DOCSLIB.ORG

Vii. India and the Greek V/Est

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Vii. India and the Greek V/Est VII. INDIA AND THE GREEK V/EST wtrile all this was happening in the Easr,l ttle west was gradually tuming in another direction. Whilst tlre Nea¡ East had been, from the Greek viewpoint, in the middle of events during the fint part of the Hellenistic period, the focus was now shifting to ttre West, with the rise of Roman power. In literature, eastemmost Hellenism is rarely men- úoned, even when it still existed, and the India of AJexander and his successors is more and more transferred to the realm of history and legend. At the same time, howevef, new means of contact were developing on the practical level. Although the bulk of our evidence for lndo-westem commerce comes only from the Roman Imperial period, its beginnings are aùready to be seen in the Hellenistic Age. This will be more frrlly discussed in the next volume of our studies. Now I have con- centrated on its origins, although occasional overstepping of our chronological limits has often been unavoidable. A new featu¡e here was ttre growing familiarity with the Ocean, the Er¡lraean Sea of the ancients. For Alexander and his men it wæ still compleæly unknown, but explora- tion was started as soon as the Ocean was reached at the mouths of the Indus and it con- tinued during the time of the successors of Alexander. Real and imaginary naval venh¡res were described in literature, and the distant islands of the Easærn Ocean became a ne\ry scene for utopias and fabulous stories. L Unchanging Literary Image In the Greek (and Latin) literature of the Hellenistic West, India is mostly mentioned solely in the context of Alexander. It was no canon (like that suggested by Ditrle for the Roman period)2 - yet! But India was distant, and in Greek eyes it only gained impofance when Alexander went there. The Indiar¡ ventures of the Seleucids were too episodic to attract much notice. Megasthenes had been on the spot, and his work was read, of course, but on the whole very few literate men actually went to India after Alexander and the early Hellenistic period. The Indo-Greeks did, but from the Western perspective they were themselves distant and peripheral, and few ca¡ed about their achievemenæ. I See the preceding chapter ) Dihle 1964a. 32t VII. India and the GreekWest For most subseguent authors the contemporary historians of Alexander were there- fore thought to be the only reliable authorities on India. "Beyond the Hyphasis nothing certain is known."3 Megasthenes, too, w¿rs read and used, but with suspicion and there- fore, happily for us, mostly provided with references. Eratosthenes was used because he alone gave a critical evaluation of ea¡lier sou¡ces. Soon the Parthians cut off the land-route, and the di¡ect sea-route from Eg¡pt to India was not yet opened (cf. VII.2). Still India soems to have had some role in literan¡re. In addition to the hisorians of Alexander and the ambassadors discussed above (chapærs lI and ITÐ, our meÍrgre remains of early Hellenistic lite¡ature conøin some further refer- ences to lndia. Some have already been mentioned in the chapters on science (IV and V); now it is tirne for us to discuss the rest. A missing source among the Hellenistic literatu¡e on India is tI:a Indica of Basilis.a Aterminus ante quemis given in the reference by Agatharchides, who died c. 130 B.C.s The work is clearly referred to as the Indica, but Basilis is said (in F 2) to have described and perhaps even visited Meroe, too. A relaæd figure is thus Simonides the Younger (FGrH 669), who also went to Meroe, remained there for five years, and is mentioned (together with Basilis) by Pliny among the authorities consulted in the sixth book of his Naturalis Historia.6 But nothing more is known either of Basilis or of Simonides. Per- haps Basilis was somehow connected wi¡h the Ptolemaic venn¡res in the South and with the beginnings of di¡ect nade with India.? Simonides' book was probably anAethiopica. We have no more than two testimonia and n¡,o fragments from Basilis (and from Simonides only two testimonia). While Agatharchides (T 1) says that Basiüs, together with Hecataeus,S described the East, Pliny seems to list him among his sources on Ethio. pia (I2), and mentions him again in his description of tlrat counEy (F 2). The retnaining fragment (F l, by Athenaeus) is ascribed to the second book of a work called the Indica, but the subject, þgmaei and the geranomachia motif,g can just as well be connected with Ettriopia as wittr India. Still less do we know of Eudoxus, whom Ptiny mentions among his authorities on the fabulous peoples of India beside Megasthenes, Ctesias, Tauron and Onesicritus.lo 3 A.ri-ur, Ind.6, I; cf. Strabo 15, 1,27 & 37. a FG'Hitï. 5 B""ilir T I = Agatha¡chides, De Mari Rubro 65 (Photius). 