Ancient , 13, 2014-15: 81-8785-103

ZAIN-UL-WAHAB & ABRO T.A.

GREEK CAMPAIGN TO THE EAST

ABSTRACT – This article summarizes the influence of the Greek dynasty under the Alexander the Great on the subcontinent region. They have affected this corner of the world in terms of civilization who developed art and culture according to their own framework. This paper will provide a glimpse of the Greek Era and their indebted control over this area, because civilization has redefined itself in line with Greek style.

Key Words: Greak in Asia, Greek history, Greek campaign

INTRODUCTION

The first Greek expedition to Indus Valley (now Pakistan) came into contact with the people of this area first time during the reign of the Achaemenian emperor Darius I (522-486 B.C). Darius I sent Scylax of to explore this river flowing in the Indus Valley. Scylax stared his voyage from the city of (Kaspaptyros), and sailed down the River Indus and discovered the place where it emptied itself into the sea. The Greeks as traversed by Scylax, named this country, India. Subsequently, this name was applied to the whole of the South Asian Subcontinent(Britai1973).

The second contact was more vigorous and generated a more durable effect. It was Alexander’s military campaign in 326 BC which temporarily brought the entire Indus Valley under Greed control 2. Though it was a short-lived phenomenon, but it opened the gates for subsequent invaders from control Asia. Alexander’s march through Pakistan may be traced on the basis of Aryan’s account supplemented by those of others Greek historians. He seems to have entered the territorial boundary of Pakistan at a place written by the Greeks as Arigaeum. After a successful fight he pushed on to Massaga 3 where he was injured but succeeded in captured only when Alexander himself came on the scene.

 Department of Archaeology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur (Sindh-PK).

81 Fig. # 1: Map showing the Archaeological sites in Gandhara

Alexander had already dispatched his two generals to take the city of pushkalavati 6 and to make v arrangements for crossing the river. When he reached Pushkalavati the troops were waiting for him. Having reduced the city, he marched to the Ashvakas. After a prolonged struggle Aornos in the end fell to the Greeks who appointed Nikanor as Governor and marched down to the erossing point of which the name has been recorded as Embolima or Ecbolima.

At Alexander was warmly received by Ambhi 7. But, as the Greek army proceeded further and reached the banks of the river Jhelum, Alexander found a redoubtable foe in the person of Pours. After a fierce battle the Greeks won, but at the same time, were greatly impressed by the bravery of the fallen foe. Alexander reinstated poros in his dominion. Bryond Jhelum lay open plains inhabited by the tribes who were not in a position to face the well-disciplined Greek army. Beyond the briver Chenab a second Poros fled for his life and two more tribes’ succumbeb to the onslaught of Alexander. He finally reached Beas. Beyond this river was the territory of the Nanda rulers army refused to go any further so that Alexander was left with on choice but beat a retreat.

Perhaps the revolts and uprisings of the frontier tribes like the Ashvakas, who had already slain the Greek governor of Apmos, barred Alexander’s path in the north. Hence, he decided to sail down the Jhelum and the Indus, this being a safer route for retreat. But, little did he know that this was equally difficult passage.

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Plate # 1: Ancient Massaga (the place where the famous Battle between Alexander and Massagan was fought.

The first tribe which opposed him; was the Sibois living beyond the confluence of the Jhelum and the Chenab rivers in what is now the Jhang district? The Sibois claimed that their ancestors belonged to the army of Hercules and that they were left behind on account of sickness. The Sibois fell before Alexander but they remained a legend for the Greek writers. We find a similar story abut the people of Nysa in frontier province. Next to the Sibios Alexander had to meet the challenge of a powerful confederacy of the Mallois and Oxydarkoi. In the fierce battle that ensued, Alexander was himself wounded. But ultimately the city of the Mallios was captured. This was not the last action. He had still to fight his way back against the determined opposition of many tribes.

Having reached patella or Patalene at the mouth of the Indus delta the sent part of his army by sea and himself marches through the desert of Baluchistan keeping close to the coastline. On the way the crossed the river Arabians and subjugated Oreitai. Leading a sick and starved army, he marched onward and went out of the territorial limits of Pakistan.

Siddhartha, Gandhara Apollo (Greek) . Bodhisattva Maitreya.

83 Alexander founded two cities in the Punjab. These were called Nikaia and Bucephala. In lower Indus Valley also he is said to have founded several towns. One of the Greek towns founded on the bank of River was known as Alexander lioumousa whereas another founded on the coast of Makran had its name as Alexander Makarene or Alexander Oreitai.

The first Greek camping turned out to be ephermeral and short lived. Alexander came and went away like a whirlwind. The second Greek invasion however proved of a more lasting nature. This time it were the Greek of Bacteria who under their leader Diodotus, had revolted against the authority of Antiochus and formed an independent kingdom in the river Indus and eventually succeed in destroying the Maurayn power. The Bactrian Greek were united with the Indus Greek and hence did not belong to the same dynasty. Beside, there was a constant tug of war between the Bactrian Greek and the seleuicdan Greek of western Asia. Unfortunately, there is nothing much in our literary sources about the history of the Bactrian Greeks and we depend entirely upon the coins issued by them for a reconstruction of their historical past. The coins tell about the existence of about thirty-nine kings and three queens but their mutual relationship and order of succession is highly controversial.

