Gedrosian campaign
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Pukkusati War with Cyrus
| place = Balochistan (present-day Pakistan)
| partof = the Campaigns of Cyrus the Great
| image = Gedrosia-Maka (Satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire).png
| territory =
| result = Gandhara victoryauthor=Israel Smith Clare|book="Library of universal history : containing a record of the human race from the earliest historical period to the present time : embracing a general survey of the progress of mankind in national and social life, civil government, religion, literature, science and art"|page =490|access-date=2025-04-06|url=https://archive.org/embed/libraryofunivers04clar
| combatants_header = Belligerents
| combatant1 = Gandhara
| commander1 = Pushkarasarin
| casualties1 = Unknown
| casualties2 = Entire
army except for 7 survivors annihilated
}}
The Gedrosian campaign of Cyrus the Great was a military expedition of the Achaemenids in the modern-day Balochistan region against the Hindus or Indians.{{Cite book |last=Clare |first=Israel Smith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UUQAAAAYAAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=Ancient history |date=1906 |publisher=Union Book Company |language=en}}
Background
According to Herodotus, after the rise of Cyrus the Great, he went on to conquer numerous states. He also built a city named Cyropolis which is located at Sogdia. Pliny suggests numerous campaigns of Cyrus the Great into the regions near Kabul.{{Cite book |last=Clifford |first=John Herbert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOw2AQAAMAAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=The Standard History of the World |date=1907 |publisher=University society Incorporated |language=en}}
Campaign
The Achaemenid Army was in great distress in the deserts of Gedrosia. In this expedition, he is said to have lost much of his army in the desert, marking a remarkable defeat and retreat of the Persians.{{Cite book |last=Rawlinson |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LPN4DwAAQBAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=The Persian Empire |date=2018-03-15 |publisher=Endymion Press |isbn=978-1-5312-9575-2 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=M ́Clintock |first=John Strong, James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tazdDwAAQBAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: Volume II |date=2020-04-17 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-3-8460-5025-5 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=Garvin |first1=James Louis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XYFGAQAAIAAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=The Encyclopedia Britannica |last2=Hooper |first2=Franklin Henry |last3=Cox |first3=Warren E. |date=1929 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica Company, Limited |language=en}}
Aftermath
There is no evidence of Cyrus subjugating Gedrosia, and it has been described by various historians that it was most likely under Darius the Great when this region came under Persian control.{{Cite book |last1=Kellogg |first1=Day Otis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=va8jAQAAMAAJ&q=cyrus+defeated+gedrosia |title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: A-ZYM |last2=Baynes |first2=Thomas Spencer |date=1903 |publisher=Werner |language=en}} The difficulties faced by Cyrus the great were also observed during the Gedrosrian campaign of Alexander the Great.
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last=Stein |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.2466 |title=An Archaeological Tour in Gedrosia |date=1931}}