ABSTRACT
The heart of Eurasia can be divided into two broad regions: the Eurasian steppe, with a predominantly pastoral economy, and southern Central Asia (i.e., the northeastern frontier of the Near and Middle East), mainly devoted to agriculture. Interaction between these two large culture areas began in the 4th millennium, when mobile groups of pastoralists began to settle in the middle Zeravshan valley, and the process continued and increased throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC, especially during the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). This chapter addresses this interaction from both perspectives: steppe innovations and materials found in Bronze Age sites of Central Asia, and vice versa.
