Integration was one way of dealing with invasions. Invaders were assimilated into the local culture. The Kushans, the Central Asian tribe who invaded India in the first and second centuries AD and ruled most parts of northern India, adopted Indian ways of life. They adopted Hinduism and Buddhism. Their ruler, Kanishka, like Asoka, was a powerful advocate of Buddhism.
Foreign invaders of China integrated into Chinese society by accepting Chinese manners, customs and language. Rulers of nomadic tribes accepted Chinese wives.
-Pilo, T. The Ancient History of India, Southeast Asia and China, p. 117.
1. What does the source definitely tell me?
State one way to deal with invasions.
2. What guesses can I make? What can I infer?
Why was integration/assimilation necessary?
3. What doesn't this source tell me?
What were the external threats India faced (other than invasions)? What were the other ways/responses?
4. What other questions do I need to ask?
Was integration/assimilation successful in protecting India against external threats?
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