Abstract
The article is dedicated to the appearance and the development of the Greeks’ knowledge about Bactria in the literature of the Classical epoch (V–IV centuries BC). Herodotus, Ctesias, Xenophon give us the most important information about Bactria. Ctesias’ «The Persian History» as the most significant work studying Ancient Bactria does not remain. The works by Diodorus of Sicily and Patriarch Photius are the main research on Ctesias’ work. Much more before the Eastern Campaign of Alexander, the Hellenes had the information about Bactria geography, its population, military forces and economic potential, the largest cities and their role in the Achaemenid Empire. Such information competently allowed to assess the perspectives during Alexander’s conquering of the Bactrian territories, for example, the strategic location of Bactria in his wide Empire. Beginning from Herodotus, some classical authors have formed the critical view about the Asiatic statehood. On the other side Ctesias promoted the compromise ideas, directing to cooperation with the «barbarian» East. In the same time Bactria and Bactrians became the background to advance all these ideologies.
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