COIN OF ALCHON HUNS WITH GREEK SCRIPT

ALCHON HUNS ~ GREEK SCRIPT COIN

Greek influence in Asia 700 years after Alexander the Great

The Alchon Huns, (Bactrian: αλχον(ν)ο Alchon(n)o), also known as the Alchono, Alxon, Alkhon, Alkhan, Alakhana, and Walxon, were a nomadic people who established states in Central Asia and South Asia during the 4th and 6th centuries CE.They were first mentioned as being located in Paropamisus, and later expanded south-east, into the Punjab and Central India, as far as Eran and Kausambi. The Alchon invasion of the Indian subcontinent eradicated the Kidarite Huns who had preceded them by about a century, and contributed to the fall of the Gupta Empire, in a sense bringing an end to Classical India.

The invasion of India by the Huna peoples follows invasions of the subcontinent in the preceding centuries by the Yavana (Indo-Greeks), the Saka (Indo-Scythians), the Palava (Indo-Parthians), and the Kushans.

The Alchon Huns initially issued anonymous coins based on Sasanian designs. Several types of these coins are known, usually minted in Bactria, using Sasanian coinage designs with busts imitating Sasanian kings Shapur II (r.309 to 379 CE) and Shapur III (r.383 to 388 CE), adding the Alchon Tamgha  and the name "Alchono" (αλχοννο) in Bactrian script (a slight adaptation of the Greek script which had been introduced in the region by the Greco-Bactrians in the 3rd century BCE) on the obverse, and with attendants to a fire altar, a standard Sasanian design, on the reverse.It is thought the Alchons took over the Sasanian mints in Kabulistan after 385 CE, reusing dies of Shapur II and Shapur III, to which they added the name "Alchono".

SOURCE Coinsindia ,Wikipedia 

ARTIFACTS REVEAL HISTORY : A HELLENISTIC SILVER VASE IN CHINA

 

One of the most fascinating Hellenistic cultural relics was  unearthed in Guyuan, Ningxia, in the northwestern border of China. It is a Bactrian silver pot, which was made in the 5th-6th century CE. Although this object was found in China, the pattern on the pot is a very classic Trojan myth: Paris' verdict (golden apple), and Paris elopes with  Helen.

The leftmost scene in the picture is Paris eloping with Helen. Helen’s costume is similar to that of Aphrodite, but without Aphrodite’s headband and earrings. Paris is almost naked except for the helmet and cloak. He is holding Helen's hand with one hand, and holding Helen's chin with the other, which symbolizes love in Greek vase paintings, while Helen is lifting one foot up the steps, as if to board a ship. In this pattern, Helen's movement is a three-bending posture that meets the Indian art standard. This movement is distributed from North India to Xinjiang, China, and then to the Central Plains.

In the middle scene, Helen and her husband Menelaus appear. The meaning of the specific scene is still debated.

The rightmost picture in the scene shows the scene of Paris and Aphrodite, Paris holds a spear in one hand, and then gives the golden apple to Goddess Aphrodite. Although these ancient Greek characters have typical deformations or distortions in the shape of the characters, they generally retain the basic shape of the ancient Greek hero prototype. Finally, on the handle of the pot, there is also a Greek-style figure wearing a helmet.

This silver pot was made in the area ruled by the White Huns in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. The maker may be a Greek craftsman in the Greek community, and then entered Northwest China through the Central Asian trade route, and entered Li In Xian's mansion. And Li Xian's epitaph shows that although he has a Han-style name, his true identity is a foreign race: Li Xian's tenth ancestor was named Tengdigui, and he was a leader of Xianbei. Afterwards, the descendants of Tengdigui entered the Central Plains with the Northern Wei Dynasty. So obviously Lee Hyun was born into a multicultural environment. The Greek descendants of Bactria should fully understand the meaning of these cultural relics, but after arriving in the Central Plains after a long journey along the Silk Road, it is unclear whether the owner of this Bactrian silver jug ​​knew the cultural meaning of this jug. Not sure, but it must be very interesting how Li Xian understood the pattern on this pot.

