Picture ancient India in the 500s BCE. It is a huge peninsula. On three sides are steep mountains. To the north rise the Himalayas. These are the tallest mountains on Earth.
From the northernmost foothills of the Himalayas to the southern tip of India is almost 2,000 miles. A person riding a horse (or an elephant!) would need weeks to travel from one end of ancient India to the other. Possibly even months!
The country is divided into many small kingdoms and city-states. Often, they are at war. Their kings fight to control more land. They also fight to control trade routes. These things can bring wealth. Could one leader ever unite this huge area?
