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Gedrosia (; ) is the Hellenization name of the part of coastal Makran in what is now Balochistan. In the accounts about Alexander the Great and his Diadochi, the area referred to as Gedrosia runs from the Indus River to the north-eastern edge of the Strait of Hormuz. It is directly to the south of the provinces of Arachosia and Drangiana, to the east of the province of Carmania, and due west of the Indus which formed a natural boundary between it and western India.
India within the Ganges is bounded on the west by the Paropanisadai, Arakhosia, and Gedrosia along their eastern sides; on the north by Mount Imaos, which is situated near the Sogdiaioi and Sakai; on the east by the river Ganges; and on the south and again on the west by a part of the Indian Ocean.
Ptolemy, Ptolemy, Geography, Book 7, Chapter 1; McCrindle, p. 33
Another group of people named as Oreitans were mentioned inhabiting modern Lasbela District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Alexander the Great crossed Hub River through Lasbela on his way back to Babylon after his campaigns in Northwestern India. Alexander mentions the river name as Arabius, and local people as Oreitans. The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander
Several scholars have argued that the Persian satrapy Maka is identical to Gedrosia (which is a Greek name). One argument is the similarity of the name Maka to the modern name Makran, a part of Pakistan and Iran that is situated a bit more to the east. However, it is more likely that Maka is to be sought in modern Oman, which was called Maketa in Antiquity.
Following his army's refusal to continue marching east at the Hyphasis River in 326 BCE, Alexander the Great crossed the area after sailing south to the coast of the Indian Ocean on his way back to Babylon. Upon reaching the Ocean, Alexander divided his forces in half, sending half back by sea to Susa under the command of Nearchus. The other half of his army was to accompany him on a march through the Gedrosian desert, inland from the ocean. Throughout the 60-day march through the desert, Alexander lost at least 12,000 soldiers, in addition to countless livestock, camp followers, and most of his baggage train. Some historians say he lost three-quarters of his army to the harsh desert conditions along the way. Plutarch, The Life of Alexander, 66. However, this figure was likely based on exaggerated numbers in his forces prior to the march, which were likely in the range of no fewer than 30,000 soldiers.
There are two competing theories for the purpose of Alexander's decision to march through the desert rather than along the more hospitable coast. The first argues that this was an attempt to punish his men for their refusal to continue eastward at the Hyphasis River. The other argues that Alexander was attempting to imitate and succeed in the actions of Cyrus the Great, who had failed to cross the desert.
After the death of Alexander, this region became part of the holdings of Seleucus, who held Aria, Arachosia, and Gandhara, in addition to Gedrosia.
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