In the post-Mauryan period, the techniques of cloth-making, silk- weaving, and the manufacture of luxury articles developed. Mathura was a great center for the manufacture of a special type of cloth which was called shataka.
Ashoka’s Dhamma emphasised on non-violence and mutual respect. It encompassed a social and intellectual code of ethics. It focused on primacy of ethical behaviour and the recognition of the dignity of human life.