6 In addition to the central Asian and Indian account (6, 18, 4ó - 26, 106), book 6. as part of the geographical section of Pliny's work, also includcs Asia Minor, Arabia, a¡rd Ethiopia. 7 wecker's suggestion (1916, 1294) that he, like Dionysius, was a Ptolemaic ambassador to the Maurya couf is no more than a mere guess. It is possible, of course, but nothing really points to it. 8 P.ob"bly Hecataeus of Miletus was meant, as Hecataeus of Abdera wrote about Egypt. On the other hand, ir seems somewhat curious that such an author as Hecataeus of Miletus, of the early ftfth century B.C., would have been quoted by Agatharchides, wridng well before the archaic mode of the Roman Impcrial period, while Megauhenes and the historians of Alexander were ignored. Or did Photius in his excerpt (afrer all, we do not have ¡hc original of Agatharchides) ignorc some ñ¡nher names, but include the a¡chaic Heca¡aeus? 9 Or this, sec Karttunen 1989a. 128ff. l0 Pliny l, ?. Eudoxus isalsomentionedbyTzetzes (Chit.7,l44, f/i6) in a list of authors descriÞ ing fabulous peoples and other marvels. 322 VII.Inàia and the GreekWest Our only fragment mentions the fabulous Sruthopodes or'the sparow-footed people' in South India (Pliny 7, 2,24). Perhaps he was Eudoxus of Rhodes, mentioned by Mar- cianus (Epir. 2) among authors such as Androsthenes, Sosander (cf. tr.4 on both), Han- no, PSrtheas, and Scylax. No bener is our knowledge of Tauron: only a reference among Pliny's sources, and an Indian tribe (Choromandae) mentioned in the same passage of Pliny (7,2,24). There a¡e many Hellenistic authors who only occasionally refer to India. Duris of Samos in his history (FGrH 76) described Alexander's campaigns and thus also the Indian part of them. Among his rather numerous fragments, howeve¡ there are only three that concem us here. One (F 47) refen to Prometheus and the Caucasus, here probably meaning the Hindukush,ll another (F 27) to Dionysus and his legendary campaign in India. The third (F 48 from Ptiny) might have been an attempt at providing a rational explanation of the fabulous races of India. A mongrel race is said to have been born from a union of Indians with wild animals. Such an explanation could well have been offered for instance for the dog-heads. On the other hand, Duris is said to have been much more inærested in dramatic effect and in sensational matters ttran in rational explanæions. Phylarchus the historianl2 also belongs to the third century B.C. His work was an example of so-called "hagic history", even in this respect continuing the work of Duris, and perhaps his lengthy history is not one of to our greatest losses in Hellenistic literatr¡re. It probably contained linle about India; the emphasis seems to have been on Greek his- tory. Among his fragments we find an account of the supposed devotion of elephants to thei¡ human masters (F 36 from Athenaeus), related only indirectly to India. More impor- tant is the F 35, in two versions (from Apolloníts' Mirabília, and Athenaeus), which gives the aforementioned account (chapter VI.l) of a snong aphrodisiac root presented by Sandrocotn¡s to Seleucus. fui otherwise unknown piece of Hellenistic speculation is given in F 78 (Plutarch, De Iside).It is an attempt to derive Egyptian religion from India, claiming that Dionysus brought two bulls from India to Eg1pt, one called Apis and the other Osiris. In other sources Dionysus, the conqueror of India, is himself identified with Osiris.l3 An understandably polemical reference, cited from tlre- Commcn¡aries of Ftole' maeus YII (Euergetes II; after I82-IL6 B.C.), presened for us by Athenaeus (10, 438), states ttrat Antiochus Epiphanes adopted "Indian revels and ca¡ouses" and therefo¡e "spent large sums".l4 Since the days of Alexander Indians had had a place in Hellenistic festivities. Cha¡es tells us that Indian conjurors participated in the programme of the great marriage celebrations at Susa" and that Calanus' death was celebrated by a drinking con- ll So Jacoby in his note ¿d /. t2 FGrH 8l with 5 testimonies and 85 fragments. l3 E.g. Diodorus l, 19,7f. a¡d 4, l. l4 Athenaeus, Deipn. 10, 52, 438 lloÀonórqç ôè ñv xclì 'Avtío¡¿oç ó paoú.ôç ô rlr¡0eìç 'Errgav{ç, ô öp¡peúocç napà 'Propaíorç, ôç iotopeî fltoX.r¡rcîoç ô Eriep1åt¡ç Èv tQ tpítrp tõv 'Yro¡rvr¡- ¡rdtorv rriv tQ rÉ¡rrtg çóox<ov cùtòv eiç toirç 'lvõtroùç ró¡rouç roi péOoç tpcnévto roÀIù rivaÀíorerv.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Impact of Greek Classics Model on Indian Era
    Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education Vol. 13, Issue No. 2, July-2017, ISSN 2230-7540 Impact of Greek Classics Model on Indian Era Ms. Sangeeta* Assistant Professor, Arya Kanya Gurukul, Village More -Majra, Distt. Karnal, Haryana, India Abstract – The ancient Greeks were the “inventors” of more elements of civilization than any other people of the world. These elements of civilization can be viewed among historical writings especially associated with Herodotus and Thucydides, and the evolution of Democracy having foundational seeds in Athens. The Greeks view of the world was predominantly secular and rationalistic. It exalted the spirit of free inquiry and preferred knowledge to faith. With only a limited cultural inheritance of the past upon which to build, the Greeks produced intellectual and artistic monuments that had served ever since as standards of achievement. So in some ways the single most legacy of the ancient Greece is the civilization in India and ancient era is particularly influenced by the Greeks, especially in Art, language, culture and mostly covers the all aspects of Human life. This article is an attempt to explore cultural and religious evolution of India as an outcome of Indo Greek interaction. It further attempts to answer that why and how the India was influenced by the Greeks, Subsequently the Indian art particularly Gandhara appeared as the world’s famous Art of India. Keywords: Greek, Classics Model, Indian Era, Culture, People, World, Civilization, Evolution, Achievement, Human Life, etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - INTRODUCTION REVIEW OF LITERATURE: The advent of Greeks in India dates back from 6th The role of Greeks in India is largely associated with century (BC) to 5th century (AD) as an outcome of invasion of Alexander on India; whereas, the historical Greek expedition towards Persia.
    [Show full text]
  • Pliny the Elder and the Problem of Regnum Hereditarium*
    Pliny the Elder and the Problem of Regnum Hereditarium* MELINDA SZEKELY Pliny the Elder writes the following about the king of Taprobane1 in the sixth book of his Natural History: "eligi regem a populo senecta clementiaque, liberos non ha- bentem, et, si postea gignat, abdicari, ne fiat hereditarium regnum."2 This account es- caped the attention of the majority of scholars who studied Pliny in spite of the fact that this sentence raises three interesting and debated questions: the election of the king, deposal of the king and the heredity of the monarchy. The issue con- cerning the account of Taprobane is that Pliny here - unlike other reports on the East - does not only use the works of former Greek and Roman authors, but he also makes a note of the account of the envoys from Ceylon arriving in Rome in the first century A. D. in his work.3 We cannot exclude the possibility that Pliny himself met the envoys though this assumption is not verifiable.4 First let us consider whether the form of rule described by Pliny really existed in Taprobane. We have several sources dealing with India indicating that the idea of that old and gentle king depicted in Pliny's sentence seems to be just the oppo- * The study was supported by OTKA grant No. T13034550. 1 Ancient name of Sri Lanka (until 1972, Ceylon). 2 Plin. N. H. 6, 24, 89. Pliny, Natural History, Cambridge-London 1989, [19421], with an English translation by H. Rackham. 3 Plin. N. H. 6, 24, 85-91. Concerning the Singhalese envoys cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Robert D. Kaplan: Monsoon Study Guide
    Scholars Crossing Faculty Publications and Presentations Helms School of Government 2016 Robert D. Kaplan: Monsoon Study Guide Steven Alan Samson Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs Part of the Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Samson, Steven Alan, "Robert D. Kaplan: Monsoon Study Guide" (2016). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 445. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/445 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Helms School of Government at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 ROBERT D. KAPLAN: MONSOON STUDY GUIDE, 2016 Steven Alan Samson PREFACE: THE RIMLAND OF EURASIA Outline A. OVERVIEW (xi-xiv) 1. The Map of Eurasia Defined the 20C 2. Greater Indian Ocean a. Rimland of Eurasia [Nicholas Spykman’s term for the strategically sensitive Eurasian coastal regions, including the Indian Ocean/West Pacific Ocean littoral] b. Asian Century 3. Importance of Seas and Coastlines a. Littorals b. C. R. Boxer: Monsoon Asia 4. Vasco da Gama 5. India 6. Gradual Power Shift a. Arabian Sea 1) Pakistan b. Bay of Bengal 1) Burma 7. Charles Verlinden 8. Indian Ocean Region as an Idea 9. Topics a. Strategic overview of the region b. Oman 1) Portugal 2) Perennial relationship between the sea and the desert c. Massive Chinese harbor projects d. Islamic radicalization e.
