Sogdiana, ca. 300 BC.

Sogdiana (Tajik: Суғд - Old Persian: Sughuda; Persian: سغد‎ ; Chinese: 粟特 - Sute) was the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Persian Achaemenian Empire, the eighteenth in the list in the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great (i. 16). Sogdiana, at different periods of time, included territories around Samarkand, Bukhara, Khujand and Kesh (Shahrisabz) in modern Uzbekistan. Image File history File links Sogdiana-300BCE.png‎ File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sogdiana Sogdian Rock ... Tajik or Tadjik (тоҷикӣ, تاجیکی, tojikí) is a descendant of the Persian language spoken in Central Asia. ... Sketch of the first column of the Behistun Inscription Old Persian is the oldest attested Persid language. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... This article is about the group of peoples who speak Iranian languages. ... The Persepolis Ruins The Achaemenid dynasty (Old Persian:Hakamanishiya, Persian: هخامنشیان) - was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire. ... The Behistun Inscription, carved into a cliffside, gives the same text in three languages, telling the story of King Darius conquests, with the names of twenty-three provinces subject to him. ... Darius I of Persia Darius the Great (ca. ... Colour photograph of a Madrasa taken in Samarkand ca. ... Bukhara (Tajik: Бухоро; Persian: ‎, Buxârâ; Uzbek: ; Russian: ), from the Soghdian βuxārak (lucky place), is the fifth-largest city in Uzbekistan, and capital of the Bukhara Province (viloyat). ... Khujand (Tajik Хуҷанд or خجند, also transliterated as Khudzhand, Russian: , formerly Khodjend or Khodzhent until 1939 and Leninabad until 1992), is the second largest city of Tajikistan. ... Shahrisabz or Shahr-e Sabz (from the Persian meaning green city), also known as Kesh, is a city in Uzbekistan approximately 50 mi. ...

The Sogdian states, although never politically united, were centred around their main city of Samarkand. It lay north of Bactria, east of Khwarezm, and southeast of Kangju between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and the Jaxartes (Syr Darya), embracing the fertile valley of the Zarafshan (anc. Polytimetus). Sogdian territory corresponded to the modern districts of Samarkand and Bokhara in modern Uzbekistan as well as modern Tajikistan. During the High Middle Ages it was extended to the north by a policy of colonial settlements up to the Lake Issyk Kul. Colour photograph of a Madrasa taken in Samarkand ca. ... It has been suggested that Ta-Hsia be merged into this article or section. ... Khwarezmid Empire (1190-1220) Khwarezm (Uzbek: Xorazm, Russian: Хорезм Khorezm, Persian: خوارزم Khwārazm, Arabic: خوارزم Khwārizm, Chinese: 花剌子模 Hualazimo) was a state centred on the Amu Darya river delta of the former Aral Sea, in modern Uzbekistan, extending across the Ust-Urt plateau and possibly as far west as the eastern shores... The Mazar of Shaikh Ahmad Yasavi in the town of Turkestan. ... The Amu Darya (Darya means river) rises in the Pamirs and flows mainly north-west through the Hindu Kush, Uzbekistan to join the Aral Sea in a large delta. ... Syr Darya (also known as Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a river in Central Asia. ... The Zeravshan or Zarafshan river, whilst smaller and less well-known than the two great rivers of Central Asia, the Oxus or Amu-Darya and the Jaxartes or Syr-Darya, is if anything more valuable as a source of irrigation in the region. ... For other uses, see Bukhara (disambiguation). ... The cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, a significant architectural contribution of the High Middle Ages. ... Issyk Kul (also Ysyk Köl) is an endorheic lake in the northern Tien Shan mountains in northwestern Kyrgyzstan. ...

Gold coin of Diodotus c. 250 BC.

Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes, a fortress in Sogdiana, was captured in 327 BC by the forces of Alexander the Great, who united Sogdiana with Bactria in to one satrapy. Subsequently it formed part of the Hellenistic Greco-Bactrian kingdom, founded by Diodotus, for about a century until the Scythians and Yuezhis occupied it around 150 BC. The founder of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, Diodotus ca. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC - 250s BC - 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC Years: 255 BC 254 BC 253 BC 252 BC 251 BC - 250 BC - 249 BC 248 BC... Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes a fortress in Sogdiana was captured by the forces of Alexander the Great in 328 or 327 BC. Oxyartes of Bactria had sent his wife and daughters, one of whom was Roxane, to take refuge in the fortress because it was thought to be... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Approximate extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 220 BCE. The Greco-Bactrians were a dynasty of Greek kings who controlled Bactria and Sogdiana, an area comprising todays northern Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, the easternmost area of the Hellenistic world, from 250 to 125 BCE. Their expansion... The founder of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, Diodotus ca. ... Approximate extent of Scythia and Sarmatia in the 1st century BC (the orange background shows the spread of Eastern Iranian languages, among them Scytho-Sarmatian). ... The migrations of the Yuezhi through Central Asia, from around 176 BCE to 30 CE. Yuezhi (Chinese:月氏, also 月支, Wade-Giles: Yüeh-Chih) or Da Yuezhi (Chinese:大月氏, also 大月支, Great Yuezhi) The Great Clan of Yue, is the Chinese name for an ancient Central Asian people. ...

The Sogdians occupied a key position along the ancient Silk Road, and played a major role in facilitating trade between China and Central Asia. They started to have contacts with China following the embassy of the Chinese explorer Zhang Qian during the reign of Wudi in the former Han Dynasty, 141-87 BC. He wrote a report of his visit in Central Asia. The Silk Road Silk Route redirects here. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Zhang Qian leaving emperor Han Wudi, for his expedition to Central Asia from 138 to 126 BCE, Mogao Caves mural, 618-712 CE. Zhang Qian (Chinese:張騫; died 113 BCE) was a Chinese explorer and imperial envoy in the 2nd century BCE, during the time of the Han Dynasty. ... Emperor Wu of Han (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), (156 BC[1]–March 29, 87 BC), personal name Liu Che (劉徹), was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty in China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Han Chau; 206 BC–AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ...

Sogdian donors to the Buddha (fresco, with detail), Bezeklik, eastern Tarim Basin, China, 8th century.

Following Zhang Qian's embassy and report, commercial Chinese relations with Central Asia and Sogdiana flourished, as many Chinese missions were sent throughout the 1st century BC: "The largest of these embassies to foreign states numbered several hundred persons, while even the smaller parties included over 100 members... In the course of one year anywhere from five to six to over ten parties would be sent out." (Shiji, trans. Burton Watson). However the Sogdian traders were then still less important in the Silk Road trade than their Southern neighbours, Indian and Bactrian. They dominated the East-West trade after the 4th century AD up to the 8th century AD. Image File history File links BezeklikSogdianMerchants. ... Image File history File links BezeklikSogdianMerchants. ... Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ... The Records of the Grand Historian or the Records of the Grand Historian of China (Chinese: 史記; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shih-chi; literally Historical Records), written from 109 BCE to 91 BCE, was the magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the mythical... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ...

The Sogdians were noted for their tolerance of different religious beliefs. Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, and Zoroastrianism all had significant followings. Sogdians were actors in the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, until the period of Muslim invasion in the 8th century. Much of our knowledge of the Sogdians and their language comes from the numerous religious texts that they have left behind. Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology[]. Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means the teachings of the Awakened One in Sanskrit and Pali, the languages of ancient Buddhist texts. ... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ... Nestorianism is the doctrine that Jesus exists as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, or Logos, rather than as a unified person. ... Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ... Blue-eyed Central Asian and East-Asian Buddhist monks, Bezaklik, Eastern Tarim Basin, 9th-10th century. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Barbaric copy of a coin of Euthydemus I, from the region of Sogdiana. The legend on the reverse is in aramaic script.

The Sogdians spoke an East Iranian language called Sogdian, closely related to Bactrian, another major language of the region in ancient times. Sogdian was written in a variety of scripts, all of them derived from the Aramaic alphabet. Coin depicting the Greco-Bactrian king Euthydemus (230-200 B.C.) Euthydemus was allegedly a native of Magnesia and possible Satrap of Sogdiana, who overturned the dynasty of Diodotus of Bactria and became a Greco-Bactrian king in about 230 BC according to Polybius. ... Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ... The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family with an estimated 150-200 million native speakers today. ... The Sogdian language is a Middle Iranian language spoken in Sogdiana (Zarafshan River Valley) in the modern day republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (chief cities: Samarkand, Panjikent, Ferghana). ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Bactrian language is an extinct language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria, also called Tocharistan, in northern Afghanistan. ... The Sogdian alphabet is derived from Syriac, the descendant script of Aramaic alphabet. ... The Aramaic alphabet is an abjad alphabet designed for writing the Aramaic language. ...

The valley of the Zarafshan about Samarkand retained even in the Middle Ages the name of the Soghd O Samarkand. Arabic geographers reckon it as one of the four fairest districts in the world. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Colour photograph of a Madrasa taken in Samarkand ca. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Geography (from the Greek words Ge (γη) or Gaea (γαια), both meaning Earth, and graphein (γραφειν) meaning to describe or to writeor to map) is the study of the earth and its features and of the distribution of life on the earth, including human life and the effects of human activity. ...

The great majority of the Sogdian people gradually mixed with other local groups such as the Bactrians, Chorasmians, Turks and Persians, and came to speak Persian (modern Tajiks) or (after the Turkic conquest of Central Asia) Turkic Uzbek. They are among the origins of the modern Tajik and Uzbek people. Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... This article is about the Central Asian Persians known as Tajiks. ... This article is about the Central Asian Persians known as Tajiks. ... The Uzbeks (Self designation sg. ...

Historians Calum MacLeod and Bradley Mayhew in their "Uzbekistan - Golden Road to Samarkand"^[1] say:

Numerous Sogdian words can be found in modern Persian and Uzbek as a result of this admixture.

See also

• Tocharians
• Iranian languages
• Ancient Iranian peoples
• Sughd
• Yaghnobis

The Tocharians or Tusharas as known in Indian literature were the easternmost speakers of an Indo-European language in antiquity, inhabiting the Tarim basin in what is now Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwestern Peoples Republic of China. ... The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family with an estimated 150-200 million native speakers today. ... Ancient Iranian peoples were: Persians Medes (ancient people speaking a precursor to the modern Iranian language) Parthians Parni Cimmerians (ethnicity as Iranians specifically unknown) Sigynnae (uncertain, known only by obscure reports) Scythians Sarmatians, including the Rhoxolani, Iazyges, Siraces, and some regard the Alans as a subset of the Sarmatians as... Sughd is one of the four provinces which make up Tajikistan and is located in the northwest of the country. ... Yaghnobi people (or Yagnobian people) is the name of a people who live in mountainous Tajikistan. ...

Literature

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Calum MacLeod, Bradley Mayhew “Uzbekistan. Golden Road to Samarkand”
• Archaeological Researches in Uzbekistan. 2001. Tashkent The edition is based on results of German-French-Uzbek co-expeditions in 2001 in Uzbekistan*
• Etienne de la Vaissière, Sogdian Traders. A History, Leiden : Brill, 2005. ISBN 90-04-14252-5
• Etienne de la Vaissière, Histoire des marchands sogdiens, Paris : de Boccard, 2004.
• Babadjan Ghafurov, "Tajiks", published in USSR, Russia, Tajikistan

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ p. 182

External links

• http://www.iranianlanguages.com
• http://www.geocities.com/interlinguae/sogdian.html
• http://www.livius.org/x/xerxes/xerxes_ii.html (Xerxes II of Persia and Sogdianus)