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Eastern border of the Achaemenid

Empire.

Achaemenid invasion of the Indus ValleyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Achaemenid invasion of Indus valleyis the Achaemenid militaryconquests of territories of South Asia west of Indus river in 6th century

BC, consisting mainly of modern-day Pakistan.[1]Achaemenidpenetration into the modern Pakistan occurred in stages, starting from

northern parts of Indus river and moving southward.[2]The Persianempires considered the Indus river as their eastern most boundary.

Contents

1 Historical background

2 See also

3 References

4 External links

Historical background

The important communities in the region were the people of Punjab, the Kambojas and Sindhis. Punjab consistedof Taksas of Gandhara, the Madras and Kathas (Kathaioi) on Akesines, the Mallas on Hydraotis and the Tugrason Hesidros. In the first half ofthe sixth century, these several small principalities fought against one another. This

region did not have any powerful state to wield the warring communities into one organized kingdom. The area wawealthy, and could be entered through the passes of the Hindu Kush. The Achaemenids took advantage of the

political disunity and penetrated into the region.

Gandhara/Taxila in Punjab was conquered by Achaemenidempire in 518 BC.[3]During this time, Pushkarasakti, contemporary of King Bimbisara (558491 BC) of Magadha empire of Haryanka dynasty, was the king ofGandhara. Pushkarasakti was engaged inpower struggles against his local rivals. Achaemenids under Darius

penetrated to the region in 516 BC, and annexed other parts of Punjab west to Indus river and Sindh.

The upper Indus region, comprising Gandhara and Kamboja, formed the 7th, Gandhara satrapy of the Achaemeni

Empire (including Sattagydians, Dadicae, Aparytae), while the lower and middle Indus, respectively comprising

Sindh and Sauvira, constituted the 20th satrapy (called Indian/Sindh/Hindu Satrapy).[4]

The conquered area was the most fertile and populous region of the Achaemenid Empire. Indus Valley was alreadfabled for its gold; the province was able to supply gold dust equal in value to the very large amount of 4680 silvertalents. The Persian writers brought the Kharoshthi script to South Asia during these period. Under the Persian rula system of centralized administration with a bureaucratic system was introduced in the region and scholars such aPini and Kautilya lived in the environment. A certain amount of Indus Valley people were recruited to the Persiaarmy in that time, and Achaemenid ruler Xerxes employed them in his wars against the Greeks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharoshthi_scripthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerxes_I_of_Persiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kautilyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81%E1%B9%87inihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharoshthi_scripthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhara#Part_of_Greater_Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haryanka_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haryanka_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimbisarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxilahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutlejhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenabhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kambojashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_border_of_the_Achaemenid_Empire.jpg

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By about 380 BC, the Persian hold on the region was weakening, but the area continued to be a part of the

Achaemenid Empire until Alexander's invasion.[5]

The ancientGreeks also had some knowledge of the area. Darius I appointed the Greek Scylax of Caryanda toexplore theIndian Ocean from the mouth of the Indus to Suez. Scylax provides an account of the voyage in his

bookPeriplous. Hecataeus of Miletus (500 BC) and Herodotus (483431 BC) also wrote about the IndusSatrapyofthe Persians.

See also

Hindush satrapy

References

1. ^Onthe basis of the dating of the Bisotun (q.v.) inscription, such conquests can be dated to around 518 BC

(Vogelsang, 1987, pp. 187-88; Briant, 1996, p. 153)

2. ^(Fussman, 1993, p. 84). This is inferred from the fact that Gandhara (OPers. Gandra) is already mentioned at

Bisotun, while the toponym Hindu (Sindh) is added only in later inscriptions.

3. ^Marshall, John (1975) [1951]. Taxila: Volume I. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 83.

4. ^The inscription on Darius' tomb at Naqsh-i-Rustam near Persepolis records GADRA (Gandra) along with

HINDUSH (Hndu, Sindh) in the list of satrapies.

5. ^The hypothesis that the region had already become independent by the end of the reign of Darius I or during the

reignof Artaxerxes II (Chattopadhyaya, 1974, pp. 25-26) appears to be contradicted by Ctesiass reference to gif

received from the kings of India and by the fact that even Darius III still had some Indian units in his army (Briant

1996, pp. 699, 774). At the time of the arrival of the Alexander's Macedonian army in Indus Valley, there is no

mention of officers of the Persian kings in India; but this does not mean (Dittmann, 1984, p. 185) that the

Achaemenids had no power there. Other data indicate that they still exercised control over the area, although in

waysthat differed from those of Darius Is time (Briant, 1996, pp. 776-78).

External links

Ancient India, A History Textbook for Class XI, Ram Sharan Sharma, National Council of Educational

Research and Training, India Iranian and Macedonian Invasion, pp 108

INDIA iii. RELATIONS: ACHAEMENID PERIOD (http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/india-iii-

relations-achaemenid-period)

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Categories: Achaemenid Empire Wars involving the Achaemenid Empire History of Pakistan

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