Difference between revisions of "Greek conquests in India" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:The phalanx attacking the centre in the battle of the Hydaspes by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899).jpg|thumb|right|180px|A painting by Andre Castaigne depicting the [[phalanx formation|phalanx]] attacking the center during the Battle of the Hydaspes]]
 
[[Image:The phalanx attacking the centre in the battle of the Hydaspes by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899).jpg|thumb|right|180px|A painting by Andre Castaigne depicting the [[phalanx formation|phalanx]] attacking the center during the Battle of the Hydaspes]]
 
The '''Greek conquests of India''' took place in the years before the Common Era, and a rich trade flourished between [[India]] and [[Greece]], especially in [[silk]], [[spices]], and [[gold]]. The [[Greeks]] invaded India several times, starting with the conquest of [[Alexander the Great]] between the years 327 to 326 B.C.E. Alexander launched his conquest of India by invading [[Punjab]] in 327 B.C.E. The [[Battle of Hydaspes]] (326 B.C.E.) marked the first engagement in which Alexander captured [[Aornos fortress]] after ferocious fighting. Alexander pushed to the headwaters of the [[Indus River]] successfully when, encountering the powerful [[Magadha]] empire armies, his army mutinied at [[Hyphasis]]. Alexander divided his forces, leading one group campaigning successfully to the [[Indian ocean]] then back to [[Persia]]. The second group under general [[Craterus]] marched to [[Carmania]] in today's southern Iran.
 
The '''Greek conquests of India''' took place in the years before the Common Era, and a rich trade flourished between [[India]] and [[Greece]], especially in [[silk]], [[spices]], and [[gold]]. The [[Greeks]] invaded India several times, starting with the conquest of [[Alexander the Great]] between the years 327 to 326 B.C.E. Alexander launched his conquest of India by invading [[Punjab]] in 327 B.C.E. The [[Battle of Hydaspes]] (326 B.C.E.) marked the first engagement in which Alexander captured [[Aornos fortress]] after ferocious fighting. Alexander pushed to the headwaters of the [[Indus River]] successfully when, encountering the powerful [[Magadha]] empire armies, his army mutinied at [[Hyphasis]]. Alexander divided his forces, leading one group campaigning successfully to the [[Indian ocean]] then back to [[Persia]]. The second group under general [[Craterus]] marched to [[Carmania]] in today's southern Iran.
 
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{{toc}}
 
Alexander left Greek troops in [[Taxila]] (today's [[Pakistan]]). They governed the region until 316 B.C.E. The [[Macedonians]] helped a league of tribes overthrow the [[Nanda Dynasty]]. King [[Chandragupta]] consequently founded the [[Maurya empire]] in northern India. [[Seleucus I Nicator]], one of Alexander's generals, invaded today's Pakistan and [[Punjab]] in 304 B.C.E., founding the [[Seleucid dynasty]]. From 180 B.C.E. to 10 C.E. the Greek empire expanded the [[Greco-Bactrian dynasty]] into northwest and northern India. Their rule of the region ended with the [[Scythians]] and [[Kushans]] successful invasion.
 
Alexander left Greek troops in [[Taxila]] (today's [[Pakistan]]). They governed the region until 316 B.C.E. The [[Macedonians]] helped a league of tribes overthrow the [[Nanda Dynasty]]. King [[Chandragupta]] consequently founded the [[Maurya empire]] in northern India. [[Seleucus I Nicator]], one of Alexander's generals, invaded today's Pakistan and [[Punjab]] in 304 B.C.E., founding the [[Seleucid dynasty]]. From 180 B.C.E. to 10 C.E. the Greek empire expanded the [[Greco-Bactrian dynasty]] into northwest and northern India. Their rule of the region ended with the [[Scythians]] and [[Kushans]] successful invasion.
  
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[[Image:AlexanderConquestsInIndia.jpg|thumb|220px|Campaigns and landmarks of Alexander's invasion of India.]]
 
[[Image:AlexanderConquestsInIndia.jpg|thumb|220px|Campaigns and landmarks of Alexander's invasion of India.]]
 
