Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian: Being a Translation of the Fragments of the Indika of Megasthenes collected By Dr. schwanbeck and of the first part of the Indika of Arrian

The account of India written by Megasthenes from his personal knowledge of the country is justly held to be almost invaluable for the light which it throws upon the obscurity of early Indian history. Though, unfortunately, not extant in its original form, it has nevertheless been partially preserved by means of epitomes and quotations to be found scattered up and down the writings of various ancient authors, both Greek and Roman. The translation now offered, which goes forth from the very birthplace of the original work, will therefore for the first time place it within the reach of the general public. A translation of the first part of the Indika of Arrian has been subjoined, both because it gives in a connected form a general description of India, and because that description was based chiefly on the work of Megasthenes.The notes, which turn for the most part on points of history, geography, archaeology, and the identification of Greek proper names with their Sanskrit originals, sum up the views of the best and most recent authorities who have written on these subjects.