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The Indo-Scythian Conquest of the Lower Indus Valley (145 BCE)
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In the mid-2nd century BCE, a significant power shift occurred in South Asia when the Indo-Scythians (Sakas), a branch of the nomadic Scythian tribes from Central Asia, annexed the Lower Indus Valley around 145 BCE. This event marked a crucial phase in the decline of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the rise of nomadic dynasties in the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
The Scythians, originally from the Eurasian steppes, were pushed southward due to pressure from other nomadic groups like the Yuezhi. They first entered Bactria (modern Afghanistan and Tajikistan), destabilizing the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. By the mid-2nd century BCE, some Scythian tribes moved further southeast into Gandhara and the Indus Valley, clashing with local Indo-Greek rulers.
Around 145 BCE, the Indo-Scythians, possibly under an early leader such as Maues (Moga), seized control of the Lower Indus Valley, including key cities like Barbaricum (near modern Karachi) and Minnagara. This region was a vital trade hub, connecting Central Asia with the Indian Ocean.
The conquest likely occurred amid weakening Indo-Greek power. The Indo-Greek king Apollodotus I or his successors may have lost control of the area due to internal strife and external invasions. The Saka (Indo-Scythian) rulers gradually established their dominance, blending nomadic warrior traditions with local Hellenistic and Indian administrative practices.
While historical records from this period are fragmentary, numismatic evidence and later accounts (like the Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman) confirm the Indo-Scythian presence in the region.
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