New Insights into Sogdiana during the Classical Period (from the end of the 4th c. BCE to the 3rd c. CE)

ABSTRACT The article intends to give a synoptic view of Sogdiana, from the Macedonian conquest to the beginning of the 3rd c. AD. It considers written sources and material culture from the most recent excavations, but it also relies upon previous works. It shows the importance of the nomadic component of its population since the very beginning. Most is of Scythian background and there is no evidence of any Yuezhi intrusion. Their mobility led to their participation into the large trade system of the Silk Road and explains the presence in Sogdiana of material from Rome to China. Sogdiana never stood long within the Empires of that time and quickly recovered its independency.