The commercial class has played an important role in the socio-economic development of India from ancient times. Historical evidence indicates that commerce was the engine that powered much of the famed affluence and urban development of the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2300 B.C.). By the time of the Mauryan empire (third century B.C.), organized guilds of traders and artisans emerged, whose influence reached a peak during the five or six centuries (200 B.C. to A.D. 300) that followed the disintegration of the Empire. These guilds were self-regulatory bodies which laid down regulations and codes of conduct that intended to protect the interests of not just the traders and artisans, but of the customers as well. In many ways, they were the fore-runners of the present day Chamber of Commerce.