    [Show full text]
  • Component-I (A) – Personal Details
    Component-I (A) – Personal details: Component-I (B) – Description of module: Subject Name Indian Culture Paper Name Outlines of Indian History Module Name/Title Mahajanapadas- Rise of Magadha – Nandas – Invasion of Alexander Module Id I C/ OIH/ 08 Pre requisites Early History of India Objectives To study the Political institutions of Ancient India from earliest to 3rd Century BCE. Mahajanapadas , Rise of Magadha under the Haryanka, Sisunaga Dynasties, Nanda Dynasty, Persian Invasions, Alexander’s Invasion of India and its Effects Keywords Janapadas, Magadha, Haryanka, Sisunaga, Nanda, Alexander E-text (Quadrant-I) 1. Sources Political and cultural history of the period from C 600 to 300 BCE is known for the first time by a possibility of comparing evidence from different kinds of literary sources. Buddhist and Jaina texts form an authentic source of the political history of ancient India. The first four books of Sutta pitaka -- the Digha, Majjhima, Samyutta and Anguttara nikayas -- and the entire Vinaya pitaka were composed between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE. The Sutta nipata also belongs to this period. The Jaina texts Bhagavati sutra and Parisisthaparvan represent the tradition that can be used as historical source material for this period. The Puranas also provide useful information on dynastic history. A comparison of Buddhist, Puranic and Jaina texts on the details of dynastic history reveals more disagreement. This may be due to the fact that they were compiled at different times. Apart from indigenous literary sources, there are number of Greek and Latin narratives of Alexander’s military achievements. They describe the political situation prevailing in northwest on the eve of Alexander’s invasion.
    [Show full text]
  • Balance and Decline of Trade in Early Andhra: (With Special Reference to Roman Contacts)
    International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2014 1 ISSN 2250-3153 Balance and Decline of Trade in Early Andhra: (With special reference to Roman contacts) Dr. G. Mannepalli * Faculty Member,Dept. of History & Archaeology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh Abstract- The history of early Indian trade also shows a distinct A few words may be said here with regarded to the influence preference for the study of long-distance trade-both over land of the ocean upon the life of the Andhra people close association and overseas –the study of exports and imports, especially their with the sea made the inhabitants of the coastal regions fearless possible identifications on a modern map. The other common and adventurous sailors. The idea conquering the sea always feature in this historiography is to present urban centers almost haunted them and the result was the discovery of a number of invariably as thriving commercial canters and to hold places hitherto unknown to them. Going there both as colonists commercial exchanges as the principal causative factor towards and traders they also widened the geographical horizon of Indian urbanization. Without belittling the importance of this civilization. Levi (pre -Aryan and pre- Dravidian) has pointed out conventional narrative approach to the history of trade; it must be that the sea-routes to the East from the ports of South India had emphasized that an understanding of trade and urban centers can come in to common use many centuries before the Christian era. hardly be delinked from the agrarian sector. Significantly Trade relations with the West also opened well before said era.
    [Show full text]
  • The Silk Road in World History
    The Silk Road in World History The New Oxford World History The Silk Road in World History Xinru Liu 1 2010 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liu, Xinru. The Silk Road in world history / Xinru Liu. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-19-516174-8; ISBN 978-0-19-533810-2 (pbk.) 1. Silk Road—History. 2. Silk Road—Civilization. 3. Eurasia—Commerce—History. 4. Trade routes—Eurasia—History. 5. Cultural relations. I. Title. DS33.1.L58 2010 950.1—dc22 2009051139 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Frontispiece: In the golden days of the Silk Road, members of the elite in China were buried with ceramic camels for carrying goods across the desert, hoping to enjoy luxuries from afar even in the other world.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Grand Cameo: a Holistic Approach to Understanding the Piece, Its Origins and Its Context Constantine Prince Sidamon-Eristoff Sotheby's Institute of Art
    Sotheby's Institute of Art Digital Commons @ SIA MA Theses Student Scholarship and Creative Work 2018 The "Whys" of the Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Piece, its Origins and its Context Constantine Prince Sidamon-Eristoff Sotheby's Institute of Art Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/stu_theses Part of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Fine Arts Commons, and the Metal and Jewelry Arts Commons Recommended Citation Sidamon-Eristoff, Constantine Prince, "The "Whys" of the Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Piece, its Origins and its Context" (2018). MA Theses. 14. https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/stu_theses/14 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship and Creative Work at Digital Commons @ SIA. It has been accepted for inclusion in MA Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ SIA. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The “Whys” of the Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Piece, its Origins and its Context by Constantine P. Sidamon-Eristoff A thesis submitted in conformity With the requirements for the Master’s Degree Fine and Decorative Art and Design Sotheby’s Institute of Art 2018 Word Count: 14,998 The “Whys” of the Grand Cameo: A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Piece, its Origins and its Context By: Constantine P. Sidamon-Eristoff The Grand Cameo for France is the largest cameo surviving from antiquity. Scholars have debated who is portrayed on the stone and what its scene means for centuries, often, although not always, limiting their interpretations to this narrow area and typically only discussing other causes in passing.