In fact, this is not the first time that the ancient Chinese came into contact with ancient Greek-style cultural relics and artworks. Almost at the same time, there is also a silver plate with Dionysus, the God of wine, in the center of the plate. It is probably also a masterpiece of Greek craftsmen in the Bactria area; the "Qianlianglu" quoted in "Taiping Yulan" records: "During the Zhanggui period, Xihu made golden vases, all of which were made by brushes, strange shapes, and taller than others. , two pieces", this is the earliest record in Chinese historical materials that mentions that the suspected Greek- style artworks entered the Han cultural circle; During the archaeological excavation at the Ya site, a garbage dump equivalent to the end of the Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period was found. Among a pile of pottery fragments, rags, straw, and pieces of leather, there are some administrative wooden slips of the Han Dynasty, and some of them have clay seals of Greek Gods . Although the painting style has an oriental color, But this is still classic ancient Greek style:

Among them are the images of Hermes, Zeus, Athena and Hercules, and unearthed together with them, there are also seals of officials who manage Shanshan. The word "Shanshan" is clearly recognizable after more than 2,000 years , I just don’t know if the Central Plains officials who used these bamboo slips and seals at that time knew the relevant stories about the mythical figures on these round seals.

If you want to know more stories about Silk Road cultural relics, you can read "History of Silk Road Civilization in Ten Ancient Relics" by Houlang Publishing House. 

Edited from  : 163.com

STATUE OF GREEK TITAN PROMETHEUS IN SOCHI, RUSSIA

 At Sochi National park, there is a mountain road which leads to Orliniye skaly( the Eagle Rocks) . There, the visitor can admire the statue of the Greek Titan Prometheus, breaking free from Ηis chains . The statue was placed here in 1998, to mark the place local legend maintains is the very spot Prometheus suffered His torments. It is believed that the Greek God Zeus nailed Prometheus to these very rocks to punish Him for granting fire to humans. Local legends also speak about a local girl named Agura, who tried to ease the sufferings of the bound God, by secretly providing Him with water. She did this until she herself was turned into a raging river at the foot of the rock.  To this day. mountain eagles, the same kind of bird that feasted on Prometheus' liver,  make their nests here up.

Photo credit: TASS/Victor Klyushkin

Edited from: Russia  Beyond

STATUETTE OF A GREEK SOLDIER ~ CHINA

Statuette of a Greek soldier, wearing a version of the Greek Phrygian helmet, from a 3rd-century BCE burial site north of the Tian Shan .Photo by Goldsmelter, Xinjiang Region Museum, Urumqi.

Source ~ Wikipedia

TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES ~ THE SONS OF GREEK TITANS

 Tigris and Euphrates are not only two of the most important rivers in asia. In Hellenic Religion ,they are also River Gods and brothers. 

 Both of them are among the 3,000 offspring of the Greek Titans Okeanos ( Οceanus ) and Tithys.Tigris  was worshipped as a River-God of Assyria in west Asia (modern day Iraq), and Euphrates

 was a river-god of Assyria in west Asia (modern Turkey and Iraq).

Edited from ~ theoi.com

THE PLAN OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT TO CONQUER ARABIA

In 324 BCE, Alexander the Great sent naval expeditions to make a survey of Arabia in preparation for an invasion he was planning.  There were meetings with the admiral of his fleet, Nearchus, whose newly-restored fleet was ready for the next great campaign in Arabia. Alexander ordered dredging around Babylon to build a proper harbor, sufficient to supply 1,000 warships with maintenance facilities and docks. His days were filled with business, his nights in poring over maps and descriptions of unknown islands, far lands, navigational problems, the advice of subordinates, all in preparation for his conquest of Arabia.

Although his death in 323 B.C.E. stopped the invasion, the men whom Alexander sent succeeded in providing the Greeks with detailed information about Arabia.  Some of the expedition leaders produced surveys which have come down to us through the Greek historians and geographers. From Arrian’s,Anabasis, we know that Alexander built a large harbor at Babylon as part of his preparation for conquering Arabia. Arrian wrote:

“Near Babylon, he constructed a harbor by excavation l enough to afford anchorage for 1,000 ships of war; and adjoining the harbor he built dockyards. Miccalus the Clazomenian was dispatched to Phoenicia and Syria with 500 talents to enlist some men and purchase others who were experienced in nautical affairs… He made these preparations for the fleet to attack the main body of the Arab.”  

Arrian explained that Alexander planned to occupy Arabia:

“…under the pretext that they were the only barbarians of this region who had not sent an embassy to him or done anything else becoming their position and showing respect to him. But the truth was, as it seems to me, that Alexander was insatiably ambitious of acquiring fresh territory.”

