Ancient Greeks in Asia

Alexandria Eschate (Greek Ἀλεξανδρία Ἒσχατη, “Alexandria the Furthest”) was founded by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE as his most advanced base in Central Asia. It was established in the southwestern part of the Fergana Valley, on the southern bank of the river Jaxartes (modern name Syr Darya), at the location of the modern city of Khujand (also called Khodzhent, formerly Leninabad), in the state of Tajikistan. Alexander built a 6 kilometer brick wall around the city and, as for the other cities he founded, had ...

Including:

• Alexandria Eschate - A Hellenistic outpost in Central Asia
• Alexandria Eschate - Contacts with China

Read more here: » Alexandria Eschate: Encyclopedia - Alexandria Eschate

"Yona" (also sometimes "Yonaka") is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate ancient Greek people. Its equivalent in Sanskrit is the word "Yavana". "Yona" and "Yavana" are both transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (Homer Iāones, older *Iāwones), who were probably the first Greeks to be known in the East. Yona - Old World usage. This usage was shared by many of the countries east of Greece, from the Mediterranean to India and China: Egyptians used ...

Including:

• Yona - Old World usage
• Yona - Indian references
• Yona - Role in Buddhism
• Yona - Invasion of India
• Yona - Scientific abilities
• Yona - Other references
• Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature
• Yona - Later meanings
• Yona - Contemporary usage
• Yona - Notes
• Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia - Yona

Ta-Hsia, or Daxia (Chinese: 大夏) is the name given in antiquity by the Chinese to the territory of Bactria. The name Ta-Hsia appears in Chinese from the 3rd century BCE to designate a mythical kingdom to the West, possibly a consequence of the first contacts with the expansion of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, and then is used by the explorer Zhang Qian in 126 BCE to designate Bactria. The reports of Zhang Qian were put in writing in the Shiji ("Records of the Great Historian") by Sima Qian in the 1st century BCE. ...

Read more here: » Ta-Hsia: Encyclopedia - Ta-Hsia

The Battle of the Hydaspes River was a battle fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against the Indian king Porus (in Sanskrit Purushotthama) on the Hydaspes River (now the Jhelum) in present-day Pakistan. Although Alexander was victorious, his army refused to go any further into India. His tired army saw the use of elephants for the first time in years since Gaugamela. Later, Porus trained Alexander's army to combat such attacks. Battle of the Hydaspes River - Combatants. Macedonians and var ...

Including:

• Battle of the Hydaspes River - Combatants
• Battle of the Hydaspes River - Location
• Battle of the Hydaspes River - Prelude
• Battle of the Hydaspes River - Battle
• Battle of the Hydaspes River - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of the Hydaspes River: Encyclopedia - Battle of the Hydaspes River

In 326 BCE Alexander the Great made his foray into Punjab. King Omphis, ruler of Taxila, surrendered the city to Alexander. Many people had fled to a high fortress/rock called Aornos. Aornos was taken by Alexander by storm (see siege of Aornos). Alexander fought an epic battle against the Indian monarch Porus in the Battle of Hydaspes (326). After victory, Alexander made an alliance with Porus and appointed him as satrap of his ...

See also:

Greek Conquests in India, Greek Conquests in India - Conquests of Alexander The Great 326 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Seleucid invasion 304 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Indo-Greek rule 180-30 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Legacy

Read more here: » Greek Conquests in India: Encyclopedia II - Greek Conquests in India - Conquests of Alexander The Great 326 BCE

The King of Hydaspes drew up on the left bank of the Hydaspes River, and was set to repel any crossings. The Hydaspes is deep and fast enough that any opposed crossing would probably doom the entire attacking force. So Alexander waited for several days, with lots of marches and counter-marches and information warfare (letting the local peasants "know" that he considered the water too high for crossing, which was learned of by Porus). One night, after the Indians had gotten complacent, Alexander crossed the Hydaspes with a small force 17 mile ...

See also:

Battle of the Hydaspes River, Battle of the Hydaspes River - Combatants, Battle of the Hydaspes River - Location, Battle of the Hydaspes River - Prelude, Battle of the Hydaspes River - Battle, Battle of the Hydaspes River - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of the Hydaspes River: Encyclopedia II - Battle of the Hydaspes River - Battle

In Indian sources, the usage of the words "Yona", "Yauna", "Yonaka", "Yavana" or "Javana" etc appears repeatedly, and particularly in relation to the Greek kingdoms which neighboured or sometimes occupied the Indian sub-continent over a period of several centuries from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century CE, such as the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Indo-Greek kingdom. Even long before Alexander's invasion, the Greek settlements had existed in eastern parts of Achaemenid empire, north-west of India, as neighbors to the Iranian Kambojas. The references to the Yonas in the early Bu ...

See also:

Yona, Yona - Old World usage, Yona - Indian references, Yona - Role in Buddhism, Yona - Invasion of India, Yona - Scientific abilities, Yona - Other references, Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature, Yona - Later meanings, Yona - Contemporary usage, Yona - Notes, Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia II - Yona - Indian references

Seleucus I Nicator founder of the Seleucid dynasty and one of Alexander's former generals. He invaded India (modern Punjab in northern India and Pakistan) in 304 BCE. It is said that Chandragupta Marya put an army of 100,000 men and 9,000 war elephants and forced Seleucus to conclude an alliance. Seleucus gave him his daughter in marriage, ceded the territories of Arachosia, and received from Chandra ...

See also:

Greek Conquests in India, Greek Conquests in India - Conquests of Alexander The Great 326 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Seleucid invasion 304 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Indo-Greek rule 180-30 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Legacy

Read more here: » Greek Conquests in India: Encyclopedia II - Greek Conquests in India - Seleucid invasion 304 BCE

The Yavanas or Yonas are frequently found listed with the Kambojas, Sakas, Pahlavas and other northwestern tribes in numerous ancient Indian texts. The Mahabharata groups the Yavanas with the Kambojas and the Chinas and calls them "Mlechchas" (Barbarians). In the Shanti Parava section, the Yavanas are grouped with the Kambojas, Kiratas, Sakas, and the Pahlavas etc and are spoken of as living the life of Dasyus (slaves). In another chapter of the same Parava, the Yauna ...

See also:

Yona, Yona - Old World usage, Yona - Indian references, Yona - Role in Buddhism, Yona - Invasion of India, Yona - Scientific abilities, Yona - Other references, Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature, Yona - Later meanings, Yona - Contemporary usage, Yona - Notes, Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia II - Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature

In 180 BCE, the Indo-Greeks, invaded parts of northwest and northern India. They are an extension of the Greco-Bactrian dynasty of Greek kings (the Euthydemids) located in neighbouring Bactria. The invasion of northern India followed the destruction of the Mauryan dynasty by the general Pusyamitra Sunga, who then founded the new Indian Sunga dynasty (185 BCE-78 BCE). The Indo-Greek king Demetrius I of Bactria went as far as the capital Pataliputra in eastern India (today Patna): "Those who came after Alexander went to the Ganges and P ...

See also:

Greek Conquests in India, Greek Conquests in India - Conquests of Alexander The Great 326 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Seleucid invasion 304 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Indo-Greek rule 180-30 BCE, Greek Conquests in India - Legacy

Read more here: » Greek Conquests in India: Encyclopedia II - Greek Conquests in India - Indo-Greek rule 180-30 BCE