    [Show full text]
  • ANCIENT INDIA All Bights Reserved ANCIENT INDIA
    CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Date ANCIENT INDIA All Bights reserved ANCIENT INDIA BY S. KRISHNASWAMI AIYANGAE, M.A. Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Oreal Britain and Ireland Fellow of the Roijal Bistorical Society, London. Member ol the Board of Studies, and Examiner in History and Economics. Vnirersity of Madras Mysore Education Serria: WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY VINCENT A. SMITH, M.A., I.C.S. (retired) ' Author of the ' Early History of India LONDON: LUZAC & Co., IC great kussell isteeet MADEAS: S.P.C.K. DEPOSITORY, VEPBEY 1911 1)5 4-04- /\fl 6 ^,©XKg^ PRINTED AT THE :. PKESS, VEPBKY, MADRAS 1911 "^QXYS^ ) INSCRIBED TO THE :ME:M0RY OP JOHN WEIE [Inspector-General op Education in JIybore] ( November 1, 1909—July 31, 1911 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022968840 PEEFACE The first chapter deals with the early portion of Indian History, and so the title ' Ancient India ' has been given to the book. The other chapters deal with a variety ot subjects, and are based on lectures given on different occa- sions. One was originally prepared as my thesis for the M.A. Degree Examination of the University of Madras. The favourable reception given to my early work by historical and oriental scholars encouraged me to put my researches into a more permanent form, which a liberal grant from the Madras School Book and Literature Society has enabled me to do.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism in the Northern Deccan Under The
    BUDDHISM IN THE NORTHERN DECCAN UNDER THE SATAVAHANA RULERS C a ' & C > - Z Z f /9> & by Jayadevanandasara Hettiarachchy Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the University of London 1973* ProQuest Number: 10731427 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731427 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT This study deals with the history of Buddhism in the northern Deccan during the Satavahana period. The first chapter examines the evidence relating to the first appearance of Buddhism in this area, its timing and the support by the state and different sections of the population. This is followed by a discussion of the problems surrounding the chronology of the Satavahana dynasty and evidence is advanced to support the ’shorter chronology*. In the third chapter the Buddhist monuments attributable to the Satavahana period are dated utilising the chronology of the Satavahanas provided in the second chapter. The inscriptional evidence provided by these monuments is described in detail. The fourth chapter contains an analysis and description of the sects and sub-sects which constituted the Buddhist Order.
    [Show full text]
  • Persian and Greek Invasions of India
    Persian and Greek Invasions of India Persian invasion is traced back to 550 BCE when Cyrus invaded the North-Western front of India. Greek Invasion is traced back to 327 BC when Alexander invaded North-West India. Read about both the Persian and Greek Invasions in India for the IAS Exam (Prelims - Ancient India; Mains - GS I and Optional.) Persian Invasion of India A few important points about the Persian Invasion of India: • Cyrus, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire in ancient Iran invaded the North-Western front of India in 550 BCE. • At that time, there were many small provinces like Gandhara, Kamboja, and Madra who were constantly fighting one another. • At that time, Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty was ruling over Magadha. • Cyrus succeeded in bringing under Persian control all the Indian tribes west of the Indus like Gandhara. • Punjab and Sindh were annexed by Darius I, Cyrus’s grandson. • Son of Darius, Xerxes, could not move ahead with the further conquest of India because of war with the Greeks. He had employed Indian cavalry and infantry. What were the effects of the Persian Invasion? The effects of the Persian Invasion in India: • The Indo-Iranian contact lasted for about 200 years. It gave an impetus to the Indo-Iranian trade and commerce. • Iranian coins are also found in the northwestern frontier which points to the existence of trade with Iran. • The Kharoshti script was brought to northwest India by the Persians. • Some inscriptions of Ashoka were written in the Kharoshti script in these parts. • Kharoshti script is derived from the Aramaic script and is written from right to left.