Arrian cited other reasons that Alexander planned to occupy Arabia: its fertility and the growth of certain plants there. Arrian wrote:

“The fertility of the land was a secret inducement to him to invade it. He had heard that the people obtained cassia from the lakes and myrrh and frankincense from the trees, that cinnamon was cut from the shrubs, and that the meadows produced spikenard without any cultivation.” 

Alexander sent three naval expeditions from Babylon. The first was under Archias, who went as far as the island of Tylus (Bahrain). Aristobulus’ account of the expedition contains a description of the sacred island of Icaros (modern-day Falaika, 20 km off the coast of Kuwait) and also informs Arrian’s extensive description of the southern shores of the Persian Gulf. Archias was followed by Androsthenes of Thasos who reached the Straits of Hormuz in 423 BCE. Androsthenes wrote a book describing his voyage. The book is lost, but his work was a subject of study by the later Greek historians and geographers.

The third naval expedition Alexander sent was under Hieron of Soli. Arrian wrote:

“Hieron of Soli, the pilot, also received a triacontor [30-oared ship] from Alexander and advanced farthest of those whom he had despatched to this region; for he had received instructions to sail round the whole Arabian peninsula as far as the Arabian Gulf near Egypt over against Heroopolis. Though he had sailed round the greater part of Arabia, Hieron did not dare go further, but turned back to Babylon.”

Hieron’s sailing “round the greater part of Arabia” means that he sailed around western Arabia. But he turned back. We suppose the reason Hieron turned back before reaching the Egyptian Gulf opposite to Heroopolis was the arid tract of central western Arabia. We can understand this from another document in which Arrian wrote about a voyage of Nearchus, who was instructed “to find out what men inhabit it, to discover the harbors and rivers in it, to ascertain the customs of the people, and to see if any of the country was fertile and if any was sterile. This was why Alexander’s naval expedition returned in safety; for if it had sailed beyond the deserts of Arabia, it would not have returned in safety. This is said also to have been the reason that Hieron turned back.”

Arrian tells us that the Greek explorers were explicitly instructed to explore and learn about the inhabitants, their customs, the fertility of the lands, etc. They had to give a complete picture. Sailing around Arabia allowed them to gather in-depth information about the lands and the cities that existed in their day. The information they gathered became an important resource for the later Greek explorers of Arabia.

An important historical note: The circadian process was first described by one of Alexander’s sea captains, Androsthenes, who observed the diurnal leaf movements of a tamarind tree. The circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings. Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings. There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle.

Edited from historyofmacedonia.wordpress

STATUE OF GREEK GOD PAN FOUND DURING EXCAVATIONS IN CONSTANTINOPLE

  

The excavation works which are being carried out at Saraçhane Archaeology Park in Constantinople, have revealed a new artifact:  a fragment of a statue depicting Pan, the Greek God of shepherds and flocks.

In a statement by the Constantinople Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), it was reminded that excavation works have been ongoing at Saraçhane Archaeology Park, where the Church of Saint Polyeuktos is located, since June 8, 2022.

The statement mentioned that the excavation works were being conducted on the northwest side of the main structure.

"At a depth of approximately 2,60 m from the surface, within the backfill soil, a fragment of a marble statue depicting Pan, known as the God of shepherds and flocks in ancient Greek mythology, was found. The statue, measuring 20 centimeters in height and 18 centimeters in width, was identified to have a broken left arm and the lower part of the body. It is believed to date back to the Roman period, and after the expert examination, further dating will be conducted," the statement read.

"While this description gives Pan a pastoral nature due to his direct association with nature, his depiction as a half-goat, half-human figure in all myths has made him a frightening character. In fact, Pan's sudden appearance in front of people in the fields, frightening them with his image, inspired the word 'panic.' Despite being the God of shepherds, Pan is often depicted in sources as a lovable figure who roams the meadows playing the flute, contrasting with his intimidating appearance. However, in many sources, Pan is described as having the ability to scream and frighten enemies, causing panic," the statement added.

It was reported that the fragment of the Pan statue was taken by the Constantinople Archaeology Museums Directorate and transferred to the museum's storage facility.

EDITED FROM the Daily Sabah

THE GREEKS IN RAMAYANA, THE GREAT EPIC POEM OF INDIA

 

Greeks are mentioned in various chapters of the Ramayana, India’s great epic poem. This implies that Greeks were actually present in what is modern day India before the composition of this epic poem, which narrates the journey of virtue in the annihilation of vice.

