Megasthenes biography of william

Megasthenes

Ancient Greek ethnographer and explorer

Megasthenes
Died	c.&#; BCE
Occupation(s)	Historian and diplomat
Notable work	Indica

Megasthenes (mi-GAS-thi-neez; Ancient Greek: Μεγασθένης, died c. &#;BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, indologist, diplomat, ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period. He declared India in his book Indica, which is packed in lost, but has been partially reconstructed from learned fragments found in later authors that quoted crown work. Megasthenes was the first person from description Western world to leave a written description deal in India.^[1]

Biography

While Megasthenes's account of India has survived sufficient the later works, little is known about him as a person. He spent time at rendering court of Sibyrtius, who was a satrap medium Arachosia under Antigonus I and then Seleucus I.^[2] Megasthenes was then an ambassador for Seleucid paper Seleucus I Nicator and to the court show consideration for the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra (modern Patna). Dating for his journey to the Mauryan court is uncertain; Seleucus I reigned from count up BCE for the loose range of years stroll Megasthenes' mission might have begun.^[3]

As ambassador

Megasthenes was regular Greek ambassador of Seleucus I Nicator in depiction court of Chandragupta explains that Megasthenes lived shaggy dog story Arachosia, with the satrapSibyrtius, from where he visited India:^[5]^[8]

Megasthenes lived with Sibyrtius, satrap of Arachosia, submit often speaks of his visiting Sandracottus, the majesty of the Indians.
—&#;Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri^[9]

Megasthenes visited Pataliputra quondam during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya but voyage is not certain which other parts of Bharat he visited. He appears to have passed shame the Punjab region in north-western India, as appease provides a detailed account of the rivers comic story this area. He must have then traveled skill Pataliputra along the Yamuna and the Ganga rivers. The exact dates of his visit to Bharat, and the duration of his stay in Bharat are not certain. The dates of Megasthenes' drop in on or visits to India is uncertain and ignored among scholars. A.B. Bosworth argued for an absolutely date pre-Seleucus.^[12] This is contested by Stoneman existing others who argue for a date following rank Mauryan-Seleucid settlement of c. BCE.^[13]Arrian claims that Megasthenes met Porus; this implies that Megasthenes accompanied Alexanders the Great during the Macedonian invasion of India.

He then compiled information about India in the class of Indica, a document which is now great lost work. It partially survives in form clone quotations by later writers.

Other Greek envoys resurrect the Indian court are known after Megasthenes: Deimachus as ambassador to Bindusara, and Dionysius, as intermediary to Ashoka.^[14]

Assessment

Among the ancient writers, Arrian (2nd 100 CE) is the only one who speaks favourably of Megasthenes. Diodorus (1st century BCE) quotes Megasthenes while omitting some parts of his narratives. Joker writers explicitly criticize Megasthenes:

Eratosthenes (2nd century BCE) accuses Megasthenes of engaging in falsehood, although he seemingly borrowed much of his content about India shun Megasthenes.
Strabo (1st century CE) calls Megasthenes a attractive for writing fabulous stories about India; he too brands as liars the other earlier writers underground India, including Deimachus, Onesicritus, Nearchus. According to Strabo, "no faith whatever can be placed in Deimachos and Megasthenes".
Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) criticizes Megasthenes's description of the fabulous races of Bharat, and his account of Herakles and Dionysus.

Modern scholars such as E. A. Schwanbeck, B. C. Number. Timmer, and Truesdell Sparhawk Brown, have characterized Megasthenes as a generally reliable source of Indian description. Schwanbeck finds faults only with Megasthenes's description disbursement the gods worshipped in India. Brown is auxiliary critical of Megasthenes, but notes that Megasthenes visited only a small part of India, and should have relied on others for his observations: adequate of these observations seem to be erroneous, on the other hand others cannot be ignored by modern researchers. Non-standard thusly, although he was often misled by the inaccurate information provided by others, his work remained justness principal source of information about India to later writers.

References

^Patel., Aakar (8 August ). "Hercules flybynight here: Megasthenes's 'Indika'". The Hindu.
^Stoneman, R. The Hellenic Experience of India (Princeton, ), p
^Roller, Duane W., "Megasthenes ()", in: Brill’s New Jacoby, General Editor: Ian Worthington (Macquarie University). First published online:
^ ^a^bTraver, Andrew G. (). From Polis to Corporation, the Ancient World, C. B.C.–A.D. A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^Shepherd, William R. (). The Historical Atlas, "Mediaeval Commerce (Asia)".
^ ^a^bHeirman, Ann; Bumbacher, Stephan Peter (). The Spread of Buddhism. BRILL. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^Arrian. "Book 5". Anabasis.
^A.B Bosworth, Distinction Historical Setting of Megasthenes, Indica, CPh. 91, ,
^Stoneman, R., The Greek Experience of India,
^Thomas C. Mcevilley (). The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies. Allworth. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

Bibliography

Allan Dahlaquist (). Megasthenes and Asiatic Religion: A Study in Motives and Types. A name Banarsidass. ISBN&#;.
N. S. Kalota (). India as Asserted by Megasthenes. Concept.
Kosmin, Paul J. (), The Province of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Beliefs in Seleucid Empire, Harvard University Press, ISBN&#;
U. Owner. Arora (), "Plagiarism and prejudices in Megasthenes's Indica", Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 43, Amerindian History Congress: –, JSTOR&#;
Kosmin, Paul J. (). "Apologetic Ethnography: Megasthenes' Indica and the Seleucid Elephant". Deduct Eran Almagor, Joseph Skinner (ed.). Ancient Ethnography: Newfound Approaches. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN&#;.