During the sixth century BCE, India's first major encounter with a foreign empire occurred when parts of northwestern India were annexed. Which empire was responsible for this expansion?

Correct option is C

Correct Answer: (C) Achaemenid
Explanation:
→ The Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire, initiated the first recorded foreign invasion into the Indian subcontinent.
→ During the 6th century BCE, Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great advanced into the northwestern borderlands of India, near the Hindu Kush.
→ Later, Emperor Darius I annexed Punjab, Sindh, and parts of the Indus Valley, turning them into the wealthy 20th satrapy (province) of Persia.
→ This contact opened up commercial lines and introduced the Kharosthi script, derived from Aramaic, to northwestern India.
Information Booster:
→ The Achaemenid invasion took advantage of political fragmentation in the northwest region, which lacked a unified Mahajanapada defense.
→ Indian soldiers from the conquered Indus region were recruited into the Persian army to fight campaigns against Greece.
→ The Persian presence influenced Mauryan administrative practices, including royal edicts and monumental stone architecture.
→ This historical contact is well-documented by Greek historians such as Herodotus in his descriptions of Persian revenues.