Princeton University Press
The Greek Experience of India: From Alexander to the Indo-Greeks
Key Metrics
- Richard Stoneman
- Princeton University Press
- Paperback
- 9780691217475
- -
- -
- History > Ancient - Greece
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
An exploration of how the Greeks reacted to and interacted with India from the third to first centuries BCE
When the Greeks and Macedonians in Alexander's army reached India in 326 BCE, they entered a new world. The plants were unrecognizable, the customs of the people various and puzzling. Alexander's conquest ended with his death in 323 BCE, but the Greeks would settle in the Indian region for the next two centuries. From observations about botany and mythology to social customs, The Greek Experience of India explores how the Greeks reacted to and constructed life in India during this period. Richard Stoneman offers a valuable look at Megasthenes, ambassador of the King Seleucus to Chandragupta Maurya, and provides a discussion of Megasthenes' now-fragmentary book Indica. Stoneman considers the art, literature, and philosophy of the Indo-Greek kingdom and how cultural influences crossed in both directions. The Greek Experience of India is a masterful account of the encounters between two remarkable civilizations.
Author Bio
Richard Stoneman is an honorary visiting professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. His many books include Alexander the Great: A Life in Legend? and Xerxes: A Persian Life.
The core of my research interests has been the continuity of the Greek world and Greek tradition up to the present day. I have written anthologies and travel guides reflecting this interest. Since the early 1980s the main focus of my research has been Alexander the Great, especially in later legend. I have recently participated in several international conferences on the Ancient Novel and on Philip and Alexander. I am currently writing a biography of Xerxes and a study of Megasthenes.
Besides Latin and Greek, my languages include fluent German and adequate French, Italian and Modern Greek. I am taking classes in Turkish and Persian.
I am also Chairman of Westminster Classic Tours (www.westminsterclassictours.com), a company which runs gület tours to classical sites around the Turkish coast and Greek Islands.
Source: Princeton University Press and University of Exeter
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