India
India
- Eric Herbert Warmington
- and Romila Thapar
Extract
This country had early trade connections with the *Persian Gulf , but it remained unknown to Mediterranean peoples until the extension of the Persian empire to the Indus and the voyage of Darius' admiral *Scylax down the Kabul and Indus rivers and perhaps round Arabia to Suez (Hecataeus, FGrH214 F–294–9; Hdt. 3. 98 ff., 4. 44). Even so, India remained a land of fable and wonders (as in the Indica of *Ctesias , c.400 bce); it was believed to lie in the farthest east, yet Indians were confused with Ethiopians, and in popular belief India and *Ethiopia formed one country. The conquests of *Alexander(3) the Great (327–325) brought more accurate knowledge of NW India as far as the river Hyphasis (Beas) and vague information about the Ganges valley and Sri Lanka; and the voyage of *Nearchus informed the Greek world about the sea connection with the Persian Gulf. *Seleucus (1) I controlled the north-west but c.Subjects
- Near East
