- Sirkap
Sirkap is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of
Taxila , Punjab,Pakistan .The city of Sirkap was built by the
Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded India around180 BCE . Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent anIndo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around10 BCE . Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by kingMenander I .A Greek city
. From top, left:
- Fluted vase with bead and reel design (Bhir Mound, stratum 1)
- Cup with rosace and decoratice scroll (Bhir Mound, stratum 1)
-Stone palette with individual on a couch being crowned by standing woman, and served (Sirkap, stratum 5)
- Handle with double depiction of a philosopher (Sirkap, stratum 5/4)
- Woman with smile (Sirkap, stratum 5)
- Man with moustache (Sirkap, stratum 5)
(Source: John Marshall "Taxila, Archaeological excavations").] The site of Sirkap was built according to the ".Numerous Hellenistic artifacts have been found, in particular coins of Greco-Bactrian kings and stone palettes representing Greek mythological scenes. Some of them are purely Hellenistic, others indicate an evolution of the
Greco-Bactrian styles found atAi-Khanoum towards more indianized styles. For example, accessories such as Indian ankle bracelets can be found on some representations of Greek mythological figures such asArtemis .Following its construction by the Greeks, the city was further rebuilt during the incursions of the
Indo-Scythians , and later by theIndo-Parthians after an earthquake in 30 CE.Religious buildings
Buddhist stupa s with strongHellenistic decorative elements can be found throughout the Sirkap site (Stupa of the two eagles [http://www.web.virginia.edu/asianarc/public/taxila/eagle02.jpg] ), as well as aHindu temple, indicating a close interaction of religious cultures. A Greek religious temple of the Ionic order is also visible at the nearby site of Jandial (650 meters from Sirkap), but there is a possibility that it may have been dedicated to aZoroastrian cult.The site of Sirkap bears witness to the city-building activity of the
Indo-Greeks during their occupation of the Indian territory for close to two centuries, as well as their integration of other faiths, especially Buddhism.Visit by Apollonius of Tyana
The Greek philosopher
Apollonius of Tyana is related to have visited India, and specifically the city ofTaxila in the 1st century CE. He describes constructions of the Greek type, probably referring to Sirk:"Taxila, they tell us, is about as big as Nineveh, and was fortified fairly well after the manner of Greek cities" [ [http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_16.html#§20 (Life of Apollonius Tyana, II 20)] ]
:"I have already described the way in which the city is walled, but they say that it was divided up into narrow streets in the same irregular manner as in Athens, and that the houses were built in such a way that if you look at them from outside they had only one story, while if you went into one of them, you at once found subterranean chambers extending as far below the level of the earth as did the chambers above." [ [http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_21.html#§23 (Life of Apollonius Tyana, II 23)] ]
Notes
ee also
*
Greco-Buddhism
*History of Buddhism
*Taxila External links
* [http://www.livius.org/a/pakistan/taxila/sirkap.html The Sirkap archeological site]
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