Ancient Greek Buddhists

Somewhere a lonely person uttered the last ever prayer to Zeus. I wonder, did that person live in the Mediterranean or India?

It's wild to look at a timeline of overlapping cultures and histories. So many things coexisted in time for such great lengths of time that there's all kinds of intricate connections.

My parents are from Sri Lanka which is majority Buddhist. It blew my mind to learn that a Greek monk was present at the dedication of the Anuradhapura Maha Thupa c. 137 B.C. "From Alasanda the city of the Yonas came the thera (elder) Yona Mahadhammarakkhita with thirty thousand bhikkhus." (Mahavamsa, XXIX)

Fun fact: The most famous Greek-Buddhist king of India was Menander who after conversion changed his name to 'Mahendra / Milinda'. He was converted by the Buddhist monk 'Nagasena' after long sessions of discussions. They were compiled in the book called 'Milindapanho' or the Questions of Menander.

Sanskrit plays frequently refer to Yavana Sundaris or Greek beauties who were part of the Ganika community, the ancient Indian equivalent of the Greek Hetairas. In many Indian languages including my mother tongue Malayalam, Yavana Sundari is still used to refer to beautiful women. And there is a famous Malayalam song beginning with the word. And it seems the English word Therapeutic, originally derived from Greek Therapeut, might have been derived from the Pali word Theraputta (Sanskritam Theraputra), meaning a son or follower of the Buddha. There are Theragathas and Therigathas in Pali which refer to psalms by the Buddhist monks and nuns respectively. The Buddhists were great healers and Buddhist rulers even had hospitals for animals established in their kingdoms.

As a Greek this is weird yet at the same time amazing to me.

This is an insanely interesting aspect of history I didn’t even know existed!!

The legacy of Alexander is simply astounding

I've long had a fascination with the Greco-bactrian kingdoms and the greek presence in central asia and india. This video of yours is an absolute treat. Great work!

Syncretism is one of the most interesting things about world history

Brownie points for mentioning Kalanos’s self-immolation in Alexandria. Thought this was going to be more generic than that, but you went deep. I would like to mention that the aniconic art hypothesis is widely accepted, but not considered definitive! Early Buddhist icons may have been made of wood and didn’t last (the Agama texts that give instructions on icon making instruct to make them out of wood). The aniconic steles found are typically labeled in their inscriptions as pilgrimage sites, so may not actually be depicting the Buddha’s life events as assumed, and which would explain his absence.

Incredible. Knowledgeable. Toldinstone, you are the G.O.A.T. of Ancient Roman Youtubers!

First my jaw dropped to the floor, and then my head exploded. I had no idea. Thank you.

The Greco-Bactrian kingdoms have a passing mention in our Indian history books taught at school. This is a great insight into this part of Indian history ! Also, appreciate your accurate pronounciation of Indian names. 😁

Marcus Aurelius mentions many Buddhist themes in his Meditations. He must have had some awareness of the teachings, if not directly through the Roman trade routes, then indirectly through Greek texts now lost to us.

More on the Greeks in Afghanistan PLEASE!! I was there and saw the remnants but would love to know more!!!

Brilliant video. It is sometimes too easy to forget how far afield the merchants and traders, leaders and philosophers, of the Greek, Roman, and even, Egyptian, Empires, and their other related Empires, travelled throughout the Ancient World. And the influences they left, and brought back, from those travels. Keep up the great work.

Love learning about cultural interactions like this!

You have, by far, the most unique and informative videos related to this topic. It’s been such a joy to watch, and I’ve learned a lot! Can’t wait to listen to your book on audio :)

Not long ago I researched a bit on the origins of Thai Buddhism, and I was fascinated to learn that Theravada iconography is derived from Hellenistic sources.