Alexander the Great Quiz

Persian and Greek Invasions

• Cyrus, the first Greek conqueror to enter India, captured the Gandhara region and all Indian tribes west of the Indus river submitted to him, paying tribute.
• Darius I conquered the Indus valley in 518 B.C., annexing the Punjab and Sindh, which became the 20th Satrapy of his empire.
• Xerxes utilized his Indian province to strengthen his position, deploying Indian infantry and cavalry to Greece to fight his opponents.

Alexander's Invasion

• Alexander defeated Ambhi of Taxila, but not with the help of Porus.
• The battle of Hydaspes was not fought on the Karri plain.
• Alexander did not annex some portions of the Gangetic valley before his departure.

The Mauryan Empire

• The foundation of the Mauryan Empire opened a new era in Indian history.
• The oppressive tax collection by Dhana Nanda led to a popular movement against the Nanda rule, initiated by Chandragupta Maurya and Kautilya.
• The general prosperity of the country brought enormous revenue to the royal treasury.

Study of the Mauryas

• Sources for the study of the Mauryas include the works of Megasthenes, the Puranas, and Buddhist literature such as Jatakas.
• The Ceylonese Chronicles Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa provide information on Asoka's role in spreading Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
• Archaeological sources include Edicts of Asoka, which were first deciphered by James Princep in 1837.

Edicts of Asoka

• The inscriptions of Asoka are written in Pali language and in some places Prakrit was used.
• The Brahmi script was employed for writing, with Karoshti script used in northwestern India.
• There are fourteen Major Rock Edicts, two Kalinga Edicts, and minor Rock and Pillar Edicts, which deal with Asoka's Dhamma and instructions to his officials.