11th HISTORY

L.No.: 6 – POLITY AND SOCIETY IN POST-MAURYAN PERIOD

WORKSHEET – 1

6.1: Indo-Greek Relations:

Introduction:

Invasion of Alexander (327 BCE - 325 BCE):

 Alexander invaded north-western India and conquered territories under

provincial governors.
 Ambhi, the ruler of Taxila surrendered his kingdom to Alexander.
 Porus was the ruler of the land between Jhelum and Chenab.
 The famous Battle of Hydaspes took place in 326 BCE, between Porus and
Alexander.
 Although Porus had a strong army, he lost the battle.
 Alexander was impressed by the courage and heroism of this Indian Prince,
and treated Porus generously and restored his kingdom.

Return of Alexander to motherland:

 Alexander wanted to advance but, his army refused to fight anymore and
wanted to go back to their homeland being tired of fighting and probably
homesick.
 Before leaving, he appointed governors in India to look after the conquered
territories.
 But, Alexander The Great died on his way back to Macedonia due to illness
at Babylon in 323 BCE.
Seleucus Nicator:

 He was one of the most capable Generals of Alexander.

 He became master of a vast territory from Phrygia to the River Indus after
311 BCE.
 Chandragupta Maurya waged a war against Seleucus in 305 BCE, and
defeated him.

Megasthenes:

 Megasthenes was sent by Seleucus Nicator to the Mauryan capital,

Pataliputra, as the first Greek ambassador.
 He wrote a book ‘Indica’ which gives more details about the Mauryan
administration and Pataliputra.

NOTE: Greek historians refer to ambassadors sent by Ptolemy II of Egypt and to

Bindusara’s correspondence with Antiochus of Syria.

In India, the term yavana (derived from Persian) was used to denote all persons
of Greek origin, including those of mixed race and even the Phoenicians.

This regular interchange of ambassadors and correspondence facilitated regular

trade from India to the West

Ashoka’s rock Edict -13: It mentions five yona kings, identified as:

 Antiochus II Theos of Syria

 Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt
 Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia
 Magas of Cyrene
 Alexander of Corinth
Famous Indo-Greek kings:

Demetrius II:

 Demetrius II was the first known Indo-Greek king (c. 175 BCE).
 The distinguishing feature of the reign of the Indo-Greek kings was their
exquisite coinage.
 Minted in the same style as Greek coins of silver, they carried the portrait
of the reigning king on one side with his name.

Menander:

 Menander (c.165/145–130 BCE) was the best known of the Indo-Greek

kings.
 Milinda-pinha (questions of Milinda), in which he is engaged in a question-
and-answer discussion on Buddhism with the teacher Nagasena.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

 The invasion of Greeks led to the reciprocal influence.

 The immediate effect of Alexander’s invasion was that it encouraged
political unification of north India under the Mauryas.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

Fill in the blanks:

1. Indica was written by ______.

2. Ambhi was the ruler of _______.
3. Alexander died at ______ in ______ BCE.
4. _________ defeated Seleucus in a war in 305 BCE.
5. The word ‘yavana’ is derived from ______ language.
Choose the correct answers:

6. Megasthenes was sent by Seleucus Nicator to the capital Pataliputra as the

______ ambassador. (a) Roman (b) Greek (c) Chinese (d) British
7. _______ was one of the most capable generals of Alexander.
(a) Seleucus Nicator (b) Antigonus (c) Antiochus (d) Demetrius
8. ______ was the best known of the Indo-Greek kings.
(a) Euthydemus (b) Demetrius (c) Menander (d) Antialcidas

Match the following:

9. a) Demetrius II - King of Macedonia

b) Milinda-pinha - 326 BCE
c) Battle of Hydaspes - Famous Indo-Greek king
d) Alexander - Nagasena

Find out the correct statement:

10. i) Alexander defeated Porus and annexed his kingdom.

ii) Alexander defeated Porus and treated him generously.
iii)Alexander could not win the army of Porus.
iv)Alexander defeated Ambhi of Taxila with the help of Porus.

Answer the following:

2 Mark – questions:

11. What was the impact of the invasion of Greeks?

12. Why did Alexander decide to go back to Macedonia?

13. Who was the first known Indo-Greek king?

3 Mark – questions:

14. Give a short note on the invasion of Alexander in India.

15. What do you know about Menander?

16. Name any 3 kings mentioned in the Rock Edict (13) of Ashoka.

17. Write a short note on Battle of Hydaspes.

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