Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s32.5

c9.s32.5

Onesicritus noted a number of usages peculiar to the kingdom of Musikanos in Sindh. They had a common meal which they ate in public as did the Lacedemonians, their food consisting of the produce of the chase. They used neither gold nor silver though they had mines of these metals. They had no slaves, and employed instead young men in the flower of their age, as the Cretans employed Aphamiotai and the Lacedemonians the Helots. They studied no science but medicine with any care, for they regarded the excessive pursuit of any art, as war for instance, to be a wicked thing. They had no actions at law but for murder and outrage ; in contracts and other matters of mutual trust, if one of the parties broke faith the other must endure it and blame himself for trusting the wrong man and not engross the attention of the citizens with his law-suits².