    [Show full text]
  • CHANDRAKETUGARH – Rediscovering a Missing Link in Indian History
    CHANDRAKETUGARH – rediscovering a missing link in Indian history (Project Codes AIB and GTC) A synoptic collation of three research by the SandHI Group INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR Patron-Advisor Ms. Amita Sharma Advisor to HRM, MHRD, Government of India Former Additional Secretary (Technical), MHRD, Government of India Advisor Prof. Partha P. Chakrabarti Director, IIT Kharagpur Monitoring Cell Prof. Sunando Dasgupta Dean, Sponsored Research and Consultancy Cell, IIT Kharagpur Prof. Pallab Dasgupta Associate Dean, Sponsored Research and Consultancy Cell, IIT Kharagpur Principal Investigator (overall) Prof. Joy Sen Department of Architecture & Regional Planning, IIT Kharagpur Vide order no. F. NO. 4-26/2013-TS-1, Dt. 19-11-2013 (36 months w.e.f 15-1-2014 and 1 additional year for outreach programs) Professor-in-Charge Documentation and Dissemination Prof. Priyadarshi Patnaik Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur Research Scholars Group (Coordinators) Sunny Bansal, Vidhu Pandey, Prerna Mandal, Arpan Paul, Deepanjan Saha Graphics Support Tanima Bhattacharya, Sandhi Research Assistant, SRIC, IIT Kharagpur ISBN: 978-93-80813-37-0 © SandHI A Science and Heritage Initiative, IIT Kharagpur Sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India Published in September 2015 www.iitkgpsandhi.org Design & Printed by Cygnus Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. 55B, Mirza Ghalib Street 8th Floor, Saberwal House, Kolkata - 700016 www.cygnusadvertising.in Disclaimer The information present in the Report offers the views of the authors and not of its Editorial Board or the publishers. No party involved in the preparation of material contained in SandHI Report represents or warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such material.
    [Show full text]
  • The Panchala Maha Utsav a Tribute to the Rich Cultural Heritage of Auspicious Panchala Desha and It’S Brave Princess Draupadi
    Commemorting 10years with The Panchala Maha Utsav A Tribute to the rich Cultural Heritage of auspicious Panchala Desha and It’s brave Princess Draupadi. The First of its kind Historic Celebration We Enter The Past, To Create Opportunities For The Future A Report of Proceedings Of programs from 15th -19th Dec 2013 At Dilli Haat and India International Center 2 1 Objective Panchala region is a rich repository of tangible & intangible heritage & culture and has a legacy of rich history and literature, Kampilya being a great centre for Vedic leanings. Tangible heritage is being preserved by Archaeological Survey of India (Kampilya , Ahichchetra, Sankia etc being Nationally Protected Sites). However, negligible or very little attention has been given to the intangible arts & traditions related to the Panchala history. Intangible heritage is a part of the living traditions and form a very important component of our collective cultures and traditions, as well as History. As Draupadi Trust completed 10 years on 15th Dec 2013, we celebrated our progressive woman Draupadi, and the A Master Piece titled Parvati excavated at Panchala Desha (Ahichhetra Region) during the 1940 excavation and now a prestigious display at National Museum, Rich Cultural Heritage of her historic New Delhi. Panchala Desha. We organised the “Panchaala Maha Utsav” with special Unique Features: (a) Half Moon indicating ‘Chandravanshi’ focus on the Vedic city i.e. Draupadi’s lineage from King Drupad, (b) Third Eye of Shiva, (c) Exquisite Kampilya. The main highlights of this Hairstyle (showing Draupadi’s love for her hair). MahaUtsav was the showcasing of the Culture, Crafts and other Tangible and Intangible Heritage of this rich land, which is on the banks of Ganga, this reverend land of Draupadi’s birth, land of Sage Kapil Muni, of Ayurvedic Gospel Charac Saminhita, of Buddha & Jain Tirthankaras, the land visited by Hiuen Tsang & Alexander Cunningham, and much more.
    [Show full text]