However, Sankalia clarifies it was only after the second Greek invasion that Indians became quite familiar with Greeks and Indo-Greeks. This was after the besieging of Pataliputra and Madhyamika in Rajasthan by the Greeks. Pataliputra is in modern day Patna in Eastern India while Madhyamika is a hill fort, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site near Chitor.

After the Greeks, Scythians, and Kushanas arrived in the region of India, according to a Georgian theory, the Abhiras, Huns, and Gurjaras subsequently followed. However, no mention of either the Abhiras or Huns is found in the Ramayana.

The “Bala Kanda” of the Valmiki Ramayana covers the childhood of Lord Ram, the seventh reincarnation of Hindu god Vishnu as the prince—and later king—of Ayodhya. At least a portion of the Bala Kanda is dated to a time earlier than the second century CE. but after the second Indo-Greek invasion.

The Greeks first began their invasion of India under Alexander the Great in 326 B.C.E, when they crossed the Indus River into Punjab. In fact, Ayodhya was ruled by Greeks for some time, as was Mathura. Thus, both the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the second of the two major Sanskrit epics, made mention of the Greeks. 

Ramayana and the Iliad

The Sanskrit Ramayana, written by Valmiki, contains nearly fifty thousand lines of verse. It is much longer than either the Iliad or the Odyssey. The Iliad and Ramayana in particular have several similarities, and a lot of study has actually been dedicated to comparing the two literary works. In the Iliad, the hero is Achilles, while Rama is the hero in Ramayana. Ramayana literally means “Rama’s Journey.”

Iliad and Ramayana similarities

In the Iliad, Paris abducts Helen, and Troy is attacked and burned. In the Ramayana, Sita, the wife of Rama, is abducted, and Lanka is attacked and burned by Hanuman, the monkey commander of the monkey army, who, as a child, attempted to grab the Sun when he mistook it for a fruit.

Rama is accompanied by Laxman, whom he loves dearly, and, at one point, he gets severely injured in battle, almost dying as a result of his wounds, though he is rescued by Hanuman. Similarly, Achilles is followed by Patroclus, who is devoted to him. Patroclus is injured and killed by Hector, who stabs him in the stomach with a spear.

In the oldest religious text of the Hindus, Rig Veda, Greeks are known as Alinas, meaning Hellenes, or Ancient Greeks. This attests to the presence of Greeks in Asia even at that earlier time. In the first book of the Ramayana, called “Boyhood,” which covers the childhood of Lord Rama and sets the scene for subsequent adventures, there is reference to Sakas (Scythians) , Palhavas (Persians), Yavanas (Greeks), and Yavana-misrita (Indo-Greeks).

The book of Kishkindha is the fourth book of Ramayana. In this book, King Sugriva, the monkey king of Kishkindha—a kingdom of the Vanaras in Hinduism now called Hampi—sent a group of Vanaras, or monkeys, to find Sita. Sita is a well-known Hindu goddess known for her courage and dedication. In Ramayana, she is known for her subtle strength.

The Vanaras that were sent out in search of Sita were also instructed to go to the territory of the Ionian Greeks, who were among the first outsiders to arrive in India. The Vanaras were thus sent to the north, where they were to search far and wide, including on various mountain ranges, China, and even among the Yavanas—the Ionians or more generally-speaking, the Greeks, for Sita.

There are three very characteristic features of the Sundara Kanda, the fifth and most popular book of the Ramayana of Valmiki. This book recounts the adventures of the monkey hero Hanuman in leaping across the ocean to the island citadel of Lanka as per Sankalia. There, he encounters facilities, including drinking houses and sports stadiums (kridagriha), of Indo-Greek origin.

Lord Rama provided Hanuman with a ring in order to convince Sita of his role as the agent of Lord Rama. It bore the name of Rama, according to Sankalia. Such finger-rings appeared for the first time when the Indo-Greeks and others ruled in Taxila and the general area of northwest India.

In fact, the best and perhaps only evidence of such rings of an early period is available from Taxila. Fortunately, this was fully discussed and illustrated by John Marshall, the director general of the Indian Archaeological Survey (1902–1931) during the British Raj years. 

Vishvamitra and Greeks

Mention of Greeks is found in reference to the sage Vishvamitra in both Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Vishvamitra was a Kshatriya king who attempted to steal the holy cow, Nandini, that was given by Indra, the king of the devas, or demigods.

The cow had been given to a Brahamana named Vasishtha, who, as per Ramayana, was the teacher of Lord Rama. A Brahamana is one who possesses the virtues of honesty, generosity, good conduct, discipline, and compassion. Priests and yogis are Brahamanas, for instance.

