Gedrosian campaign
Achaemenid Persian campaign into India
The Gedrosian campaign of Cyrus the Great or Cyrus' Indian expedition was a military expedition of the Achaemenids which took place in Gedrosia (in the modern-day Balochistan region) against the Hindus or Indians.
Background
According to Herodotus, after the rise of Cyrus the Great, he went on to conquer numerous states. He also built a city named Cyropolis which is located at Sogdia. Pliny suggests numerous campaigns of Cyrus the Great into the regions near Kabul.
Campaign
The Achaemenid Army struggled greatly in the deserts of Gedrosia. In this expedition, he is said to have lost much of his army in the desert, marking a remarkable defeat and retreat of the Persians.
Aftermath
There is no evidence of Cyrus subjugating Gedrosia, and it has been described by various historians that it was most likely under Darius the Great when this region came under Persian control. The difficulties faced by Cyrus the Great were also observed during the Gedrosrian campaign of Alexander the Great.
Notes
Further reading
Stein (1931). An Archaeological Tour in Gedrosia.
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Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q126009463. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1931.
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