Editing Punjab, Pakistan (section)

=== Ancient period ===
It is believed that the earliest evidence of human habitation in Punjab traces to the [[Soon Valley|Soan Valley]] of the [[Pothohar Plateau|Pothohar]], between the [[Indus]] and the [[Jhelum river]]s, where [[Soanian|Soanian culture]] developed between 774,000 BC and 11,700 BC. This period goes back to the first interglacial period in the [[Cryogenian|second Ice Age]], from which remnants of stone and flint tools have been found.{{sfn|Singh|1989|p=1}} The Punjab region was the site of one of the earliest [[cradle of civilization]]s, the [[Bronze Age]] [[Harrapan civilization]] that flourished from about 3000 B.C. and declined rapidly 1,000 years later, following the [[Indo-Aryan migrations]] that overran the region in waves between 1500 and 500 B.C.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abNDLZQ6quYC&pg=PA257 |title=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-659-1 |pages=257–259 |language=en |access-date=21 August 2022 |archive-date=18 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118182901/https://books.google.com/books?id=abNDLZQ6quYC&pg=PA257 |url-status=live }}</ref> The migrating Indo-Aryan tribes gave rise to the [[Iron Age]] [[Vedic civilization]], which lasted till 500 BC. During this era, the [[Rigveda]] was composed in [[Punjab]],{{sfn|Flood|1996|p=37}} laying the foundation of [[Hinduism]]. Frequent intertribal wars in the [[Vedic period|post-Vedic period]] stimulated the growth of larger groupings ruled by chieftains and kings, who ruled local kingdoms known as [[Mahajanapadas]].<ref name=":9" /> Achaemenid emperor [[Darius the Great]], in 518 BCE crossed the Indus and annex the regions up to the [[Jhelum River]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=André-Salvini |first=Béatrice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJnaKu9DdNEC |title=Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia |date=2005 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24731-4 |language=en |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=18 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118182927/https://books.google.com/books?id=kJnaKu9DdNEC |url-status=live }}</ref> Taxila is considered to be the site of one of the oldest education centre of South Asia and was part of the Achaemenid province of Hindush.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Samad|first=Rafi U.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNUwBYGYgxsC&pg=PA33|title=The Grandeur of Gandhara: The Ancient Buddhist Civilization of the Swat, Peshawar, Kabul and Indus Valleys|date=2011|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=978-0-87586-859-2|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abNDLZQ6quYC&pg=PA257 |title=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia |date=2012-08-30 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-659-1 |language=en}}</ref>

One of the early kings in Punjab was [[Porus]], who fought the famous [[Battle of the Hydaspes]] against [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Albert Brian |title=Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |pages=125–130 |chapter=The campaign of the Hydaspes}}</ref> The battle is thought to have resulted in a decisive [[Greeks|Greek]] victory; however, A. B. Bosworth warns against an uncritical reading of Greek sources who were obviously exaggerative.<ref name=":6" /> Porus refused to surrender and wandered about atop an elephant, until he was wounded and his force routed.<ref name=":6" /> When asked by Alexander how he wished to be treated, Porus replied "Treat me as a king would treat another king".{{sfn|Rogers|p=200}} Despite the apparently one-sided results, Alexander was impressed by Porus and chose to not depose him.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Albert Brian |title=Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |chapter=From the Hydaspes to the Southern Ocean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Anson |first=Edward M. |title=Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2013 |isbn=9781441193797 |pages=151}}</ref>{{sfn|Roy|2004|pp=23–28}} Not only was his territory reinstated but also expanded with Alexander's forces annexing the territories of Glausaes, who ruled to the northeast of Porus' kingdom.<ref name=":7" /> The battle is historically significant because it resulted in the syncretism of ancient Greek political and cultural influences to the Indian subcontinent, yielding works such as Greco-Buddhist art, which continued to have an impact for the ensuing centuries.

[[Multan]] was the noted centre of excellence of the region which was attacked by the Greek army during the era of [[Alexander the Great]]. The Malli tribe together with nearby tribes gathered an army of 90,000-100,000 personnel to face the Greek army. This was perhaps the largest army faced by the Greeks in the entire Indian subcontinent.{{sfn|Amjad|1989|p={{page needed|date=September 2022}}}} During the siege of the city's citadel, Alexander leaped into the inner area of the citadel, where he faced the Mallians' leader. Alexander was wounded by an arrow that had penetrated his lung, leaving him severely injured. The city was conquered after a fierce battle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tareekh-e-Pakistan (Wasti Ahad) |url=https://yahyaamjad.com/books/tareekh-e-pakistan-wasti-ahad/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Yahya Amjad |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arrian. Indica. English {{!}} The Online Books Page |url=http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Arrian.%20Indica.%20English |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu}}</ref>

The region was then divided between the [[Maurya Empire]] and the Greco-Bactrian kingdom in 302 B.C.E. Menander I Soter conquered Punjab and made [[Sagala]] (present-day [[Sialkot]]) the capital of the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]].<ref name="Hazel 2013">{{cite book |last=Hazel |first=John |title=Who's Who in the Greek World |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=9781134802241 |page=155 |quote=Menander king in India, known locally as Milinda, born at a village named Kalasi near Alasanda (Alexandria-in-the-Caucasus), and who was himself the son of a king. After conquering the Punjab, where he made Sagala his capital, he made an expedition across northern India and visited Patna, the capital of the Mauraya empire, though he did not succeed in conquering this land as he appears to have been overtaken by wars on the north-west frontier with Eucratides.}}</ref><ref name="Ahir 1971">{{cite book |last=Ahir |first=D. C. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.49756 |title=Buddhism in the Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh |publisher=Maha Bodhi Society of India |year=1971 |page=31 |oclc=1288206 |quote=Demetrius died in 166 B.C., and Apollodotus, who was a near relation of the King died in 161 B.C. After his death, Menander carved out a kingdom in Punjab. Thus from 161 B.C. onward Menander was the ruler of Punjab till his death in 145 B.C. or 130 B.C.}}</ref> Menander is noted for becoming a patron and converting to Greco-Buddhism and he is widely regarded as the greatest of the Indo-Greek kings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Menander {{!}} Indo-Greek king |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Menander-Indo-Greek-king |access-date=2021-09-06 |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]}}</ref>