Editing Mercenary (section)

=====Greek mercenaries in ancient India=====
Greek mercenaries were a significant part of the military forces in ancient India, particularly under the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]s and the [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom]]. These [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] states, founded by Greek rulers after the conquests of [[Alexander the Great]], frequently employed mercenaries from the wider Greek world to maintain control over their territories and to engage in warfare with both Indian and Central Asian adversaries.

The presence of Greek mercenaries in India is documented in ancient [[Tamil literature]], such as the ''[[Purananuru]]'', which describes Greek soldiers, referred to as "[[Yona|Yavanas]]," (transliteration of "Ionians") as formidable warriors serving Indian rulers. These texts depict them as "valiant-eyed Yavanas, whose bodies were strong and of terrible aspect." <ref>{{cite book|title=History of Indian Theatre|last1=Pande|first1=L. V.|last2=Varadpande|first2=M. L.|date=1987|volume=1|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-8170172215|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyxOHOCVcVkC|page=235|access-date=12 March 2025|archive-date=15 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215134446/https://books.google.com/books?id=SyxOHOCVcVkC|url-status=live}}</ref>

Greek mercenaries were particularly prominent in the armies of the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian kings. [[Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher]] suggested that some of the warrior figures depicted in [[Gandhara]] art may represent Greek mercenaries, further supporting their role in military campaigns.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Greeks in Bactria and India|author=William Woodthorpe Tarn|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1108009416|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC|page=250|access-date=12 March 2025|archive-date=15 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115070732/https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Stephanus of Byzantium recorded the existence of an ancient city called Daedala or Daidala ({{langx|grc|Δαίδαλα}}) in India,<ref>Stephanus of Byzantium, [https://topostext.org/work/241 ''Ethnica''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410155716/https://topostext.org/work/241 |date=10 April 2021 }}, D216.8</ref> which he described as Indo-Cretan, likely due to the presence of Cretan mercenaries. This suggests that Greek soldiers not only fought in Indian campaigns but also settled in military colonies, forming part of the Hellenistic governance in the region.<ref>{{cite book| last = Woodthorpe Tarn| first = William| title = The Greeks in Bactria and India| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC| publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]| year = 2010| page = 250| isbn = 978-1108009416| access-date = 12 March 2025| archive-date = 15 January 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230115070732/https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC| url-status = live}}</ref>