The Indo-Greek Kingdom (or sometimes Greco-Indian
Kingdom) covered various parts of the northwest and northern Indian
subcontinent from 180 BCE to around 10 CE, and was
ruled by a succession of more than thirty Greek kings, often in conflict with
each other. The kingdom was founded when the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius
invaded India in 180 BCE, ultimately creating an entity which seceded from the
powerful Greco-Bactrian Kingdom centered in Bactria (today's northern
Afghanistan).
During the two centuries of their rule, the
Indo-Greek kings combined the Greek and Indian languages and symbols, as seen
on their coins, and blended Ancient Greek, Hindu and Buddhist religious
practices, as seen in the archaeological remains of their cities and in the
indications of their support of Buddhism. The Indo-Greek kings seem to have
achieved a level of cultural syncretism with no equivalent in history, the
consequences of which are still felt today, particularly through the diffusion
and influence of Greco-Buddhist art.
The Indo-Greeks ultimately disappeared as a
political entity around 10 CE following the invasions of the Indo-Scythian,
Indo-Parthian and Kushans, although pockets of Greek populations probably
remained for several centuries longer.
