Mallian people () were a tribe from modern day southern

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, with capital at today's

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

city, south of the confluence of the

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

(

Hydaspes The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of Jammu an ...

) and

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (rapper) (born 1993), a Sou ...

, ( Hydraotes) rivers. They confronted

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

during his

Mallian campaign The Mallian campaign was conducted by Alexander the Great from November 326 to February 325 BC, against the Mallian people, Mallians of the Punjab region, Punjab. Alexander was defining the eastern limit of his power by marching down-river alon ...

in 326 BC. They are mentioned by ancient Greek historians during the campaign of Alexander.

Mallian campaign

After the mutiny of his army at river Beas, Alexander moved southward. Hearing this news, Mallians started making preparations for war. According to Greek reports they had gathered a total of 90,000

foot The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up o ...

, 10,000

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

and 900

chariots A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Ru ...

. However, Alexander advanced quickly then expectations of the Mallians and reached before they could flee. Many of them were massacred and rest fled to the Mallian capital, Multan.

Siege of Multan

Alexander besieged the city after arriving there some days later. When it prolonged, he leaped into the city before the Greek army could through ladders and even succeeded in killing the Mallian leader, however, he became injured by an arrow which struck him in the lungs. When Greeks became aware of it, they became furious thinking that Alexander had been killed, and started killing every Mallian in the city.

Aftermath

Alexander received the final submission of the Malli, who had submitted after the capture of their capital city. He sent their ambassadors away, and they returned later with 300 four horse chariots. In addition to this, Alexander also received 1,000 Indian shields, a number of lions and 100 talents. It is unclear what happened to the Mallian tribe after the campaign of Alexander. It is thought that they continued to occupy modern-day Multan in Punjab, during the

Indo-Greek The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Ancient Greece, Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The term "Indo-Greek Kingdom" ...

occupation of Punjab.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{ref end Ancient peoples of Pakistan Malavas