•  The Indo-Iranians comprising Indo-Aryans and Iranians, moved towards India from two areas of Central Asia.
  • First area is archaeologically called the Andronovo Culture which covered almost the whole of Central Asia during the second millennium BC.
  • Second is archaeologically called the Bactria Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) and dated 1900-1500 BC. This cultural zone extended over South Central Asia and included:- Bactria or Balkh covering Afghanistan and Margiana covering Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Andronovo Culture

  • Andronovo Culture covered almost the whole Central Asia during the second millennium BCE.
  • The Andronovo culture manifests all the important elements of Aryan life.
  • These comprise - Stock breeding, widespread use of horse, spoked wheels, practice of cremation, pit-dwellings roofed with birch and other parts of wood and the soma drink.
  • This culture is therefore regarded as Proto-Indo Iranian.
  • It eventually spread to both Iran and northern part of the Indian Subcontinent.
Image:- Central Asia

Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC)

  • This cultural zone extended over south Central Asia and included - Bactria or Balkh covering Afghanistan, Margiana covering Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
  • BMAC shows the evidence of domestic horse, chariots with spoked wheels, partial cremation and swastika motif.
  • In the BMAC area, the remains of proto-urban culture of the Pre-Aryan times suggest that the herdsmen who damaged it, moved from this area to the border of the Indian Subcontinent.
  • That is why horse remains and post cremation burials figured in Swat Valley(Pakistan) from about 1400 BC.
  • At about the same time, some ceramics from south Central Asia resemble those found in the Swat Region.
  • Bactria is well known in the Indian tradition, It is called Bahlika, coterminous with modern Balkh.
  • Though this term is not mentioned in the Rig Veda, it figures in later vedic texts.
  • A Gupta inscription from the fourth century refers to the conqurer of Bahlika who returned there after crossing seven mouths of the Indus.
  • Bactria covers substantial part of Afghanistan, which was well known to the Rig Veda.


Image:- South Central Asia