Indian Ethnography in Alexandrian Sources: A Missed Opportunity?

The earliest Greek sources on Alexander off er a rich harvest of ethnographic data concerning ancient India, including customs and traditions of Taxila, marriages, castes etc. However, although belonging to the Indian traditions, the names, fi gures, social and religious practices they mention often provide us an apparently confusing and incomplete picture. A deeper analysis shows that Alexander’s India as depicted in the fragments at our disposal is used to provide an exotic background to the legendary deeds of the conqueror. In a later period, as well as in the work of many historians who wrote about the life of Alexander, rather than being moved by a genuine interest to discover and describe India, these seem to be moved by diff erent purposes, characteristic of their time. The essay presents some considerations on the work of Arrian and Strabo, with particular reference to the fragments of Aristobulus and Megasthenes.