Five punch-mark symbols (see below) / A single banker's mark. Irregular flat silver planchet, 16mm, 3.32 grams. Gupta/Hardaker ISPC VI IV F 26 (#573). 

The Mauryan Empire (c. 321–185 BCE) was the first major empire in South Asia, founded by Chandragupta Maurya after toppling the Nanda dynasty. With its capital at Pataliputra, it expanded across most of the Indian subcontinent, reaching its peak under Ashoka the Great (reigned ca. 268–232 BCE). Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the brutal Kalinga War and promoted nonviolence, tolerance, and moral governance through his edicts. The empire featured a centralized administration and strong bureaucracy but declined after Ashoka’s death, eventually falling to Pushyamitra Shunga around 185 BCE.