Arachosia cannot be considered ‘Greek’ or even ‘Hellenistic’ in the same way that other regions – particularly Bactria – can, as it was only under Seleukid, Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek rule relatively briefly. By the time of Menander, Arachosia and Drangiana were probably part of Parthian Iran. Seleukid Arachosia was a continuation of the Achaemenid satrapy (and Hellenisation of the name) of Harahuvatis, adopted wholesale by Hellenistic rulers without territorial changes. Since Seleukid Arachosia was little more than Achaemenid Harahuvatish under a new (or even the previous) administration, some of the Achaemenid and Iron Age background is essential to understand Hellenistic Arachosia. The identification of Alexandria Areia with Herat (or the Herat area), long assumed, is far more elusive – in fact Alexandria Areia is not recorded by the Alexander historians and they make no mention of a new foundation.