===Battle of Hydaspes (326 B.C.E.)===
 
===Battle of Hydaspes (326 B.C.E.)===
In 327 B.C.E. [[Alexander the Great]] began his foray into [[Punjab region|Punjab]].<ref>Michael Wood, ''In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: a journey from Greece to Asia'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001), p. 198</ref> King [[Ambhi]], ruler of [[Taxila]], surrendered the city to Alexander. Many people had fled to a high fortress/rock [[Aornos]] which Alexander took by siege. Alexander fought an epic battle against the Indian monarch [[Porus]] in the [[Battle of Hydaspes]] (326). After that victory, Alexander made an alliance with Porus and appointed him [[satrap]] of his own kingdom. Alexander continued his successful conquest throughout the headwaters of the [[Indus River]].
+
In 327 B.C.E., [[Alexander the Great]] began his foray into [[Punjab region|Punjab]].<ref>Michael Wood, ''In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001), 198.</ref> King [[Ambhi]], ruler of [[Taxila]], surrendered the city to Alexander. Many people had fled to a high fortress/rock [[Aornos]] which Alexander took by siege. Alexander fought an epic battle against the Indian monarch [[Porus]] in the [[Battle of Hydaspes]] (326). After that victory, Alexander made an alliance with Porus and appointed him [[satrap]] of his own kingdom. Alexander continued his successful conquest throughout the headwaters of the [[Indus River]].
  
===Alexander Turns Back===
+
===Alexander turns back===
 
East of Porus' kingdom, near the [[Ganges River]], the powerful kingdom of [[Magadha]] reigned. Exhausted and daunted by the prospect of facing another formidable Indian army at the Ganges River, his army mutinied at the [[Beas River|Hyphasis]] (modern Beas), refusing to march further East. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer [[Coenus]], determined turning back toward Greece the best course of action.  
 
East of Porus' kingdom, near the [[Ganges River]], the powerful kingdom of [[Magadha]] reigned. Exhausted and daunted by the prospect of facing another formidable Indian army at the Ganges River, his army mutinied at the [[Beas River|Hyphasis]] (modern Beas), refusing to march further East. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer [[Coenus]], determined turning back toward Greece the best course of action.  
  
===Alexander Divides his Forces===
+
===Alexander divides his forces===
Turning south, Alexander conquering his way down the Indus to the Indian Ocean. He sent the largest part of his army to [[Carmania]] (modern southern Iran) under his general [[Craterus]], and commissioned a fleet to explore the [[Persian Gulf]] shore under his admiral [[Nearchus]]. In the meantime, Alexander led the rest of his force back to Persia by the southern route through the [[Gedrosia]] (modern Makran in southern Pakistan).<ref>D. G.Hogarth, ''Philip and Alexander of Macedon: two essays in biography'' (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1897), p. 257</ref>
+
Turning south, Alexander conquering his way down the Indus to the Indian Ocean. He sent the largest part of his army to [[Carmania]] (modern southern Iran) under his general [[Craterus]], and commissioned a fleet to explore the [[Persian Gulf]] shore under his admiral [[Nearchus]]. In the meantime, Alexander led the rest of his force back to Persia by the southern route through the [[Gedrosia]] (modern Makran in southern Pakistan).<ref>D. G.Hogarth, ''Philip and Alexander of Macedon: Two Essays in Biography'' (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1897), 257.</ref>
  
 
===Taxila===
 
===Taxila===
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[[Chandragupta]] Maurya, the founder of the [[Mauryan Empire]] apparently met with Alexander in Taxila:
 
[[Chandragupta]] Maurya, the founder of the [[Mauryan Empire]] apparently met with Alexander in Taxila:
:"Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth." Plutarch 62-3 <ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 Plutarch 62-3]</ref>
+
<blockquote>Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth (Plutarch 62-3).<ref>Perseus, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 Plutarch 62-3.] Retrieved January 24, 2009.</ref></blockquote>
  
 
===Maurya empire===
 
===Maurya empire===
[[Image:Demetrius_I_of_Bactria.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Demetrius I of Bactria (205 B.C.E. -171 B.C.E.)]]  
+
[[Image:Demetrius_I_of_Bactria.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Demetrius I of Bactria (205 B.C.E.-171 B.C.E.)]]  
The Macedonians (described as [[Yona]] or [[Yavana]] in Indian sources) may also have assisted, in league with Indian tribes, in the uprising of Chandragupta against the [[Nanda Dynasty]]. The [[Mudrarakshasa]] of Visakhadutta, as well as the [[Jain]] work Parisishtaparvan, discuss Chandragupta's alliance with the Himalayan king [[Parvatka]], often identified with [[Porus]].<ref>John Hubert Marshall, ''A guide to Taxila'' (Cambridge [Eng.]: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press, 1960), p. 18</ref> That [[Himalaya]]n alliance gave Chandragupta a powerful army comprised of Yavanas (Greeks), [[Kambojas]], [[Saka|Shaka]]s (Scythians), [[Kiratas]] (Nepalese), [[Persian people|Parasika]]s (Persians) and [[Bahlikas]] (Bactrians) who took Pataliputra (also called Kusumapura, "The City of Flowers")
+
The Macedonians (described as [[Yona]] or [[Yavana]] in Indian sources) may also have assisted, in league with Indian tribes, in the uprising of Chandragupta against the [[Nanda Dynasty]]. The [[Mudrarakshasa]] of Visakhadutta, as well as the [[Jain]] work Parisishtaparvan, discuss Chandragupta's alliance with the Himalayan king [[Parvatka]], often identified with [[Porus]].<ref>John Hubert Marshall, ''A Guide to Taxila'' (Cambridge: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press, 1960), 18.</ref> That [[Himalaya]]n alliance gave Chandragupta a powerful army comprised of Yavanas (Greeks), [[Kambojas]], [[Saka|Shaka]]s (Scythians), [[Kiratas]] (Nepalese), [[Persian people|Parasika]]s (Persians), and [[Bahlikas]] (Bactrians) who took Pataliputra (also called Kusumapura, "The City of Flowers"): "[[Pataliputra|Kusumapura]] was besieged from every direction by the forces of Parvata and Chandragupta: Shakas, Yavanas, Kiratas, Kambojas, Parasikas, Bahlikas, and others, assembled on the advice of Canakya" (Mudrarakshasa 2).<ref>Sanskrit original: "asti tava Shaka-Yavana-Kirata-Kamboja-Parasika-Bahlika parbhutibhih Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama." From the French translation, in "Le Ministre et la marque de l'anneau," ISBN 2-7475-5135-0.</ref>  
 
 
:"[[Pataliputra|Kusumapura]] was besieged from every direction by the forces of [[Porus|Parvata]] and Chandragupta: Shakas, Yavanas, Kiratas, Kambojas, Parasikas, Bahlikas and others, assembled on the advice of Canakya" [[Mudrarakshasa]] 2 <ref>Sanskrit original: "asti tava Shaka-Yavana-Kirata-Kamboja-Parasika-Bahlika parbhutibhih Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama." From the French translation, in "Le Ministre et la marque de l'anneau," ISBN 2-7475-5135-0</ref>  
 
  
 
With the help of those frontier [[martial]] [[tribe]]s  from [[Central Asia]], Chandragupta defeated the [[Nanda]]/Nandin rulers of [[Magadha]], leading to the founding of the powerful [[Maurya empire]] in northern India.
 
With the help of those frontier [[martial]] [[tribe]]s  from [[Central Asia]], Chandragupta defeated the [[Nanda]]/Nandin rulers of [[Magadha]], leading to the founding of the powerful [[Maurya empire]] in northern India.
 
<br clear=all>
 
<br clear=all>
  
==Seleucid Invasion (304 B.C.E.)==
+
==Seleucid invasion (304 B.C.E.)==
[[Seleucus I Nicator]], founder of the [[Seleucid dynasty]] and one of Alexander's former generals, invaded [[Pakistan]] and modern [[Punjab region|Punjab]] in northern India in 304 B.C.E. [[Chandragupta]] Maurya put an army of 100,000 men and 9,000 war elephants in the field, forcing Seleucus to form an alliance with Chandragupta. Seleucus gave him his daughter in marriage and ceded the territories of [[Arachosia]]. In return, Chandraguta gave Seleucus 500 war elephant which Seleucus used to win a decisive victory in the [[Battle of Ipsus]].<ref>G.I.A.D. Draper, Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey, ''Reflections on law and armed conflicts: the selected works on the laws of war by the late professor colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE'' (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1998), p. 38</ref>
+
[[Seleucus I Nicator]], founder of the [[Seleucid dynasty]] and one of Alexander's former generals, invaded [[Pakistan]] and modern [[Punjab region|Punjab]] in northern India in 304 B.C.E. [[Chandragupta]] Maurya put an army of 100,000 men and 9,000 war elephants in the field, forcing Seleucus to form an alliance with Chandragupta. Seleucus gave him his daughter in marriage and ceded the territories of [[Arachosia]]. In return, Chandraguta gave Seleucus 500 war elephant which Seleucus used to win a decisive victory in the [[Battle of Ipsus]].<ref>G.I.A.D. Draper, Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey, ''Reflections on Law and Armed Conflicts: The Selected Works on the Laws of War by the late professor colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE'' (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1998), 38.</ref>
  
 
Seleucus also sent [[Megasthenes]] as his ambassador to Chandragupta's court. Megasthenes visited [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna, India|Patna]] in Bihar state), capital of Chandragupta, often. He wrote a detailed description of India and Chandragupta's reign. The Seleucids and the Mauryan emperors maintained cordial relations strengthened by frequent diplomatic exchanges until the fall of the Mauryan empire.
 
Seleucus also sent [[Megasthenes]] as his ambassador to Chandragupta's court. Megasthenes visited [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna, India|Patna]] in Bihar state), capital of Chandragupta, often. He wrote a detailed description of India and Chandragupta's reign. The Seleucids and the Mauryan emperors maintained cordial relations strengthened by frequent diplomatic exchanges until the fall of the Mauryan empire.
Line 39: Line 37:
 
==Indo-Greek rule (180 B.C.E.-10 C.E.)==
 
==Indo-Greek rule (180 B.C.E.-10 C.E.)==
 
[[Image:EasternSatrapsAfterAlexander.jpg|thumb|180px|Hellenistic satrapies in India after Alexander.]]
 
[[Image:EasternSatrapsAfterAlexander.jpg|thumb|180px|Hellenistic satrapies in India after Alexander.]]
In 180 B.C.E., the [[Indo-Greeks]], invaded parts of northwest and northern [[India]], taking over the Punjab region.<ref>Ajay Mitra Shastri, ''The age of the Sātavāhanas. Great ages of Indian history'' (New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1999), p. 14.</ref> The Greek rule constituted of an extension of the [[Greco-Bactrian]] dynasty of Greek kings (the [[Euthydemids]]) located in neighboring [[Bactria]].
+
In 180 B.C.E., the [[Indo-Greeks]], invaded parts of northwest and northern [[India]], taking over the Punjab region.<ref>Ajay Mitra Shastri, ''The Age of the Sātavāhanas. Great Ages of Indian History'' (New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1999), 14.</ref> The Greek rule constituted of an extension of the [[Greco-Bactrian]] dynasty of Greek kings (the [[Euthydemids]]) located in neighboring [[Bactria]].
  
 
The invasion of northern India followed the destruction of the [[Mauryan]] dynasty by the general [[Pusyamitra Sunga]], who then founded the [[Sunga Empire|Sunga dynasty]] (185 B.C.E.-78 B.C.E.). The Indo-Greek king [[Menander]] may have campaigned as far as the capital [[Pataliputra]] in eastern India (today [[Patna, India|Patna]]): "Those who came after Alexander went to the [[Ganges]] and Pataliputra" ([[Strabo]], XV.698). The Indian records also describes Greek attacks on [[Saketa]], [[Panchala]], [[Mathura]] and Pataliputra (Gargi-Samhita, [[Yuga Purana]] chapter). The Indo-Greeks ruled various parts of northwestern India until the end of the first century B.C.E., when the Scythians and Kushans conquered them.
 
The invasion of northern India followed the destruction of the [[Mauryan]] dynasty by the general [[Pusyamitra Sunga]], who then founded the [[Sunga Empire|Sunga dynasty]] (185 B.C.E.-78 B.C.E.). The Indo-Greek king [[Menander]] may have campaigned as far as the capital [[Pataliputra]] in eastern India (today [[Patna, India|Patna]]): "Those who came after Alexander went to the [[Ganges]] and Pataliputra" ([[Strabo]], XV.698). The Indian records also describes Greek attacks on [[Saketa]], [[Panchala]], [[Mathura]] and Pataliputra (Gargi-Samhita, [[Yuga Purana]] chapter). The Indo-Greeks ruled various parts of northwestern India until the end of the first century B.C.E., when the Scythians and Kushans conquered them.
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</center>
 
</center>
 
—>
 
—>
==See Also==
+
==See also==
 
* [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]
 
* [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]
 
* [[Roman trade with India]]
 
* [[Roman trade with India]]
Line 57: Line 55:
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
External links Retrieved December 1, 2008.
 
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
* Draper, G.I.A.D., Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey. 1998. Reflections on law and armed conflicts: the selected works on the laws of war by the late professor colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE. The Hague: Kluwer Law International. ISBN 9789041105578.
+
* Draper, G.I.A.D., Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey. ''Reflections on Law and Armed Conflicts: The Selected Works on the Laws of War by the Late Professor Colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE.'' The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1998. ISBN 978-9041105578.
* Hogarth, D. G. 1897. Philip and Alexander of Macedon: two essays in biography. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. OCLC 1535188.
+
* Hogarth, D. G. ''Philip and Alexander of Macedon: Two Essays in Biography.'' New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1897. {{OCLC|1535188}}.
* Marshall, John Hubert. 1960. ''A guide to Taxila''. Cambridge [Eng.]: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press. OCLC 833691.
+
* Marshall, John H. ''A Guide to Taxila''. Cambridge: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press, 1960. {{OCLC|833691}}.
* Shastri, Ajay Mitra. 1999. The age of the Sātavāhanas. Great ages of Indian history. New Delhi: Aryan Books International. ISBN 9788173051593.
+
* Shastri, Ajay M. ''The Age of the Sātavāhanas. Great Ages of Indian History.'' New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1999. ISBN 978-8173051593.
* Wood, Michael. 2001. In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: a journey from Greece to Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520231924.
+
* Wood, Michael. ''In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia.'' Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0520231924.
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved July 14, 2017.
  
==External Links==
 
Links retrieved December 2, 2008.
 
* [http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=books&MenuItem=display&author=synge&book=greatsea&story=india On the Shores of the Great Sea, by M. B. Synge. The Conquest of India]
 
* [http://www.historymonkey.org/pdf_files/chron_india_classical.pdf The Chronology of Classical Indian Civilization]
 
* [http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/625-13.pdf Master Mind: Greek Conquests in India]
 
 
* [http://1stmuse.com/frames/ Alexander the Great of Macedon: from history to eternity, by John J. Popovic (web by Massimo Aquila)]
 
* [http://1stmuse.com/frames/ Alexander the Great of Macedon: from history to eternity, by John J. Popovic (web by Massimo Aquila)]
* [http://www.e-classics.com/ALEXANDER.htm Alexander "The Great" (356-323 B.C.E.) Alexandros by Plutarch]
 
 
* [http://www.einet.net/directory/145414/Alexander_the_Great.htm Alexander the Great sites]
 
* [http://www.einet.net/directory/145414/Alexander_the_Great.htm Alexander the Great sites]
 
<br/>
 
<br/>

Latest revision as of 15:30, 28 January 2023

A painting by Andre Castaigne depicting the phalanx attacking the center during the Battle of the Hydaspes

The Greek conquests of India took place in the years before the Common Era, and a rich trade flourished between India and Greece, especially in silk, spices, and gold. The Greeks invaded India several times, starting with the conquest of Alexander the Great between the years 327 to 326 B.C.E. Alexander launched his conquest of India by invading Punjab in 327 B.C.E. The Battle of Hydaspes (326 B.C.E.) marked the first engagement in which Alexander captured Aornos fortress after ferocious fighting. Alexander pushed to the headwaters of the Indus River successfully when, encountering the powerful Magadha empire armies, his army mutinied at Hyphasis. Alexander divided his forces, leading one group campaigning successfully to the Indian ocean then back to Persia. The second group under general Craterus marched to Carmania in today's southern Iran.

