India and the Greek world. Starshov E.

The relationship of India and the Greek world is one of the most interesting pages in the history of world civilization. Despite the geographical remoteness of the studied regions and the difference between their historical destinies, there have been close cultural, political and trade relations between the Greek states and India.

we can distinguish several stages of familiarization of the Greek world with India. The first is before the campaign of Alexander. There were vague, random and fragmentary information about him, and mainly about the part of India, which was part of the Achaemenid Power. The second period dates back to the time of the campaign of Alexander the Great. The direct interaction of cultures laid the foundation in many respects of the reliable historical tradition of knowledge about India.

The third period can conditionally be called the "period of embassies" (late IV - beginning of the 3rd century BC). It is already associated with the names of the ambassadors of the Hellenistic states - Megasfen, Deimakh, Dionysius.

On the complex ways of interpenetration of the two great..