[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [General history and culture](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general) › [The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924) › c16.104 # The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c16.104 The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c16.104 - **Language:** English ### [c16.104](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16.104) The triumphant progress of Alexander from the Himalaya to the sea demonstrated the inherent weakness of the greatest Asiatic armies when confronted with European skill and discipline. The dreaded elephants lost their terrors, and proved to be a poor defence against the Macedonian cavalry. The unopposed march of Krateros from Sind to Persia through Sīstān opened up an alternative land route and solved the problem of easy overland communication with Europe. The circumnavigation of the coast by Nearchos gave Alexander a third line of communication by sea, and, if he had lived, there is no reason to suppose that he would have experienced serious difficulty in retaining his hold upon the Panjāb and Sind. - [Previous: c16.103](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16.103) - [Next: c16.105](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16.105) - [Up: c16](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16.104](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c16.104) · Pramāṇa