Home Region:  Afghanistan (Central and Northern Eurasia)

Greco-Bactrian Kingdom

256 BCE 125 BCE
EQ 2020  af_greco_bactrian_k / AfGrBct
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
[continuity; Seleucid Empire] [continuity]   Update here

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Displayed:



Learn more about polity border choices.
Hit enter after changing the year or setting the play rate.


  General Description  
The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom was a hereditary monarchy founded in the mid-3rd century BCE, probably by the Seleucid satrap Diodotus I, [1] as a successor kingdom of the Seleucid Empire. It came to an end when it was conquered by nomadic peoples who were being pushed further west by the rising power of a unified Chinese empire. [2]
Population and political organization
Under the Graeco-Bactrian rulers, new cities based on the Greek street plan, such as Sirkap, sprang up in Central Asia. [3] The Bactrian Greek city of Ai Khanoum, one of the best preserved, had an impressive administrative centre, gymnasium and theatre as well as Greek statuary. [4] The administrative centre at Ai Khanoum was Persian in style so was likely organized into different departments and scribes. [5]
The regions of Bactria were ruled by officials from their administrative centres, such as Ai Khanoum, which may have had a population of between 25,000 and 50,000 people. But if these regional officials were initially directly loyal to the central monarchy at the capital Bactra, by 126 BCE the Chinese chronicler Zhang Qian could claim that Bactria had ’no great ruler but only a number of petty chiefs ruling the various cities’. [6]
The Greco-Bactrian army was based on the same model as that of the Macedonian-Seleucids, with innovations in tactics based on exposure to nomadic horsemen. [7] The Bactrian Greeks were equipped in the Macedonian style adopted by their Seleucid forebears. They wore a muscled breastplate made of metal scales and their legs were protected by strips of leather. [8]
The flowering of Greek culture in Central Asia in this period produced distinctly Hellenistic artwork, statuary and coinage and had a profound influence on the culture of central Asia for centuries to come. [9] [10]

[1]: (Holt 1999, 51, 63) Holt, Frank Lee. 1999. Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/X4JIUZNR

[2]: (Bernard 2012, 42-52) Bernard, Paul. 2012. “Ai Khanum: A Greek Colony in Post-Alexandrian Central Asia, or How to Be Greek in an Oriental Milieu.” In Afghanistan: Forging Civilizations along the Silk Road, edited by Joan Aruz and Elisabetta Valtz Fino, 42-53. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/K38GFI79

[3]: (Higham 2004, 344) Higham, Charles. 2004. Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations. New York: Facts On File. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/JBEBEPPM

[4]: (Docherty 2008, 64-65) Docherty, Paddy. 2008. The Khyber Pass: A History of Empire and Invasion. New York: Union Square Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IW3IVGT7

[5]: (Mori 2015, 93) Mori, Anatole. 2015. “Literature in the Hellenistic World.” In A Companion to Greek Literature, edited by Martin Hose and David Schenker, 89-111. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IBRAVRD7

[6]: (Mairs 2014, 154) Mairs, Rachel. 2014. The Hellenistic Far East: Archaeology, Language, and Identity in Greek Central Asia. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3ENDA26P

[7]: (Holt 1999, 118) Holt, Frank Lee. 1999. Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/X4JIUZNR

[8]: (Docherty 2008, 64-66) Docherty, Paddy. 2008. The Khyber Pass: A History of Empire and Invasion. New York: Union Square Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IW3IVGT7

[9]: (Holt 1999, 136) Holt, Frank Lee. 1999. Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/X4JIUZNR

[10]: (Bernard 1994) Bernard, P. 1994. “The Greek Kingdoms of Central Asia.” In History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume II: The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic Civilizations, 700 B.C. to A.D. 250, edited by János Harmatta, B. N. Puri, and G. F. Etemadi, 96-126. Paris: UNESCO. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/HIB5JTCU

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k) was in:
 (248 BCE 130 BCE) Sogdiana
Home NGA: Sogdiana

General Variables
Identity and Location Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 42 S 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Original Name 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Capital 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Alternative Name Greco-Bactria 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Temporal Bounds Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Peak Years
Loading...
Duration
Loading...
Political and Cultural Relations Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Suprapolity Relations 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Supracultural Entity Greek 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Succeeding Entity 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Scale of Supracultural Interaction 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Relationship to Preceding Entity continuity 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Preceding Entity
continuity; Seleucid Empire [continuity]    Update here
Loading...
Degree of Centralization 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Language Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family Indo-European 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Language 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Language 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Religion Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Religion Genus Graeco-Bactrian Religions 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Alternate Religion Genus Buddhism 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Alternate Religion Uncoded Undecided 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Polity Territory 200 BCE
Loading...
Polity Territory 180 BCE
Loading...
Polity Population 200 BCE
Loading...
Hierarchical Complexity Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Settlement Hierarchy 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Religious Level 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Military Level 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Administrative Level 200 BCE
Loading...
Administrative Level 150 BCE
Loading...
Professions Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Soldier 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Professional Priesthood 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Professional Military Officer 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Occupational Complexity 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Bureaucracy Characteristics Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Government Building 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Merit Promotion 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Full Time Bureaucrat 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Examination System 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Law Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Lawyer 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Judge 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
256 BCE  125 BCE
Court 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Specialized Buildings: polity owned Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Market 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Irrigation System 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Food Storage Site 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Drinking Water Supply System 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Transport Infrastructure Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Road 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Port 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Canal 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Bridge Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Special-purpose Sites Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Mines or Quarry Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Information / Writing System Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Written Record 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Script 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Phonetic Alphabetic Writing 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Nonwritten Record 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Non Phonetic Writing Absent 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Mnemonic Device Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Information / Kinds of Written Documents Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Scientific Literature 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Sacred Text 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Religious Literature 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Practical Literature 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Philosophy 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Lists Tables and Classification 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
History 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Fiction 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Calendar 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Information / Money Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Token Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Precious Metal 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Paper Currency Absent 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Indigenous Coin 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Foreign Coin 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Article 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Information / Postal System Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Postal Station 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
General Postal Service 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Courier Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Information / Measurement System Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Stone Walls Non Mortared 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Stone Walls Mortared 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Settlements in a Defensive Position Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Modern Fortification 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moat 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Fortified Camp Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Earth Rampart 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Ditch 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Complex Fortification 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Military use of Metals Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Steel 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Iron 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Copper 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Bronze 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Projectiles Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Tension Siege Engine 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Sling Siege Engine 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Sling 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Self Bow 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Javelin 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Handheld Firearm 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Gunpowder Siege Artillery 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Crossbow 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Composite Bow 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Atlatl 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Handheld weapons Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
War Club Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Sword 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Spear 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Polearm Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Dagger 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Battle Axe Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Animals used in warfare Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Horse 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Elephant 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Donkey 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Dog 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Camel 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Armor Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Shield 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Scaled Armor 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Plate Armor 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Limb Protection 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Leather Cloth 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Laminar Armor Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Helmet 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Chainmail Unknown Suspected 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Breastplate 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Naval technology Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Military Vessel 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Small Vessels Canoes Etc 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 256 BCE  125 BCE
Loading...
Human Sacrifice Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (af_greco_bactrian_k)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Instability Data
Power Transitions