Hindush


Hindush was an Indian province of the Achaemenid Empire following the Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley circa 500 BC. According to Herodotus, it was the "easternmost province" of the empire. It is believed to have continued as a province until the invasion of the empire by Alexander the Great circa 326 BC.

Name

Hindush was written in Achaemenid inscriptions as Hidūsh.
It is widely accepted that the name Hindush derives from Sindhu, the Sanskrit name of the Indus river as well as the region at the lower Indus basin. The Proto-Iranian sound change *s > h occurred between 850–600 BCE, according to Asko Parpola. The -sh suffix is common among the names of many Achaemenid provinces, such as Harauvatish or Bakhtrish. Accordingly, Hindush would mean the land of Sindhu.
The Greeks of Asia Minor, who were also part of the Achaemenid empire, called the province 'India'. More precisely, they called the people of the province as 'Indians' The loss of the aspirate was probably due to the dialects of Greek spoken in Asia Minor. Herodotus also generalised the term "Indian" from the people of Hindush to all the people living to the east of Persia, even though he had no knowledge of the geography of the land.

Location

The territory may have corresponded to the area covering the lower and central Indus basin. To the north of Hindush was Gandāra. These areas remained under Persian control until the invasion by Alexander.
Alternatively, some authors consider that Hindush may have been located in the Punjab area.

Hindush in the Achaemenid army

According to Herodotus, the 'Indians' participated to the Second Persian invasion of Greece circa 480 BCE. At the final Battle of Platea, they formed one of the main corps of Achaemenid troops. Indians were still supplying troops and elephants for the Achaemenid army at the Battle of Gaugamela. They are also depicted on the Achaemenid tombs of Naqsh-e Rostam and Persepolis.