The most daring among them in term of conquest was probably Demetrius. Son of Euthydemos, who succeeded in extending his rule to Kapisa (in Atghanistan) and Gandhara where is issued bilinguai coins Greek and kharoshthi legends. But the absence of Demetrius from the home territory in Bactria led others, such as Recreatest(?), to claim the throne, the descendant of Demetrius were pushed out of Bactria but they maintained their hold in Pakistan. Of these Agathocles became thoroughly naturalized in Pakistan and issued coins bearing legends in Greek, Brahmi and Kharoshti characters. The most popular and well-known among these rulers was Menander who seems to have founded a new city (present Shaikhan Dheri) at Pushkalavati not very far from the older one

Aphrodite of Bactrian.

84 (present Bala Hisar)and also the second city (Sirkap) at Taxila. A Buddhist work Milinda panha (The question of King Menander) suggests that this Greek king became a convert to Buddhism. He is known to have marched victoriously for a long time issued coins in gold, silver and copper. His son Starto-I and grandson Starto II maintained their hold in the Punjab till about the middle of the first century BC. Another ruler Antialcidas named Heliodours, son of the Dion, his left his record on a pillar found at Besnagar. The Pathian overpowered the last Greek ruler Hermaeus who held his sway in the Kabul valley. Having lost their power after a rule of about a century and a half, the Greeks became ordinary citizens and eventually were absorbed in the local population.

The above statement is no means exhaustive and gives only a very brier summery of the Greek political dominance in Pakistan. Greek historians, having difficulty in pronouncing non-Greek names, have recorded several local names which for the purpose of archaeological interpretation are of utmost importunate. One the place names mentioned, for instance, in Alexander’s campaign have been identified, it is easy to tell the routs he adopted. Some progress in this regard has already been made but a lot still remains to be done. It requires and exhaustive survey of the probable routes to pinpoint the location of cities. Moreover, it would be worth while to erect small pillars at the places visited by Alexander for the guidance of tourists and interested public. The frontier government already has a plan to erect such a pillar to be known as “Alexander Memorial” at the place where he crossed the river Indus. This memorial will also contain a brief sketch of Alexander’s campaign.

Greek archaeology aspect:1

Another important aspect of Greek archaeology in Pakistan is Gandhara art. Although this art appeared much later than the Greek rule in Pakistan. The artistic tradition established by Greek artists became a popular medium and highly valuable stock for the subsequent artists to exploit. Thus we find numerous Greek elements in this art. Even the face of the Buddha, it is generally believed, was copied from that of Apollo Balveders. Gandhara art shows numerous elements obviously borrowed form Greek art. These include Hercules, Apollo and Daphne, Bacchanailan scenes, toilet tray, Amorinis, Athena or Roma, tritons centaurs, river-god, Atlas (Atlantis), Ichthyocentaur, Hippocampus, etc, including a modified from of the story of Ganymede and the Eagle. These may be many more for which an exhaustive study of the material is required. The Greek coins found in Pakistan show a multitude of Greek deities.

Similar is the case with architecture. We have Corinthian capitals, decorated with acanthus leaves. Doric and lonian columns and the popular triangular pediment.

85 Adonis and Aphrodite from Taxila (William Rocjhill Marriage of Dionysus and Ariadne.fromTaxila (The Nelson Gallery Of Art, Kansas) National Museum, Delhi).

Greek Archaeology aspect: 2

The second aspect of Greek archaeology in Pakistan is the study of Bactrain Greek coins. A number of detailed studies have appeared on the subject, but there still a lot to do. As mentioned above we have 39 Greek kings and three queen but their order of succession is not known. The coins are scattered in many different museum, the major collection being in Europe and USA.

Kushan Gold Coins.

SUMMARY

For the Greek Archaeology and the influence of the Greek dynasty under the Alexander the Great on the subcontinent region; ancient sites may be selected on the basis of results of the projected survey. It is believed that Alexander founded one Alexanderia on the right bank of the river Indus, possibly at the site of present day Mithan Kot it seem to be a promising sit e and may yield good results. For about two hundred years Hund was the capital city of this region. In the sixteenth century A.D, it dwindled into and insignificant village when Mughal rulers of south Asia diverted the trade route to a little lower down the Indus.

All this involves intensive fieldwork and diligent study. It is a stupendous work and needs a matching effort.

86 REFERENCES

.Arrian in Majumdar op. cit. p45 Acertain koinus was dispatched to attacked this place Bazira is identified with the present Barikot by stein (op. cit. pp.17-48)

Arrian, Anabasis, IV, XXVII. Stein op cit pp.45-46. Stein (p.60) identifies this place with udegram. See also G.Tucci. “Preliminary Repot on an Archaeological survey in swat”. East and west, VI, No.1, 1958, p. 324, fN 1.).

Great Britain, 1973 (the ) penguin classics. p.285

Mahajan, V.D., 1965 - Ancient India, Delhi, and 3rd Edn. pp.226.

Majumandar N.G., 1960, Classical Accounting of India, Calcutta, India, pp.6

Majumdar, N.G. 1980 - The age of imperial Unity, Bombay, p.44-47.

Stein, Sir Aurel, 1975 - Alexander track to the Indus publications, Karachi, pp.42

Stein says that the site of Massaga probably have to be looked for in Lower Swat (op. cot. p44s).

The ruler of Pushkalavati named as Astes (Ashtakaraga) lost his life in the defence of his capital. This principality was handed over to a certain sanjay. See Rapson, op. cit. 318.

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AUTHORS’ ADDRESS: ZAIN-UL-WAHAB, Department of Conservation Studies, Hazara University, Mansehra (KPK-PK) E-mail: DR. TASLEEM ALAM ABRO, Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur (SINDH-PK) E-mail: [email protected]

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