Understand
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Revision as of 18:44, 13 January 2014
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==Understand==
==Understand==
[[File:Timur enthroned at Balkh, Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|Timur in Balkh]]
[[File:Timur enthroned at Balkh, Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|Timur in Balkh]]
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Civilisation in this area goes back a long way; excavations show a well-developed Bronze Age Oxus Civilization 2300-1700 BCE. The sites are referred to as the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex; Margiana is an adjacent region to the west. The trade routes are also ancient; the [[Mohenjo-daro#Understand|Indus Valley Civilisation]], centered in what is now Pakistan, had a trading outpost in Bactria by around 2000 BCE. Greek records mention a Bactrian port called Barbarikon, near modern-day [[Karachi]], several centuries BCE.
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Civilisation in this area goes back a long way; excavations show a well-developed Bronze Age Oxus Civilization 2300-1700 BCE. The sites are referred to as the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex. Margiana is an adjacent region to the west; the oasis of [[Merv]] is one of the main archaeological sites for this period in that area.
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The trade routes are also ancient; the [[Mohenjo-daro#Understand|Indus Valley Civilisation]], centered in what is now Pakistan, had a trading outpost in Bactria by around 2000 BCE. Greek records mention trade with Bactria via a port called Barbarikon, near modern-day [[Karachi]], several centuries BCE.
Bactria has often been part of various Empires and has been conquered many times — notably by Cyrus the Great and several later Persian rulers, by Alexander the Great, by Genghis Khan, and (most of it) by the Russian Empire. Alexander married a Bactrian noblewoman named Roxana, despite opposition from his advisers.
Bactria has often been part of various Empires and has been conquered many times — notably by Cyrus the Great and several later Persian rulers, by Alexander the Great, by Genghis Khan, and (most of it) by the Russian Empire. Alexander married a Bactrian noblewoman named Roxana, despite opposition from his advisers.