The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c26.251

v1.c26.251

The date of the Indian expedition of Seleucus I is doubtful. Von Gutschmid placed it *c.* 302 B.C.; and, although his calculation rests on what is probably an erroneous view as to the period when the coins of Sophytes (*cf. supra*, p. 388) were issued, it is quite possible that he has come within two or three years of the truth. It was not till 311 that the Satrap of Babylon—he had not yet assumed the title of king—was free to quit his capital with an easy mind, and devote his energies to consolidating his authority in the more distant provinces. The task must have required time, for some hard fighting had to be done, notably in Bactria. But, beyond the bare statement of Justin (xv, 4) to that effect, we have no details. We may suppose that about 305 or 304, at the latest, he deemed himself ready to demand a reckoning with Chandragupta. Advancing (we may be certain) by the route along the Kābul river, he crossed the Indus (Appian, *Syr.* 55). The minute topographical knowledge which Strabo (xv, 689) and Pliny (*N.H.* vI, 63) display, and more particularly the vague assertion of the latter that 'all the remaining distances were searched out for Seleucus Nicator' have led Droysen and others to conclude that he not merely entered the territory he had come to regain, but actually penetrated as far as Palibothra (Pāṭaliputra) on the Ganges, the chief seat of his enemy's power, whence he made his way along the banks of the river to the sea. The premises, however, are scarcely substantial enough to bear so far-reaching a conclusion. Pliny may quite well have had in his mind, not reconnaissances made during a campaign, but information gathered subsequently by the Greek envoys who, as we shall see presently, resided at the court of the Indian king.