Legacies of Alexander in Colonial Sindh: Richard Francis Burton and a “Greek Pot” at Sehwan

Abstract

Abstract At Sehwan in Sindh in 1845, the British soldier and Orientalist Richard Francis Burton planted a fake ancient jar for an antiquarian to discover. Burton’s prank was designed to poke fun at British associations of Sehwan with Alexander the Great. This article examines the incident, Burton’s motivations, and the broader question of British colonial fixation on Alexander’s campaigns in Sindh.