The sacred cow hence grew hostile, and its anger was so extreme that it attacked the troops of Vishvamitra. Various parts of the cow’s body thus birthed different ethnic groups. It was her womb which birthed an army of Greeks that then attacked the armies of King Vishvamitra and obliterated them.

When Vishvamitra witnessed the destruction unleashed on his forces by the ascetic power of Vasishtha, he grew disgusted by the power of warriors and came to the conclusion that neither his power nor wealth could possibly confront the power of a Brahamana. Thus, he abandoned his vast kingdom and regal riches to pursue the life of a hermit.

Vishvamitra set his mind on asceticism and became a great sage instead. He was famed for his yogic powers. Hence, it can be said that Greeks played a significant role in Vishvamitra’s transformation, and it is believed that the Greeks fought the armies of the Vishvamitra, Scythians, and Persians using wide-bladed swords.

Dasaratha and Greeks

Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya, a town on the banks of the holy river of Sarayu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was also the father of Lord Rama. Dasaratha married Kaikeyi, the daughter of Kekaya. Kekaya was the king of Gandhara, which connected trade routes of India, Central Asia, and the Middle East and was therefore culturally diverse and significant.

Ancient Greek historian Herodotus, attests that the Gandharian mercenaries of the First Persian Empire were recruited for the army of Emperor Xerxes I (486-465 BCE), which he led against the Greeks. The Ramayana epic provides only a general description of the country, though it does not reveal the names of the local rivers.

However, claims that the country on either bank of the Indus River was fertile and beautiful are true to this day. This territory was ruled by foreigners such as Persians, Greeks, Indo-Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, Sakas, and Kushanas, who had ruled for some time between 500 B.C.E to 100 C.E. The author of the Bala Kanda is familiar with Sakas, Yavanas, and Yavana-Misrita.

It is somewhat surprising that the composer of the Uttara Kanda is satisfied with a non-committal general name, Gandharva. A gandharva is actually a member of a group of celestial beings in Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism in which the males are divine performers—singers and musicians—and the females are divine dancers. They are, in other words, celestial demigods serving as musicians for the devas (gods).

The subsequent statement of King Yudhajit of Kekaya to “conquer these Gandharvas, and establish two cities here” is significant. At Sirkap (Taxila), the city conquered by the Indo-Greeks, there are no less than three palace complexes along with their temples, which were referred to.

Each palace complex had a number of courts. The various halls mentioned by the Ramayana in descriptions of the residence of Dasaratha and Rama are likely rather similar to the palaces and temples of the Indo-Greeks at Sirkap, as per Sankalia.

According to the Yuga Purana, a religious text of the Hindus, having invaded Ayodhya, the Panchalas, and Mathura, the Greeks then reached Kusumadhvaja, known as “the town of the flower-standard.” When the thick mud-fortified embankment at Pataliputra in modern Patna was reached, all the provinces were in disorder and complete chaos.

Ultimately, a great battle ensued. Demetrius was the Indo-Greek king of the sieges of Ayodhya and Madhyamika, mentioned by Yogaguru Patanjali. Greeks who ruled over these holy cities of Hindus were rather tolerant and inclusive because, instead of persecution, Indic religions were widely accepted into Greek society.

Lord Rama and Lord Krishna were reincarnations of Hindu god Vishnu, who, according to the Heliodorus pillar inscription, was worshipped by Heliodorus, an ambassador of the Indo-Greek king, Antialcidas. Antialcidas reigned from his capital at Taxila from around 115 to 95 B.C.E

The text of the pillar reads: “This Garuda-pillar of Vasudeva, the god of gods, was constructed here by Heliodora [Heliodorus], the Bhagavata, the son of Diya [Dion], of Takhkhashila [Taxila], the Greek ambassador who came from the Great King Amtalakita [Antialkidas] to king Kasiputra [Kashiputra] Bhagabhadra, the Savior, prospering in [his] fourteenth year.”

Hence, Greek Hinduism and Greek Buddhism played a vital role in the spread of these respective religions on a global scale as has been clarified herein, contributing to the merging of cultures on the Indian subcontinent.

SOURCE GREEK REPORTER

RELIGION IN ANCIENT GREECE ~ FULL CINEMATIC DOCUMENTARY

Documentary on Religion in Ancient Greece, Footage taken from Assassin's Creed Odyssey on PlayStation 4.

Source ~ LookHereMars