Bactria

Bactria (from Βακτριανή, the Hellenized version of Bactrian βαχλο, Bakhlo; Persian/Pashto: باختر Bākhtar; Uzbek: Балх; Tajik: Бохтар; Chinese: 大夏 Dàxià; Sanskrit बाह्लीक Bāhlika) is the ancient name of a historical region, one of the ancient civilizations of Iranian peoples. Ancient Bactria was located between the Hindu Kush mountain range and the Amu Darya river, covering the flat region that straddles modern-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Bactria was the birthplace of Zoroastrianism, and later also hosted Buddhism before becoming Muslim after the arrival of the Rashidun and the Umayyad Caliphates in the 7th century. Bactria was also sometimes referred to by the Greeks as Bactriana.

Geography

According to P. Leriche:

History

Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC)

The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC, also known as the "Oxus civilization") is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age culture of Central Asia, dated to ca. 2200–1700 BC, located in present day eastern Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus), an area covering ancient Bactria. Its sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi (1976). Bactria was the Greek name for Old Persian Bāxtriš (from native *Bāxçiš) (named for its capital Bactra, modern Balkh), in what is now northern Afghanistan, and Margiana was the Greek name for the Persian satrapy of Margu, the capital of which was Merv, in today's Turkmenistan.

Bactria (satrapy)

Bactria was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. The first mention of Bactria comes in 520 BCE at the Behistun inscription. Bactria was a special satrapy in that it was ruled by a crown prince or an intended heir. The capital of Bactria was Bactra, and the region also sometimes included Sogdia. During the reign of Darius the Great, the Bactrians and the Aeglians were placed in one tax district, which was supposed to pay 360 talents every year.

See also

References