Enrich Ashoka: add family/early career, empire extent, edict count, Kandahar inscription, fix duplicate heading

rulers/ashoka.md

@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 <!-- factbase:06d51f -->
 # Ashoka
 
-# Ashoka
-
 ## Overview
-Ashoka (~304–232 BCE) was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conquest of Kalinga, converted to Buddhism and promoted non-violence through rock and pillar edicts across the Indian subcontinent.
+Ashoka (~304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conquest of Kalinga, converted to Buddhism and promoted non-violence through rock and pillar edicts across the Indian subcontinent. His name means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. In his edicts he styled himself *Devanampiya Piyadassi* ("Beloved of the Gods, gracious of mien"). [^3]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra
@@ -12,83 +10,39 @@ Ashoka (~304–232 BCE) was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conqu
 - Reign: ~268–232 BCE
 - Dynasty: Maurya
 - Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)
+- Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)
+- Grandfather: Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the empire)
+
+## Family & Early Career
+- Mother variously named Subhadrangi or Dharma in Buddhist sources [^3]
+- First wife: Devi (also Vidisha-mahadevi), daughter of a merchant at Ujjain
+- Children with Devi: son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitra, both of whom led Buddhist missions to Sri Lanka [^3]
+- As a young prince, suppressed a revolt at Taxila (~age 18), then served as viceroy at Ujjain [^3]
+- Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya, Chandragupta's prime minister) as his administrative framework [^3]
 
 ## The Kalinga War
 - Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 150,000 deported per his own edicts)
 - The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]
+- His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign
 
 ## Ashoka's Edicts
-- Rock and pillar edicts erected across the empire in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic
+- 33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire [^3]
+- Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription (~260 BCE) is carved in both Greek and Aramaic at Chehel Zina, Afghanistan [^2]
 - Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of subjects
 - Established hospitals for humans and animals
 - Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic world [^2]
+- Ordered construction of stupas across the empire, including the famous stupa at Sanchi [^3]
+
+## Empire Extent
+- At its height stretched from modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east [^3]
+- Capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna); provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain [^2]
 
 ## Legacy
 - The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag
 - Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem
-- Rediscovered by James Prinsep who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837
+- Rediscovered by James Prinsep (1799–1840 CE) who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837
 
 ---
 [^1]: Thapar, R. *Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas* (Oxford, 1961)
 [^2]: Singh, U. *A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India* (2008)
----
-
-## Review Queue
-
-<!-- factbase:review -->
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Died: ~232 BCE" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Reign: ~268–232 BCE" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Dynasty: Maurya" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 15..." - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Rock and pillar edicts erected across the empire in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of sub..." - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Established hospitals for humans and animals" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic wo..." - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 28: "Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 29: "Rediscovered by James Prinsep who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837" - when was this true?
-> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra" - what is the source?
-> Thapar (1961) [^1]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Died: ~232 BCE" - what is the source?
-> Thapar (1961) [^1]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Reign: ~268–232 BCE" - what is the source?
-> Thapar (1961) [^1]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Dynasty: Maurya" - what is the source?
-> Thapar (1961) [^1]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 14: "Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)" - what is the source?
-> Thapar (1961) [^1]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 15..." - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 21: "Rock and pillar edicts erected across the empire in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic" - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of sub..." - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Established hospitals for humans and animals" - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "The Ashoka Chakra appears on India's national flag" - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 28: "Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath is India's national emblem" - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 29: "Rediscovered by James Prinsep who deciphered Brahmi script in 1837" - what is the source?
-> Singh (2008) [^2]
-- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 18: "The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]" - Thapar source from 1961 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
-> Established scholarship remains current.
-- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 24: "Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic wo..." - Singh source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
-> Established scholarship remains current.
+[^3]: Mark, J. J. "Ashoka the Great." *World History Encyclopedia*, 24 Jun 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/Ashoka_the_Great/