ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to clarify the position of the Surkhan Darya region in current research on the Hellenistic East. Based on geographical specifics, the area is defined as a buffer zone between two important historical regions – Bactria and Sogdiana. Using the results of the most recent archaeological investigations (which are also themselves addressed) and fresh data gained by several international teams, we try to point out some key issues in the history of the region in question in the third to the second centuries BC, i.e. during Seleukid and Graeco-Bactrian rule.
