Greco-Bactrian Kingdoms

Greek-speaking rulers established independent kingdoms in Bactria during the third century BC, after breaking away from Seleucid authority. Their territories centred on lands around the upper Oxus, the river now called the Amu Darya, across parts of present-day Afghanistan and neighbouring Central Asia. Royal coinage, fortified settlements and religious dedications reveal a society in which Greek institutions interacted with older regional traditions. These kingdoms also provided the setting for expansion south of the Hindu Kush, where related rulers developed the separate Indo-Greek kingdoms.