CLA 170 Cultural Interactions in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Instructor: Colin Webster

Lecture/Discussion TR 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM

CLA 170 Cultural Interactions in the Ancient Mediterranean World – Greece and India

This course examines the cultural interactions between ancient Greece and India from the early centuries of the first millennium BCE through late antiquity. Through trade, conquest, and intellectual exchange, the two civilizations encountered one another in ways that profoundly shaped their respective worlds. Key points of contact include the campaigns of Alexander the Great and the subsequent formation of Indo-Greek kingdoms in regions like Bactria and the Punjab, where Hellenistic and Indian traditions merged. The course explores how philosophical, religious, artistic, and scientific ideas moved along land and maritime trade routes, including the Silk Road and Indian Ocean networks. Particular attention is given to areas of mutual influence, including medical ideas, the incorporation of Greco-Roman styles in Gandhāran Buddhist art, and possible philosophical dialogues between Greek and Indian thinkers. Students will engage with primary texts in translation and current archaeological and historiographical scholarship to investigate how each culture perceived the other. Emphasizing multidirectional exchange, the course highlights the complexity of ancient cross-cultural encounters.