The Bactrian Kingdom: Greece's Lost Empire in Central Asia

What happened to the Greek world after Alexander's empire collapsed? Most people know about the Hellenistic kingdoms in Egypt and Syria, but fewer have heard of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom—a Greek-speaking realm that flourished in what is now Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan for nearly two centuries. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how descendants of Alexander's colonists carved out a hybrid civilization at the crossroads of East and West. They discuss the reign of Euthydemus, who defied the Seleucid king Antiochus III, and the conquests of Demetrius I, who pushed Greek rule deep into India. Along the way, they touch on the city of Ai Khanoum, a stunning archaeological site that revealed a fully Greek city with an Aristotelian inscription, and the mysterious fate of the kingdom, which fell to nomadic invasions around 145 BCE. This is a story of cultural fusion, forgotten empires, and the farthest reach of the Hellenistic world. #GrecoBactrian #Hellenistic #CentralAsia #AiKhanoum #Euthydemus #DemetriusI #AntiochusIII #SeleucidEmpire #Sogdia #OxusRiver #Bactria #HellenisticKingdoms #AlexanderTheGreat #IndoGreek #FexingoHistory #History #AncientGreece #SilkRoad Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo