The country neighbouring the Dahae to the south, Verkāna – often known by its Greek name, Hyrcania (Ὑρκανία) – has sometimes been conflated with Dahistan. Like Dahae and Dacia, Verkâna appears to have a root in an Indo-European word for "wolf", the Proto-Iranian: *vrka.The Old Iranian/Old Persian verka "wolf" was recorded in Darius the Great's Behistun Inscription of 522 BCE ), as well as other Old Persian cuneiform inscriptions. There is evidence for an etymological link between Verkāna and an Indo-European root meaning "wolf", in related languages including: Avestan vəhrka, Gilaki and Mazandarani Verk, Modern Persian gorg, and Sanskrit Vŗka (वृक) and Old Norse Warg. The name of Sadrakarta (later Zadracarta), the capital of Verkâna, apparently has the same etymological roots, and may be synonymous with one of two modern cities in Iran: Sari or Gorgan. (The modern name Gorgan is also derived ultimately from the Proto-Iranian *vrka for "wolf" and is cognate with the New Persian gorgān (i.e. v > g).<ref>The 'v > g shift is also seen also seen, for example, in two words for "boar": Avestan varāza and New Persian gorāz.)</ref> History Berossus's biography of Cyrus the Great (c. 589–530 BCE ) claims that he was killed by the Dahae near the Syr Darya (Jaxartes) river (modern Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan).M. A. Dandamaev, A political history of the Achaemenid empire, Leiden, Brill, 1989, p. 67 Later sources, such as Alexander the Great and Strabo also claimed that some of the Dahae were located near the Jaxartes. The Encyclopedia Iranica considers that the Dahae "were said to have lived in ... wastes northeast of Bactria and east of Sogdiana. At least some of the Dahae must thus be placed along the eastern fringes of the Karakum desert, near ancient Margiana..." This suggests that elements of the Dahae were near neighbours of a now-obscure Bronze Age civilisation known to archaeologists as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). The first reliable mention of the Dahae is considered to be the Daeva inscription by Xerxes the Great of Persia (reigned 486–465 BCE ). In a list in Old Persian of the peoples and provinces of the Achaemenid Empire, the Daeva identifies the Dāha as neighboring the Saka. It is unclear whether the Dahae are also the *Dāha or *Dåŋha (only attested in the feminine Dahi) mentioned by the Avestani Yasht (13.144), which may date from the 5th century BCE . Moreover, any etymological relationship would not be proof that both names refer to exactly the same people.. Dahae and Saka tribes are known to have fought at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE ), in which the armies of the Achaemenid Empire were defeated by Alexander the Great. After the Achaemenid dynasty collapsed the following year, Alexander recruited Dahae – famed as mounted archers – for the Greek invasion of India. Some "Saka" coins from the Seleucid era (312–63 BCE ) are sometimes attributed to the Dahae. By the 3rd century BCE , the Parni Dahae had risen to prominence under a chief named Ashk (c. 250 – c. 211 BCE ; Persian: ارشک Arshak; Greek Ἀρσάκης; Latin Arsaces). The Parni invaded Parthia, which had just previously declared independence from the Seleucids, deposed the reigning monarch, and Ashk crowned himself king (Arsaces I in classical sources). His successors are often referred to as the Arsacids; they would eventually assert military control over the entire Iranian plateau. By then, the Parni would be indistinguishable from the Parthians, and would also be called by that name. During the 1st Century BCE , the Dahae were reported to have sent envoys to China. According to the Chinese historian Yu Taishan, a contemporary Chinese account (the Shijii) mentions separate envoys from Huanqian 驩潛 (Khwarezm), Dayi 大益 (the Dahae) and Suxie 蘇薤 (Soghdia), among others. In the 1st century BCE , Strabo (Geographika'' 11.8.1) also refers to the Dahae as a "Scythian" people, who were located in the vicinity of present-day Turkmenistan. However, while the terms Scythians and Saka are usually regarded as synonymous, that is not always the case with Strabo.
The country neighbouring the Dahae to the south, Verkāna – often known by its Greek name, Hyrcania (Ὑρκανία) – has sometimes been conflated with Dahistan. Like Dahae and Dacia, Verkâna appears to have a root in an Indo-European word for "wolf", the Proto-Iranian: *vrka.The Old Iranian/Old Persian verka "wolf" was recorded in Darius the Great's Behistun Inscription of 522 BC ), as well as other Old Persian cuneiform inscriptions. There is evidence for an etymological link between Verkāna and an Indo-European root meaning "wolf", in related languages including: Avestan vəhrka, Gilaki and Mazandarani Verk, Modern Persian gorg, and Sanskrit Vŗka (वृक) and Old Norse Warg. The name of Sadrakarta (later Zadracarta), the capital of Verkâna, apparently has the same etymological roots, and may be synonymous with one of two modern cities in Iran: Sari or Gorgan. (The modern name Gorgan is also derived ultimately from the Proto-Iranian *vrka for "wolf" and is cognate with the New Persian gorgān (i.e. v > g).<ref>The 'v > g shift is also seen also seen, for example, in two words for "boar": Avestan varāza and New Persian gorāz.)</ref> History Berossus's biography of Cyrus the Great (c. 589–530 BC ) claims that he was killed by the Dahae near the Syr Darya (Jaxartes) river (modern Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan).M. A. Dandamaev, A political history of the Achaemenid empire, Leiden, Brill, 1989, p. 67 Later sources, such as Alexander the Great and Strabo also claimed that some of the Dahae were located near the Jaxartes. The Encyclopedia Iranica considers that the Dahae "were said to have lived in ... wastes northeast of Bactria and east of Sogdiana. At least some of the Dahae must thus be placed along the eastern fringes of the Karakum desert, near ancient Margiana..." This suggests that elements of the Dahae were near neighbours of a now-obscure Bronze Age civilisation known to archaeologists as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). The first reliable mention of the Dahae is considered to be the Daeva inscription by Xerxes the Great of Persia (reigned 486–465 BC ). In a list in Old Persian of the peoples and provinces of the Achaemenid Empire, the Daeva identifies the Dāha as neighboring the Saka. It is unclear whether the Dahae are also the *Dāha or *Dåŋha (only attested in the feminine Dahi) mentioned by the Avestani Yasht (13.144), which may date from the 5th century BC . Moreover, any etymological relationship would not be proof that both names refer to exactly the same people.. Dahae and Saka tribes are known to have fought at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC ), in which the armies of the Achaemenid Empire were defeated by Alexander the Great. After the Achaemenid dynasty collapsed the following year, Alexander recruited Dahae – famed as mounted archers – for the Greek invasion of India. Some "Saka" coins from the Seleucid era (312–63 BC ) are sometimes attributed to the Dahae. By the 3rd century BC , the Parni Dahae had risen to prominence under a chief named Ashk (c. 250 – c. 211 BC ; Persian: ارشک Arshak; Greek Ἀρσάκης; Latin Arsaces). The Parni invaded Parthia, which had just previously declared independence from the Seleucids, deposed the reigning monarch, and Ashk crowned himself king (Arsaces I in classical sources). His successors are often referred to as the Arsacids; they would eventually assert military control over the entire Iranian plateau. By then, the Parni would be indistinguishable from the Parthians, and would also be called by that name. During the 1st Century BC , the Dahae were reported to have sent envoys to China. According to the Chinese historian Yu Taishan, a contemporary Chinese account (the Shijii) mentions separate envoys from Huanqian 驩潛 (Khwarezm), Dayi 大益 (the Dahae) and Suxie 蘇薤 (Soghdia), among others. In the 1st century BC , Strabo (Geographika'' 11.8.1) also refers to the Dahae as a "Scythian" people, who were located in the vicinity of present-day Turkmenistan. However, while the terms Scythians and Saka are usually regarded as synonymous, that is not always the case with Strabo.
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC
R
BCE
BC