Ancient Greek State in Afghanistan

1,437,750

39,988 0

Published 2018-11-22

The conquests of Alexander the Great and the Wars of his Successors which we covered in our previous animated historical documentaries (bit.ly/2BoFtRD) opened Asia to the Greek influence and culture and the process of Hellenization encompassed all regions from Egypt to China. However, the easternmost state the Ancient Greeks created was the kingdom of Bactria, which gained independence from the Seleucid Empire. This state became the shining beacon of the civilization in the region and influenced it for centuries to come, most famously by creating a synthesis with one of the Buddhist sects - the Mahayana.

Check out this playlist to learn more about Ancient warfare: goo.gl/UpuKku

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/KingsandGenerals or Paypal: paypal.me/kingsandgenerals

Check out our Merch Store: teespring.com/stores/kingsand...

We are grateful to our patrons and youtube members, who made this video possible: docs.google.com/document/d/17kxt38_bM8CebQp06ZQ4BN…

The video was made by our friend Cogito, while the script was researched and written by Leo Stone

This video was narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )

Machinimas for the video made on the Total War: Rome 2 Engine by Malay Archer (youtube.com/user/MathemedicUpdates)

✔ Merch store ► teespring.com/stores/kingsand...
✔ Patreon ► www.patreon.com/KingsandGenerals
✔ PayPal ► paypal.me/kingsandgenerals
✔ Twitch ► www.twitch.tv/nurrrik_phoenix
✔ Twitter ► twitter.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Facebook ► www.facebook.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Instagram ►www.instagram.com/Kings_Generals

Sources:
Holt, F. L. (1999). Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Hughes, T. (2018, January 9). The Greeks in the East: The Battle of the Arius. Retrieved from Turning Points of the Ancient World: turningpointsoftheancientworld.com/index.php/2018/…
Kosmin, P. J. (2014). The Land of the Elephant Kings. Harvard University Press.
Livius. (1999). Seleucids. Retrieved from Livius.org: www.livius.org/articles/dynasty/seleucids/
Rappe, K. (n.d.). The Greco-Bactrian Mirage: Reconstructing an Image of Hellenistic Bactria. Washington: University of Washington Press.
Sherwin-White, S. M., & Kurht, A. (1993). From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Simonin, A. (2011, April 28). Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. Retrieved from Ancient History Encyclopedia: www.ancient.eu/Greco-Bactria/
Sutherland, A. (2016, April 23). Lost Ancient Greco-Bactrian Kingdom Of 1,000 Cities. Retrieved from Ancient Pages: www.ancientpages.com/2016/04/23/lost-ancient-greco…

Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/

#Documentary #Alexander #Greeks

All Comments (21)

@KingsandGenerals 5 years ago

Some Greek swag for our viewers: bit.ly/2BqY8KR
@user-hn5bi3nw9y 5 years ago

Heracles - protector of Budda. History never stops to fascinate me.
@wythore 4 years ago

Man, imagine being part of Alexander's army, traveling literally to the end of what was the known world to them, and still find people speaking your languange in such a far away place.
@JCO2002 5 years ago

I visited Balkh in 1977. That was before Afghanistan descended into decades of conflict. I still remember sitting high on the wall looking across at a horse rider with a flowing turban riding through rich, green fields in the distance. It was magical.
@iminformedbecauseisawabunc9402 5 years ago

"many greek cities were founded in his wake" Such as Alexandria, Alexandria, and Alexandria Oh and Alexandria
@boogeymann6686 5 years ago

Greek guy talking: dude, I just went to Alexandria last week. It was pretty cool. Other guy: which Alexandria??
@JodenPaoloPeroy 5 years ago

That CK2 "Ambitious" modifier though.
@LeviathanSpeaks1469 5 years ago

Hercules and the Buddha... History's first Avengers team...
@johnx4133 3 years ago

Alexander arriving in bactria and meeting Greeks "Yo, what the fuck"
@StefanMilo 5 years ago

I had no idea Greeks were in that part of the world before Alexander as part of some Persian gulag system. Great video!
@ThisisBarris 5 years ago

Let me guess, the cities were named Alexandria?
@DrFroyd123 5 years ago

As a Greek, I thank you for this video. These are not taught in Greek schools
@lordwolfgangjosephuskaiser6778 3 years ago

Oh my God! The Greeks were so great and amazing.
@connorgolden4 5 years ago

I love how you guys cover the lesser known parts of history, the stuff you don’t see on the history channel or in classrooms. Never change Kings and Generals!
@YiannissB. 5 years ago

The last surviving independent greek realm was 10.000 miles away from Greece. Dope
@thejordanianphilosopher6666 4 years ago

Respect Greece from the Levant .
@katskoul 5 years ago

As a Greek and as a historian, I congratulate you on the great account you give on the video. You shed light on a part of history that hasn't been dealt with to the extent it should have. Thank you!
@MrShadowtruth 5 years ago

'Oh, Afghanistan. How you have fallen so! What has happened to cities of Balkh and Kunduz? The gardens of Ghazni and Qandahar? The great palaces of Kabul? You are like a mistress who has lost her lover and weeps for her children.' - Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir, part 3, pg 98 It's a shame what happened to some regions of the world. Actions from the past are still vividly felt in the present.
@sayakchakraborty4206 5 years ago

The Indo-Greeks are perhaps the least studied elements of Indian history, but personally they're my favourite of all time.
@prof.cecilycogsworth3204 5 years ago

The Greek influences in the Mahayana never fail to fascinate me. Thanks for setting them out so clearly.