The time of Euthydemus was over the reign of Demetrius had begun. It would be he that almost turned this far-flung semi-Greek kingdom into the most powerful empire ever seen. Living up to Euthydemus’ conquests would be no easy task, yet Euthydemus’ heir would prove more than capable. His son, seeing his father’s achievements, would be sure to take note. Backed by a formidable army – consisting of deadly Bactrian cavalry, disciplined Hellenistic infantry and powerful elephants – he would prove very successful, finally confirming Bactria as an independent sovereign state and conquering lands in every direction.īy the time of his death in around 200 BC, Euthydemus had proven those in the West wrong: His realm was now much greater than just a small buffer state. Forming the Greco-Bactrian EmpireĪttempting to make his visions reality, Euthydemus would spend much of his ruling lifetime attempting to expand his realm. Seeing his kingdom prospering and the nomadic threat contained, Euthydemus saw Bactria as much more than just a boundary marker for civilisation to him this kingdom was an empire in waiting. Nomadic tribes – in particular the Massaegetae and the Sakae – were an ever-present danger on the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom’s northern borders. Artwork by © Johnny Shumate. One Bactrian king, however, thought very differently. As the first to face these dangers, many Greeks in the West would view this land as nothing more than a rich buffer state – its main reason for existing being to use its resources to prevent hordes of bloodthirsty barbarians from descending on the Greek world. To the North and Northwest, Bactria would frequently face incursions from many hostile nomadic tribes. Yet all was not peace and prosperity.īeing situated on the edge of the ‘civilised’ Greek world also brought its downsides. That exception was the Kingdom of Bactria, the ‘Jewel of Iran’ and ‘Land of a Thousand Cities.’ Situated far to the East, this kingdom would become renowned in antiquity for both its wealth and strategic value – its lands ideally located on the main trade route between the Mediterranean and the Orient.

Having such splendour, Bactria became the heart of a formidable Greek Empire in the East. Its cities too became famous for both their riches and their strength in repelling adversaries. Having the bountiful Oxus River (now the Amu Darya) flowing right through its centre, Bactria’s irrigated lands were amongst the most fertile in Asia – even rivalling those on the banks of the Nile.

Bactria The ancient region of Bactria, situated in modern-day Afghanistan or (in ancient times) Eastern Iran. There was however, one exception to this claim. As these Hellenistic Kingdoms began to experience difficulties, one thing became notably clear: Greek power in Asia was waning. To the West, the ever-growing power of Rome had started to gain great influence over the Greek kingdoms in the Eastern Mediterranean – in particular over the Attalids and the Ptolemies yet they were not the only concern.įurther east, in the lands that remained in Hellenistic control, old internal troubles – mostly in the form of violent revolts and deadly power struggles – once again reared their ugly heads.

Now, new empires had begun to make their own mark on this rich part of the Ancient World.

The Ptolemies, Antigonids and Seleucids – by 185 BC, these Greek dynasties had become shadows of their former selves their glory days were behind them. Now, however, their control was starting to dwindle. For the past 100 years, the Hellenistic Greeks had ruled supreme over this cradle of civilisation, bathing in the afterglow of Alexander’s Persian conquest. Although geographically, these kingdoms still covered much of this area, their dominance was disappearing fast.īy this time, Asia had transformed substantially since Alexander the Great had breathed his last back in 323 BC. Four of them were Hellenistic Kingdoms: The Attalids in Asia Minor, the Seleucids in the Fertile Crescent, the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in the East. It is in this year that his fate would be decided.īackground: Hellenistic Asia in 185 BC Hellenistic Asia 185 BC: Five main powers shared ancient Asia between them at that time. Fail however, and his name will be forever lost to obscurity. Succeed and Demetrius will be able to boast of achieving a conquest as formidable as that of his idol, Alexander the Great. His name is Demetrius, ruler of an empire in deepest Asia.įighting an enemy that was neither Greek nor Roman, Demetrius has invaded a land that to many looked unconquerable – India. After fourteen years of fighting, one Greek king is on the verge of becoming a legend.

Did alexander the great conquer india