Hi,
First off, I want to thank you all for a great web site, and online books.
I’ve pretty much finished the JWW intro to Greek book and am now
slogging through Xenophons Anabasis. Doing this as a self taught is
great but, aside from a few posts on this site and a few elsewhere, I’ve
found it hard to decide wich authors to pursue and which of their books
to buy. For example I think Herodotus VII is the book containing
Thermopylae, but I"m not certain. I’d like to ask if there are any web
sites you may know of containing synopses of Greek texts? The online
booksellers have some info but..
Furthermore, I have one topic I’d like to trace, but am having a hard time
trying to find. In the Buddhist Canon, there is a book called “The
Questions of King Milinda”. This King is actually a Greek king/satrap
of Bactria named Menander, I think. Are there any Greek sources dealing
with post Alexandrian Afghanistan that might deal with this topic.
Thank you
richc
I believe it is no Greek text about this Menander (reign : about 160 - 130 BC). Coins of this king have been found.
You shoud see the Realenzyklopädie (Pauly-Wissowa etc)
Also : A.K NARAIN, The Indo-Greeks, Oxford, 1957;
J.W. SEDLAR, India and the Greek World, Totowa, New Jersey, 1980
(books mentioned by Peter GREEN, “From Alexander to Actium” - after the title of the French translation -, Thames & Hudson / University of California Press, 1990)
[quote author=Skylax link=board=2;threadid=287;start=0#1807 date=1058896960]
I believe it is no Greek text about this Menander
[/quote]
Wrong. I’ve had a look at “Der Neue Pauly”. They mention STRABO, 11, 11, 1 and a Latin source : POMPEIUS TROGUS, 41.
Also PLUTARCH, Moralia, page 821D = Praecepta gerendae reipublicae, 28 :
Mena/ndrou de/ tinoj e)n Ba/ktroij e)pieikw=j basileusa/ntoj ei)=t’ a)poqano/ntoj e)pi\ stratope/dou, th\n me\n a)/llhn e)poih/santo khdei/an kata\ to\ koino\n ai( po/leij, peri\ de\ tw=n leiya/nwn au)tou= katasta/ntej ei)j a)gw=na mo/lij sune/bhsan, w(/ste neima/menoi me/roj i)/son th=j te/fraj a)pelqei=n, kai\ gene/sqai mnhmei=a para\ pa=si tou= a)ndro/j.
Among the Bactri, a certain Menander was a fair king, who later died in the field. His cities made the whole funeral jointly, but they came to struggle about his remnants and could hardly come to an agreement. So they divided the ashes equally and received each their part of it, and there was a tomb of the man in every city.
(Any correction welcome)