Who was Megasthenes? Why is he important for historians ?
Answers
Answer:
Megasthenes (c. 350 – c. 290 BC) was an ancient Greek historian, diplomat and Indian ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period.
He described India in his book Indika, which is now lost, but has been partially reconstructed from the writings of the later authors.
Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador of Seleucus I Nicator in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
Arrian explains that Megasthenes lived in Arachosia, with the satrap Sibyrtius, from where he visited India.
Megasthenes visited the Maurya capital Pataliputra,but it is not certain which other parts of India he visited.
He appears to have passed through the Punjab region in north-western India, as he provides a detailed account of the rivers in this area.
He must have then traveled to Pataliputra along the Yamuna and the Ganga rivers.
Megasthenes compiled information about India in form of Indika, which is now a lost work, but survives in form of quotations by the later writers.
Other Greek envoys to the Indian court are known after Megasthenes: Deimachus as ambassador to Bindusara, and Dionysius, as ambassador to Ashoka.
Explanation:
Answer:
Megasthenes was an ancient Greek historian. He wrote a book called 'Indica' based during the times of Mauryan India. He was an ambassador of Seleucus Nicator I to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra (now known as Patna in Bihar). For his remarkable work, he is regarded as the Father of Indian History. He is important for historians because of his detailed accounts on India and his works present an illustrated outline of the Mauryan times.