Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Alexander was the first foreign invader into the Indian subcontinent.
2. Alexander's scribes brought into India a form of writing which came to be known as the Kharoshthi script.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
Notes: Before Alexander, it was the Darius of Achaemenian Empire of Iran that annexed the North-Western part of Indian subcontinent in c. 516 BCE. It could happen partly because the North-West lacked a strong Empire like the Magadha Empire. The area to the west of Indus was incorporated as a satrapi of the Achaemenian Empire. Darius’s successor, Xerxes, deployed Indian contingents in his war against the Greeks. So, statement 1 is incorrect. This Indo-Iranian contact gave boost to the trade and commerce but the cultural impacts of this interaction were more important e.g. Iranian scribes brought the Kharoshthi script to India. Later, Ashokan inscriptions in this area used the Kharoshthi script too. So, statement 2 is also incorrect.