From Megasthenes to Sophytes : a re-examination of literary and numismatic sources for Seleucid-Mauryan relations in British and Indian scholarship
This thesis re-assesses and contextualises the literary and numismatic sources for the earliest phase of Seleucid-Mauryan relations, that began in c.305 BC, with a historiographically critical eye. It explores what the Seleucid-Mauryan encounter has meant to different audiences in different contexts, in antiquity and in modernity, in both east and west. Then, through the numismatic study, it investigates how relations on the ground can be reconstructed through physical evidence discovered in the boundary regions. There are three Parts to this thesis, each comprising two chapters. In Part One, I first contextualise Megasthenes historically and geographically in Chapter One. Then, in Chapter Two, I assess the ways and extent to which his Indike was accessed by later authors in the classical tradition, with the aim of accounting for the range and type of Megasthenes-derived information now available, and to explain the survival of particular types of information over others. Just as ancient authors selected their sources and interpretations of this episode, so have modern historians. In Part Two, I show how British (Chapter One) and Indian (Chapter Two) historians of the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries
Jansari, S. S.
From Megasthenes to Sophytes : a re-examination of literary and numismatic sources for Seleucid-Mauryan relations in British and Indian scholarship. This thesis re-assesses and contextualises the literary and numismatic sources for the earliest phase of Seleucid-Mauryan relations, that began in c.305 BC, with a historiographically critical eye. It explores what the Seleucid-Mauryan encounter has meant to different audiences in different contexts, in antiquity and in modernity, in both east and west. Then, through the numismatic study, it investigates how relations on the ground can be reconstructed through physical evidence discovered in the boundary regions. There are three Parts to this thesis, each comprising two chapters. In Part One, I first contextualise Megasthenes historically and geographically in Chapter One. Then, in Chapter Two, I assess the ways and extent to which his Indike was accessed by later authors in the classical tradition, with the aim of accounting for the range and type of Megasthenes-derived information now available, and to explain the survival of particular types of information over others. Just as ancient authors selected their sources and interpretations of this episode, so have modern historians. In Part Two, I show how British (Chapter One) and Indian (Chapter Two) historians of the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries
re_examination literary numismatic_source seleucid relation british indian scholarship assesses contextualises literary numismatic_source early_phase seleucid relation begin critical eye explores seleucid encounter mean different audience different_context antiquity modernity east_west numismatic study_investigate relation ground reconstruct physical_evidence discover boundary region parts comprise_two chapter part_one first contextualise historically geographically assess way extent access later author classical tradition aim accounting range type derived information_available explain survival particular_type information others ancient_author select source interpretation episode modern_historian part_two show british indian historian