Alexander left Greek troops in Taxila (today's Pakistan). They governed the region until 316 B.C.E. The Macedonians helped a league of tribes overthrow the Nanda Dynasty. King Chandragupta consequently founded the Maurya empire in northern India. Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander's generals, invaded today's Pakistan and Punjab in 304 B.C.E., founding the Seleucid dynasty. From 180 B.C.E. to 10 C.E. the Greek empire expanded the Greco-Bactrian dynasty into northwest and northern India. Their rule of the region ended with the Scythians and Kushans successful invasion.

Conquests of Alexander The Great (327-326 B.C.E.)

Campaigns and landmarks of Alexander's invasion of India.

Battle of Hydaspes (326 B.C.E.)

In 327 B.C.E., Alexander the Great began his foray into Punjab.[1] King Ambhi, ruler of Taxila, surrendered the city to Alexander. Many people had fled to a high fortress/rock Aornos which Alexander took by siege. Alexander fought an epic battle against the Indian monarch Porus in the Battle of Hydaspes (326). After that victory, Alexander made an alliance with Porus and appointed him satrap of his own kingdom. Alexander continued his successful conquest throughout the headwaters of the Indus River.

Alexander turns back

East of Porus' kingdom, near the Ganges River, the powerful kingdom of Magadha reigned. Exhausted and daunted by the prospect of facing another formidable Indian army at the Ganges River, his army mutinied at the Hyphasis (modern Beas), refusing to march further East. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer Coenus, determined turning back toward Greece the best course of action.

Alexander divides his forces

Turning south, Alexander conquering his way down the Indus to the Indian Ocean. He sent the largest part of his army to Carmania (modern southern Iran) under his general Craterus, and commissioned a fleet to explore the Persian Gulf shore under his admiral Nearchus. In the meantime, Alexander led the rest of his force back to Persia by the southern route through the Gedrosia (modern Makran in southern Pakistan).[2]

Taxila

Coin of Sophytes (305-294 B.C.E.)

Alexander left behind a contingent of Greek forces which established themselves in the city of Taxila, now in Pakistan. Several generals, including Eudemus and Peithon, governed the newly established province until around 316 B.C.E. Sophytes (305-294 B.C.E.), one of the governors, established himself as independent Greek prince in the Punjab.

Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire apparently met with Alexander in Taxila:

Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth (Plutarch 62-3).[3]

Maurya empire

Demetrius I of Bactria (205 B.C.E.-171 B.C.E.)

The Macedonians (described as Yona or Yavana in Indian sources) may also have assisted, in league with Indian tribes, in the uprising of Chandragupta against the Nanda Dynasty. The Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta, as well as the Jain work Parisishtaparvan, discuss Chandragupta's alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, often identified with Porus.[4] That Himalayan alliance gave Chandragupta a powerful army comprised of Yavanas (Greeks), Kambojas, Shakas (Scythians), Kiratas (Nepalese), Parasikas (Persians), and Bahlikas (Bactrians) who took Pataliputra (also called Kusumapura, "The City of Flowers"): "Kusumapura was besieged from every direction by the forces of Parvata and Chandragupta: Shakas, Yavanas, Kiratas, Kambojas, Parasikas, Bahlikas, and others, assembled on the advice of Canakya" (Mudrarakshasa 2).[5]

With the help of those frontier martial tribes from Central Asia, Chandragupta defeated the Nanda/Nandin rulers of Magadha, leading to the founding of the powerful Maurya empire in northern India.

Seleucid invasion (304 B.C.E.)

Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid dynasty and one of Alexander's former generals, invaded Pakistan and modern Punjab in northern India in 304 B.C.E. Chandragupta Maurya put an army of 100,000 men and 9,000 war elephants in the field, forcing Seleucus to form an alliance with Chandragupta. Seleucus gave him his daughter in marriage and ceded the territories of Arachosia. In return, Chandraguta gave Seleucus 500 war elephant which Seleucus used to win a decisive victory in the Battle of Ipsus.[6]

Seleucus also sent Megasthenes as his ambassador to Chandragupta's court. Megasthenes visited Pataliputra (modern Patna in Bihar state), capital of Chandragupta, often. He wrote a detailed description of India and Chandragupta's reign. The Seleucids and the Mauryan emperors maintained cordial relations strengthened by frequent diplomatic exchanges until the fall of the Mauryan empire.

Indo-Greek rule (180 B.C.E.-10 C.E.)

Hellenistic satrapies in India after Alexander.

In 180 B.C.E., the Indo-Greeks, invaded parts of northwest and northern India, taking over the Punjab region.[7] The Greek rule constituted of an extension of the Greco-Bactrian dynasty of Greek kings (the Euthydemids) located in neighboring Bactria.

The invasion of northern India followed the destruction of the Mauryan dynasty by the general Pusyamitra Sunga, who then founded the Sunga dynasty (185 B.C.E.-78 B.C.E.). The Indo-Greek king Menander may have campaigned as far as the capital Pataliputra in eastern India (today Patna): "Those who came after Alexander went to the Ganges and Pataliputra" (Strabo, XV.698). The Indian records also describes Greek attacks on Saketa, Panchala, Mathura and Pataliputra (Gargi-Samhita, Yuga Purana chapter). The Indo-Greeks ruled various parts of northwestern India until the end of the first century B.C.E., when the Scythians and Kushans conquered them.

See also

Notes

  1. Michael Wood, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001), 198.
  2. D. G.Hogarth, Philip and Alexander of Macedon: Two Essays in Biography (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1897), 257.
  3. Perseus, Plutarch 62-3. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  4. John Hubert Marshall, A Guide to Taxila (Cambridge: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press, 1960), 18.
  5. Sanskrit original: "asti tava Shaka-Yavana-Kirata-Kamboja-Parasika-Bahlika parbhutibhih Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama." From the French translation, in "Le Ministre et la marque de l'anneau," ISBN 2-7475-5135-0.
  6. G.I.A.D. Draper, Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey, Reflections on Law and Armed Conflicts: The Selected Works on the Laws of War by the late professor colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1998), 38.
  7. Ajay Mitra Shastri, The Age of the Sātavāhanas. Great Ages of Indian History (New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1999), 14.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Draper, G.I.A.D., Michael A. Meyer, and H. McCoubrey. Reflections on Law and Armed Conflicts: The Selected Works on the Laws of War by the Late Professor Colonel G.I.A.D. Draper, OBE. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1998. ISBN 978-9041105578.
  • Hogarth, D. G. Philip and Alexander of Macedon: Two Essays in Biography. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1897. OCLC 1535188.
  • Marshall, John H. A Guide to Taxila. Cambridge: For the Dept. of Archeology in Pakistan at the University Press, 1960. OCLC 833691.
  • Shastri, Ajay M. The Age of the Sātavāhanas. Great Ages of Indian History. New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 1999. ISBN 978-8173051593.
  • Wood, Michael. In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0520231924.

External links

All links retrieved July 14, 2017.




Middle kingdoms of India
Timeline: Northern Empires Southern Dynasties Northwestern Kingdoms

 6th century B.C.E.
 5th century B.C.E.
 4th century B.C.E.

 3rd century B.C.E.
 2nd century B.C.E.

 1st century B.C.E.
 1st century CE


 2nd century
 3rd century
 4th century
 5th century
 6th century
 7th century
 8th century
 9th century
10th century
11th century


  • Kuninda Kingdom



  • Western Satraps


  • Gupta Empire


  • Harsha


  • Pala Empire
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(Persian rule)
(Greek conquests)





  • Indo-Sassanids
  • Kidarite Kingdom
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(Islamic invasions)

  • Shahi

(Islamic empires)

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