Sophagasenos also spelt Sophagasenus or Sophagasenas
was a local ruler of
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
and
Kapisa valley (
Paropamisade of the classical writings) during the last decade of 3rd century BCE. Sophagasenus finds reference only in "The Histories" of
Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
.
Names and identity
Sophagasenus is probably derived from the name Shubhagasena.
According to Wilhem Von Pochhammer,
Antiochus III
Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the r ...
, 6th successor of Seleucus, was resisted not by Mauryas but by a local ruler named Subhagasena.
According to the Cambridge History of India, Indian history knows no ruler of corresponding name, and it has therefore been conjectured that Sophagasenus was some local ruler who had taken advantage of the decay of the Maurya empire to establish his own in the country west of Indus. Historian John Ma calls Sophagasenos a local dynast, otherwise unknown from any of Indian sources.
Historian Dr Romila Thapar is strongly against the view that Subhagasena was a Maurya king.
Polybius on Sophagasenus
Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
(), the Greek historian, makes reference to Sophagasenus in context with
Antiochus III
Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the r ...
’s expedition across the Caucasus Indicus (
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
) in around 206 BCE. Having crossed the Caucasus Mountains, Antiochus moved up to Kabul and met Sophagasenus the king with whom he renewed league and friendship he had made previously. and received more elephants until he had one hundred and fifty of them all together. He then returned home via Arachosia, Drangiana and Karmania.
[Ref: Polybius, XI.34.11-12] No other source except Polybius makes any reference to Sophagasenus.
See also
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Kamboja Kingdom
Kamboja ( sa, कम्बोज) was a kingdom of Iron Age India that spanned parts of South and Central Asia, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Eponymous with the kingdom name, the Kambojas were an Indo-Iranian people o ...
*
Apraca dynasty
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Bajaur casket
Notes
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
Indian warriors
3rd-century BC Indian monarchs
History of Pakistan