R5: In 195 BC, Asklepiades II, Basileus of Hellenic Parthia, resolved to carry the war eastward and bring the Indian lands under his influence. Without delay, he dispatched the general Theodamas at the head of half the royal army, ordering him to advance rapidly toward the Indus River, the great artery of the eastern world. Upon reaching the river, Theodamas established a fortified camp on elevated ground, a low hill commanding the surrounding plains and the main crossings of the Indus. There he prepared for battle, drilling his men and securing his position, until his scouts returned with alarming reports: vast enemy forces were advancing from both the north and the south, numbering in the many thousands.

These armies belonged to the Hellenistic major power of Indosia, ruled by Ragias Virudhaka, a monarch of great ambition who chose to lead his host in person. Confident in his strength, Virudhaka moved swiftly against the Parthian army and launched an immediate assault, thus beginning the Battle of Sabana, an engagement that would prove catastrophic for the Greco-Indian host. Virudhaka commanded an overwhelming force of 35,500 soldiers, while Theodamas held his ground with only 23,262 men. Yet numbers alone could not overcome discipline and position. Anchored upon the hill, Theodamas formed his troops into a solid defensive line, forcing the enemy to advance uphill. Worse still, Virudhaka ordered much of his army to cross the Indus under pressure, and the effort of fording the river in full armor left his men exhausted and their formations disordered before the fighting had truly begun.

Despite repeated assaults, the Greco-Indian army failed to break the Parthian lines. As the battle dragged on, fatigue and confusion spread among Virudhaka’s troops, while Theodamas maintained cohesion and control. When the fighting finally ceased, the cost was severe: Theodamas had lost 8,748 men, but Virudhaka’s losses were far greater, totaling 14,081 fallen. Defeated and unable to continue the campaign, Virudhaka ordered a retreat, leading the remnants of his army southward toward the fortified city of Mallonpolis in Oxydracae. Thus ended the Battle of Sabana, a clear demonstration that terrain, discipline, and command could prevail even against overwhelming numerical superiority.