Definition
Bactria was a province of the Persian empire located in modern Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
After the defeat of Darius III of Persia, Bactria continued to offer resistance against Alexander the Great, led by Bessus, who had proclaimed himself successor to Darius. Alexander conquered it with great difficulty between 329-327 BC, largely with the help of local auxiliary forces. During his stay there, Alexander married a Bactrian woman, Roxanne, to aid his effort of controlling the region.
After Alexander's death, Bactria was part of the Seleucid Empire. The many difficulties against which the Seleucid kings had to fight and the attacks of Ptolemy II of Egypt gave Diodotus, satrap of Bactria, the opportunity to declare independence (about 255 BCE) and conquer Sogdiana, founding the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
After the defeat of Darius III of Persia, Bactria continued to offer resistance against Alexander the Great, led by Bessus, who had proclaimed himself successor to Darius. Alexander conquered it with great difficulty between 329-327 BC, largely with the help of local auxiliary forces. During his stay there, Alexander married a Bactrian woman, Roxanne, to aid his effort of controlling the region.
After Alexander's death, Bactria was part of the Seleucid Empire. The many difficulties against which the Seleucid kings had to fight and the attacks of Ptolemy II of Egypt gave Diodotus, satrap of Bactria, the opportunity to declare independence (about 255 BCE) and conquer Sogdiana, founding the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
Articles
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Warning: See the definitions of Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms before reading this article, otherwise the following lines could give you serious headaches! A...
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Illustrations
Links
- La Bactriane, histoire d'une région d'Asie centrale
http://antiquite.suite101.fr/article.cfm/la-bactriane-histoire-dune-region-dasie-centrale - Le site archéologique d'Aï Khanoum: Une cité grecque en Afghanistan
http://archeologie.suite101.fr/article.cfm/le-site-archeologique-dai-khanoum - Les Grecs en Afghanistan et en Inde: de Séleucos à Antiochos III
http://antiquite.suite101.fr/article.cfm/les-grecs-en-afghanistan-et-en-inde-de-seleucos--a-antiochos-iii
Bactria Books
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Penguin (Non-Classics) (01 January 1997)Price: $12.24 -
Penguin Classics (28 October 1976)Price: $11.56 -
University of California Press (14 September 2006)Price: $10.17 -
Cambridge University Press (26 March 1993)Price: $20.99 -
Allworth Press (01 November 2001)Price: $31.50
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