The present paper focuses on one of the testimonies handed down by Strabo in book XV of his Geographia, namely that attributed to Onesicritus, the renowned helmsman in Alexander’s fleet who was sent by Alexander himself to converse with this group. Following in the footsteps of some Indologists and Greek history and literature scholars, our investigation will concentrate mainly on the single episode of Calanus’ self-incineration, with the aim of trying to understand whether these aspects rely on a specific tradition, particularly Brahmanical or non-Brahmanical doctrine. On the basis of some Vedic sources dealing with the leader’s self-immolation a slight change to one of the most authoritative current hypotheses on this question will be proposed.

What Was the πάτριος νόμος of the Sophists with Whom Onesicritus Conversed (Strab. 15.1.64): Some Fresh Data from Vedic Sources

Tiziana Pontillo
2024-01-01

Abstract

The present paper focuses on one of the testimonies handed down by Strabo in book XV of his Geographia, namely that attributed to Onesicritus, the renowned helmsman in Alexander’s fleet who was sent by Alexander himself to converse with this group. Following in the footsteps of some Indologists and Greek history and literature scholars, our investigation will concentrate mainly on the single episode of Calanus’ self-incineration, with the aim of trying to understand whether these aspects rely on a specific tradition, particularly Brahmanical or non-Brahmanical doctrine. On the basis of some Vedic sources dealing with the leader’s self-immolation a slight change to one of the most authoritative current hypotheses on this question will be proposed.
2024
978-3-11-140794-4
978-3-11-142761-4
978-3-11-142783-6
Alexander the Great; Self-incineration; Vedic sources; Strabo
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Pontillo Patrios nomos.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: versione editoriale (VoR)
Dimensione 490.34 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
490.34 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11584/407583
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact