Question

Who among the following writer’s books gives detailed information about the invasion of India by Alexander?
A) Herodotus
B) Megasthenes
C) Arrian
D) Ptolemy

Answer 1

Hint: He was a Roman-era Greek historian, public official, military commander, and philosopher. He also wrote about Alexander the Great and Indica.

Complete answer:
Alexander invaded India in 326 BC, crossing the Indus River on his way to Taxila. King Porus, monarch of the realm between the rivers Jhelum and Chenab, was then challenged. Despite fighting with elephants, which the Macedonians had never seen before, the Indians were beaten in the ferocious conflict.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Herodotus: Cicero dubbed Herodotus the "Father of History." He wrote on the Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian civilizations, as well as the Ancient Greeks. Herodotus most likely presented his stories in front of big crowds in Greek cities during his lifetime. This was done for money by some guys at the time. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Megasthenes: Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador from the court of the Seleucid Emperor to that of Chandragupta Maurya, left us with the oldest and most detailed record we have on India. Based on his travels, he composed the Indika, a description of India. He didn’t write about the invasion of India by Alexander. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option C) Arrian: Arrian was a Greek governor who served Roman Emperor Hadrian. His most renowned work, "The Anabasis of Alexander," contains detailed details regarding Alexander's invasion of India. Hence, this option is correct.
Option D) Ptolemy: He didn’t write about the invasion of India by Alexander but Ptolemy contributed to astronomy, mathematics, geography, musical theory, and optics, among other disciplines. He created the first surviving table of a trigonometric function and proved mathematically that an object and its mirror image must make equal angles to a mirror. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Therefore, Option ‘C’ i.e, Arrian is the correct answer.

Note: Arrian also published a hunting book, Cynegeticus, as well as several essays, including Periplus, Tactica, and “The Order of Battle Against the Alans,” a description of how he vanquished barbarians.
Our most important source on Alexander's rule is Arrian's Anabasis ("travel up-country"). The reason for this is that Arrian ignored Cleitarchus' highly famous Alexander's History in favour of other, superior sources.