Conflict and alliance with Seleucus (305 BCE) Maurya Empire

a map showing north western border of maurya empire, including various neighboring states.

seleucus nicator, macedonian satrap of asian portion of alexander s former empire, conquered , put under own authority eastern territories far bactria , indus (appian, history of rome, syrian wars 55), until in 305 bce entered confrontation emperor chandragupta:

lying in wait neighbouring nations, strong in arms , persuasive in council, [seleucus] acquired mesopotamia, armenia, seleucid cappadocia, persis, parthia, bactria, arabia, tapouria, sogdia, arachosia, hyrcania, , other adjacent peoples had been subdued alexander, far river indus, boundaries of empire extensive in asia after of alexander. whole region phrygia indus subject seleucus . appian, history of rome, syrian wars 55

though no accounts of conflict remain, clear seleucus fared poorly against indian emperor failed conquer territory, , in fact forced surrender his. regardless, seleucus , chandragupta reached settlement , through treaty sealed in 305 bce, seleucus, according strabo, ceded number of territories chandragupta, including large parts of afghanistan , parts of balochistan.

marital alliance

it thought chandragupta married seleucus s daughter, or greek macedonian princess, gift seleucus formalise alliance. in return gesture, chandragupta sent 500 war elephants, military asset play decisive role @ battle of ipsus in 301 bce. in addition treaty, seleucus dispatched ambassador, megasthenes, chandragupta, , later deimakos son bindusara, @ mauryan court @ pataliputra (modern patna in bihar state). later, ptolemy ii philadelphus, ruler of ptolemaic egypt , contemporary of ashoka, recorded pliny elder having sent ambassador named dionysius mauryan court.

mainstream scholarship asserts chandragupta received vast territory west of indus, including hindu kush, modern-day afghanistan, , balochistan province of pakistan. archaeologically, concrete indications of mauryan rule, such inscriptions of edicts of ashoka, known far kandahar in southern afghanistan.

the treaty on epigamia implies lawful marriage between greeks , indians recognized @ state level, although unclear whether occurred among dynastic rulers or common people, or both..

exchange of presents

classical sources have recorded following treaty, chandragupta , seleucus exchanged presents, such when chandragupta sent various aphrodisiacs seleucus:

, theophrastus says contrivances of wondrous efficacy in such matters [as make people more amorous]. , phylarchus confirms him, reference of presents sandrakottus, king of indians, sent seleucus; act charms in producing wonderful degree of affection, while some, on contrary, banish love. athenaeus of naucratis, deipnosophists book i, chapter 32

his son bindusara amitraghata (slayer of enemies) recorded in classical sources having exchanged presents antiochus i:

dried figs sought after men (for really, aristophanes says, there s nothing nicer dried figs ), amitrochates, king of indians, wrote antiochus, entreating him (it hegesander tells story) buy , send him sweet wine, , dried figs, , sophist; , antiochus wrote him in answer, dry figs , sweet wine send you; not lawful sophist sold in greece. athenaeus, deipnosophistae xiv.67




^ appian, syrian wars 11 . 
^ majumdar 2003, p. 105.
^ ancient india, (kachroo, p.196)
^ imperial gazetteer of india, (hunter, p.167)
^ evolution of man , society, (darlington, p.223)
^ w. w. tarn (1940). 2 notes on seleucid history: 1. seleucus 500 elephants, 2. tarmita , journal of hellenic studies 60, p. 84-94.
^ kosmin 2014, p. 37.
^ pliny elder, natural history (eds. john bostock, m.d., f.r.s., h.t. riley, esq., b.a.) . archived original on 28 july 2013. 
^ vincent a. smith (1998). ashoka. asian educational services. isbn 81-206-1303-1.
^ walter eugene clark (1919). importance of hellenism point of view of indic-philology , classical philology 14 (4), p. 297-313.
^ kosmin 2014, p. 35.
^ problem while searching in literature collection . 
^ literature collection: deipnosophists, or, banquet of learned of athenæus (volume iii): book xiv .