The Bactria-Margiana Archeological Complex, dated to 2,200-1,700 BC was a rich archeological culture that developed in the region. From this well-attested culture, historians proposed that the Indo-Iranians developed, later migrating north and south from Bactria.
Bactria was strategically located south of Sogdia and west of the Pamir Mountains. These mountain ranges acted as "walls" protecting Bactria from three sides, with the Pamir mountains to the north and the Hindu Kush to the south forming a junction, and the Karakoram range towards the east.
Bactria, ancient country lying between the mountains of the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) in what is now part of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Bactria, a huge area in what is today Afghanistan, was the eastern edge of the ancient Greek empire, established by Alexander the Great. After Alexander’s death, amid the constant wars and squabbling of his generals, Bactria eventually rose to become an independent Hellenistic successor state.
Bactria is an ancient region of Central Asia, between the Hindu Kush Mountain range and the Oxus River (today generally called the Amu Darya River). In more recent times, the region also goes by the name "Balkh," after one of the tributary rivers of the Amu Darya.
One such kingdom was Bactria. It covered much of what is now Afghanistan and was centered in the Bactrian Plain in northern Afghanistan between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya (Oxus River) around the city of Bactria (present-day Balkh). Bactria has at its height from around 200 B.C. to 150 B.C.
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.