ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN SOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF THE GRECO-BACTRIAN KINGDOM

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the written sources illuminating the history of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, one of the major Hellenistic states of the ancient period. The study examines scholarly information on Greco-Bactria found in the works of Greek and Roman historians, including Strabo, Arrian, Polybius, Pompeius Trogus, Justin, Diodorus, Pliny the Elder, and Plutarch. In addition, the regional and international relations of the kingdom are explored through Indian and Chinese written sources, such as the Yuga Purana, Milinda-panha, Hanshu, Sima Qian, and Zhang Xuan. It is established that the Greco-Bactrian state, as an independent and powerful Hellenistic kingdom, functioned as an important political and cultural center connecting East and West.