Scylax of Caryanda
Scylax of Caryanda (
Exploration
Scylax was from
In the narrative of Herodotus:Darius was the discoverer of the greater part of Asia. Wishing to know where the Indus (the only river with crocodiles, save one) ran into the sea, he sent a number of men, on whose trustworthiness he could rely, and among them Scylax of Caryanda, to sail down the river. They set out from the city of Caspatyrus, in the region called Pactyica, and sailed downstream in an easterly direction to the sea. Here they turned westward, and after a voyage of thirty months, reached the place from which the Egyptian king ... sent the Phoenicians to sail round Libya. Once the voyage was completed, Darius conquered the Indians, and made use of the sea in those parts. Thus all Asia, except the eastern section, has been found to exhibit the same features as Libya. (Herodotus, Histories 4.44)[3]
Several questions have been raised about this narrative. The city of Caspatyrus and the country of Pactyica have not been traced to any real locations. Assuming that it is somewhere in the vicinity of Gandhara, which was under the control of the Achaemenid emperor, it is unclear how Scylax was able to assemble a fleet of vessels in this land-locked country. More importantly, the Indus does not flow east, but rather in a south-westerly direction.[3] Due to these reasons, some commentators doubted if Scylax's journey ever took place. But these doubts are now laid to rest by the excavations at Suez, which seem to corroborate Scylax's account, and Darius's subsequent acquisition of control over Sindh.[4]
Scholars have constructed various explanations for these questions.
Scholars state that Scylax's expedition was not merely for exploration, but rather for reconnaissance for future conquest by Darius. According to Matthew R. Christ and
Darius also commissioned the completion of
I commanded to dig this canal from the Nile...to the sea which goes from Persia; afterwards this canal [was dug] thus as I commanded, and [ships] passed from Egypt by this canal to Persia as was my [will].[12]
Afterwards, oceanic communication between India and Persia as well as Egypt and Mediterranean were established and maintained for some time.[12]
Works
Scylax wrote an account of his travels, perhaps entitled Periplus (Circumnavigation) and said to have been dedicated to Darius. The work has disappeared except for seven quotations by later writers. The surviving quotations indicate it was not merely a logbook, but contained accounts of people, landscape, the natural conditions and perhaps also political affairs. Scholar Klaus Karttunen believes that it might have been written in Greek, in which case it would have been among the first works to be written in Greek prose. Hekataios was influenced by the work and Herodotus knew about it, though he may not have actually seen it himself.[7][13]
The surviving quotations appear fabulous. One talks about Troglodytes (cave-dwellers), another about Monophthalmic (one-eyed people), yet another about Henotiktontes (people that produce only one offspring). According to Tzetzes, Scylax claimed that all these things were true and not made up. Scholar R. D. Milns states that Scylax would have reported the stories he heard from the natives, which he would have accepted in good faith.[7]
Scylax's Periplus provided the West with its first account of the easterly people and served as a model for later Greek writers.
Scylax was famous in the ancient world. He is mentioned by
In popular culture
In the historical fiction novel Creation by Gore Vidal Scylax of Caryanda appears as a character who is on such familiar terms with King Darius I of Persia that they engage in humorous banter about extending Persian rule to India.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Mouton, Rutherford & Yakubovich, Luwian Identities 2013, p. 450.
- ^ Karttunen, India in Early Greek Literature 1989, pp. 65–66.
- ^ a b c Parker, The Making of Roman India 2008, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Parker, The Making of Roman India 2008, p. 16.
- ^ Bivar, The Indus Lands (Cambridge Ancient History) 1988, pp. 202–204.
- ^ Bivar, The Indus Lands (Cambridge Ancient History) 1988, p. 202.
- ^ a b c Milns, Greek Writers on India Before Alexander 2008, p. 354.
- ^ Parker, The Making of Roman India 2008, p. 14–15, footnote 8.
- ^ a b Olmstead, History of the Persian Empire 1948, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Gray & Cary, The Reign of Darius (Cambridge Ancient History) 1926, p. 183.
- ^ Vogelsang, The Achaemenids and India 1986, p. 107.
- ^ a b Gray & Cary, The Reign of Darius (Cambridge Ancient History) 1926, p. 200.
- ^ Karttunen, India in Early Greek Literature 1989, p. 66.
- JSTOR 41693244.
- ^ Milns, Greek Writers on India Before Alexander 2008, p. 353.
- ^ Vogelsang, The Achaemenids and India 1986, pp. 102–103.
- ^ Strabo, Geography 14. 2. 20 (Σκύλαξ ὁ παλαιὸς συγγραφεύς). Scylax was mentioned 12. 4. 8 and 13. 1. 4
- ^ Arnaldo Momigliano, The Development of Greek Biography, Harvard UP, 1971, p. 29
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-521-22804-6
- Gray, G. B.; Cary, M. (1926), "The Reign of Darius", in J. B. Bury; S. A. Cook; F. E. Adcock (eds.), Cambridge Ancient History, Volume IV – The Persian Empire and the West, Cambridge University Press, pp. 173–228
- Karttunen, Klaus (1989), India in Early Greek Literature, Finnish Oriental Society, ISBN 978-951-9380-10-0
- Milns, R. D. (2008). "Greek Writers on India Before Alexander". Australian Journal of Politics & History. 35 (3): 353–363. ISSN 0004-9522.
- Mouton, Alice; Rutherford, Ian; Yakubovich, Ilya (2013), Luwian Identities: Culture, Language and Religion Between Anatolia and the Aegean, BRILL, ISBN 978-90-04-25341-4
- Olmstead, A. T. (1948), History of the Persian Empire, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0-226-62777-9
- ISBN 978-0-521-85834-2
- Vogelsang, W., "The Achaemenids and India, Two Worlds in Contact", in Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg; Amélie Kuhrt (eds.), Centre and Periphery: Proceedings of the Groningen 1986 Achaemenid History Workshop, pp. 93–[permanent dead link]
Ancient sources
External links
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Archived 2009-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 519.