’ | Pages 101–103 | The king's happiness lies in his subjects' happiness |
| Satrap | A governor of a province of the Persian and Greek empires, left behind by the overlord | Don't Miss Out, page 97 | Porus became Alexander's satrap |
| Edict | An official declaration issued by authorities or, here, by a king | Margin note, page 104 | Aśhoka's edicts were carved on rocks and pillars |
| Devanampiya Piyadasi | Aśhoka's name for himself — ‘Beloved of the Gods’ and ‘one who regards others with kindness’ | Page 106 | How a king wanted to be remembered |
| Dharma (dhamma) | Moral law, one's duties to family, community and country; at a deeper level, living in harmony with ṛitam, the cosmic order | Don't Miss Out, page 107 | Duty, law, truth, order and ethics — all together |
| Aṇḍa | The big round hemispherical structure at the centre of a stūpa; it represents the universe | Don't Miss Out, page 112 | Devotees walk around it — pradakṣhiṇa |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 83
- Features of an empire (Fig. 5.4.1) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 89
- Before ‘Trade, trade routes and guilds’ — LET'S EXPLORE Page 91
- The map of trade routes (Fig. 5.5, page 92) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 93
- The Rise of Magadha — LET'S EXPLORE Page 94
- The Arrival of the Greeks — DON'T MISS OUT Page 97
- The Arrival of the Greeks — THINK ABOUT IT Page 97
- Alexander and Porus — LET'S EXPLORE Page 97
- Kauṭilya's concept of a kingdom — THINK ABOUT IT Page 103
- Kauṭilya's concept of a kingdom — LET'S EXPLORE Page 103
- The King Who Chose Peace — THINK ABOUT IT Page 104
- Aśhoka's edicts — In-text Questions Page 105
- Aśhoka's edict on the conduct of his officials — LET'S EXPLORE Page 107
- Life in the Mauryan period — LET'S EXPLORE Page 109
- Mauryan punch-marked coins (Figs. 5.29.1 and 5.29.2) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 112
- The chapter at a glance — Before we move on … Page 114
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions and activities Page 114–115