Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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History documentary on the first contact of Indians and Romans. You can manage your own business with all-in-one tools on Odoo: odoo.com/r/wYp

In this history documentary we explore the story of ancient Indian contacts with the west. This begins with early contacts which were established by the Achaemenid Empire. Through their dealings, figures like Herodotus began to gain second hand accounts of what lay to the far east of the known world. However it would not be until the conquests of Alexander the Great that the Greeks were able to have a look for themselves.

During the ensuing centuries, Alexander's successor states would vie for control of his domains which increasingly involved exchanges with India. From this period are recorded several works on the sub continent which cover its geography, plants, animals, people, culture, government, history, and people. This gives us a unique glimpse into the Mauryan Empire of the 2nd century BC. At the time Rome was too insignificant to have been involved in such exchanges but likely grew aware of what was occurring on the periphery of their world. Eventually as Rome came to dominate the Mediterranean they would actually inherit the east-west relations of their predecessors.

In this episode we cover the turning point in history when Roman and India made first contact. This involved a series of embassies sent by various Indian powers. We focus on the best documented of these and bring it to life.

Suggested Reading:
“Roman History” by Cassius Dio
“Geography” by Strabo
“Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India” by Moti Chandra
“The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean by Raoul McLaughlin”
“On the Indian Embassy to Augustus” by Osmond De Beauvoir Priaulx
“Arrian on India and Cross-Cultural Journey of Myths” by Kanad Sinha

Credits:
Research = Invicta
Script = Invicta
Narration = Invicta
Art = Penta Limited

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:16 Greeks in India
06:45 Descriptions of India
10:46 Indo-Roman Relations
14:37 Indians in Rome
17:43 Impact of Indian Trade
20:28 Outro

#history
#documentary
#rome