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Gedrosia

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Map showing Gedrosia in theIndian campaign of Alexander the Great
A map of Gedrosia from Munster's edition of Ptolemy's 'Geographia'

Gedrosia(/dʒɪˈdroʊʒə/;Greek:ΓεδρωσίαorBalochi:گِد رۏچ) is theHellenizedname of the part of coastalBalochistanthat roughly corresponds to today'sMakran.In books aboutAlexander the Greatand hissuccessors,the area referred to as Gedrosia runs from theIndus Riverto the north-eastern edge of theStrait of Hormuz.It is directly to the south of the countries ofBactria,ArachosiaandDrangiana,to the east of the country ofCarmaniaand due west of theIndus Riverwhich formed a natural boundary between it and Western India. The native name of Gedrosia might have beenGwadaras there are two towns by that name and a bay (Gwadar Bay) in central Makran.

Geography[edit]

Pliny the Elderwhile explaining the extent of India included four satrapiesArachosia,Gedrosia,AriaandParapanisidaeas western borders of India.[1]

People[edit]

According toArrian,Nearchusmentions a race calledIchthyophagi( "fish-eaters" ) as inhabiting the barren shores of theGwadarandPasnidistricts inMakrān.During the homeward march ofAlexander the Great,his admiral, Nearchus led a fleet inArabian Seaalong the Makrān coast and recorded that the area was dry and mountainous, inhabited by theIchthyophagoiorFish-Eaters.[1][2]They are also identified on the 4th centuryPeutinger Map,as a people of theBaluchistancoast. The existence of such tribes was confirmed bySir Richard F Burton.[3]

Another group of people named asOreitanswere mentioned inhabiting modernLasbela DistrictinBalochistanprovince ofPakistan.Alexander the Greatcrossed Hub River through Lasbela on his way back toBabylonafter conqueringNorthwestern India.Alexander mentions the river name asArabius,and local people as Oreitans.[4]

History[edit]

Gedrosia (satrapy)[edit]

Main article:Gedrosia (satrapy)
Territory of Gedrosia, among the eastern territories of theAchaemenid Empire.
Gedrosia on thePeutinger Map

Gedrosia is a dry, mountainous country along the northwestern shores of the Indian Ocean. It was occupied in the Bronze Age by people who settled in the few oases in the region. Other people settled on the coast and became known in Greek asIchthyophagi.The Persian kingCyrus the Greatattackedto conquer this countrybut was defeated and lost his entire army (559-530 BCE). Finally after the defeat of the sons of Cyrus this country conquered byDarius the Great.although information about his campaign is comparatively late. The capital of Gedrosia was Pura, which is probably identical to modernBampur,forty kilometers west ofIrânshahr.

Several scholars have argued that the Persian satrapyMakais identical to Gedrosia (which is a Greek name). One argument is the similarity of the nameMakato the modern name Makran, a part ofPakistanandIranthat is situated a bit more to the east. However, it is more likely that Maka is to be sought in modern Oman, which was called Maketa in Antiquity.[5]

Alexander's campaign[edit]

Gedrosia became famous in Europe when the Macedonian kingAlexander the Greattried to cross the Gedrosian desert and lost one third of his men.

Following his army's refusal to continue marching east at theHyphasis Riverin 326 BCE, Alexander the Great crossed the area after sailing south to the coast of theIndian Oceanon his way back toBabylon.Upon reaching the Ocean, Alexander divided his forces in half, sending half back by sea toSusaunder the command ofNearchus.[6]The other half of his army was to accompany him on a march through the Gedrosian desert, inland from the ocean.[7]Throughout the 60-day march through the desert, Alexander lost at least 12,000 soldiers, in addition to countless livestock, camp followers, and most of his baggage train.[8]Some historians say he lost three-quarters of his army to the harsh desert conditions along the way.[9]However, this figure was likely based on exaggerated numbers in his forces prior to the march, which were likely in the range of no fewer than 30,000 soldiers.[10]

There are two competing theories for the purpose of Alexander's decision to march through the desert rather than along the more hospitable coast. The first argues that this was an attempt to punish his men for their refusal to continue eastward at the Hyphasis River.[11]The other argues that Alexander was attempting to imitate and succeed in the actions ofCyrus the Great,who had failed to cross the desert.[10]

After the death of Alexander, this region became part of the holdings ofSeleucus,who heldAria,Arachosia,andGandhara,in addition to Gedrosia.

Mauryan Empire[edit]

The territories, known collectively as Ariyana were later lost to the Mauryan Empire of ancient India under the reign ofChandragupta Maurya.[12]Gedrosia, along withSaurashtra,were regions in ancient India that formed an important part of theMaurya Empire,before being attacked by Indo-Greeks from the west.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^Wink, André (2002).Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th Centuries.BRILL.ISBN978-0-391-04173-8.
  2. ^Arrian,Indica,29:
  3. ^El-Medinah,p. 144
  4. ^The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander
  5. ^"Gedrosia".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-09-24.Retrieved2021-04-29.
  6. ^Bosworth (1988),p. 139
  7. ^Bosworth (1988),p. 142
  8. ^Bosworth (1988),p. 145
  9. ^Plutarch,The Life of Alexander,66.
  10. ^abBosworth (1988),p. 146
  11. ^Heckel (2002),p. 68
  12. ^Ray, Himanshu Prabha (2003).The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South Asia.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-01109-9.In spite of the vagueness of the historical texts, the consensus among scholars is that the treaty concluded between Candragupta Maurya and Seleucus acknowledged Indian control of territories to the west of the Indus. These included Gedrosia, Paropamisadae (the region of Kabul and Begram) and Arachosia (the Kandahar region).
  13. ^The Journal of the Bihar Research Society.Bihar Research Society. 1949. p. 74.Gedrosia and Saurashtra had formed important parts of the Mauryan empire before the Indo-Greek adventurers attacked in on the west.

Bibliography[edit]

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