Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian: Being a Translation of the Fragments of the Indika of Megasthenes collected By Dr. schwanbeck and of the first part of the Indika of Arrian

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The account of India written by Megasthenes from his personal knowledge of the country is justly held to be almost invaluable for the light which it throws upon the obscurity of early Indian history. Though, unfortunately, not extant in its original form, it has nevertheless been partially preserved by means of epitomes and quotations to be found scattered up and down the writings of various ancient authors, both Greek and Roman. The translation now offered, which goes forth from the very birthplace of the original work, will therefore for the first time place it within the reach of the general public. A translation of the first part of the Indika of Arrian has been subjoined, both because it gives in a connected form a general description of India, and because that description was based chiefly on the work of Megasthenes. The notes, which turn for the most part on points of history, geography, archaeology, and the identification of Greek proper names with their Sanskrit originals, sum up the views of the best and most recent authorities who have written on these subjects.

About Author

John Watson McCrindle (1825 – 1913) was a Scottish classical philologist and educator who wrote several major works on references to India in ancient classical writings. McCrindle was the son of John McCrindle and was born near Maybole, Ayrshire and went to the University of Edinburgh where he received the Stratton Gold Medal in 1853. He graduated BA in 1854 and MA in 1855 and taught for a while in Edinburgh schools before moving to India in 1859 to become Principal of the Doveton College in Calcutta. He became a professor at Patna College and later at Krishnagar College. He became the first principal of Patna College from 1867 and retired in 1880. He founded a school for girls in Patna. He wrote a number of works (first in the Indian Antiquary and later as books) on ancient India as described in the works of Ctesias, Megasthenes and Arrian; the Periplus Maris Erythraei (“Coastal Cruise of the Red Sea”); Ptolemy’s geography of India and the invasion of India by Alexander the Great.

PREFACE

THE account of India written by Megas- thenês from his personal knowledge of the country is justly held to be almost invalu- able for the light which it throws upon the obscurity of early Indian history. Though, unfortunately, not extant in its original form, it has nevertheless been partially preserved by means of epitomes and quota- tions to be found scattered up and down the writings of various ancient authors, both Greek and Roman. Dr. Schwanbeck, of Bonn, rendered historical literature a good service by collecting and arranging in their proper order these detached fragments. The work thus reconstructed, and entitled Megasthenis Indica, has now been before the world for upwards of thirty years. It has not, however, so far as I know, been as yet translated, at least into our language, and hence it is but little known beyond the circles of the learned. The translation now offered, which goes forth from the very birth- place of the original work, will therefore for the first time place it within the reach of the general public. A translation of the first part of the Indika of Arrian has been subjoined, both because it gives in a connected form a general description of India, and because that description was based chiefly on the work of Megasthenês.
The notes, which turn for the most part on points of history, geography, archæology, and the identification of Greek proper names with their Sanskrit originals, sum up the views of the best and most recent authorities who have written on these sub- jects. This feature of the work will, I hope, recommend it to the attention of native scholars who may be pursuing, or at least be interested in, inquiries which relate to the history and antiquities of their own country.
In the spelling of classical proper names I have followed throughout the system of Grote, except only in translating from Latin, when the common orthography has been employed.
In conclusion, I may inform my readers that I undertook the present work intending to follow it up with others of a similar kind, until the entire series of classical works re- lating to India should be translated into the In furtherance of language of its rulers. this design a translation of the short trea- tise called The Circumnavigation of the Erythræan Sea, which gives an account of the ancient commerce of Egypt, Arabia, and India, is nearly ready for publication, and this will be followed by a translation of the narratives of the Makedonian Invasion of India as given by Arrian and Curtius in their respective Histories of Alexander.
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