The first states on the territory of Uzbekistan
According to written sources, in the 7th–6th centuries BCE the Sogdians, Bactrians, Khorezmians and the Saka and Massagetae tribes lived on the territory of present-day Uzbekistan and neighbouring lands. The Sogdians lived in the Zarafshan and Kashkadarya valleys (Sogdiana), the Khorezmians in the lower Amu Darya (Chorasmia), the Bactrians in the Surkhan oasis and nearby lands (Bactria). The Sakas and Massagetae were nomadic herders of the steppes and mountains: they kept horses, camels, sheep and goats. The Sakas were divided into several groups: those who wore pointed hats (tigraxauda) lived in today’s Tashkent region and southern Kazakhstan, and those who worshipped a sacred drink (haoma) lived in the Pamirs and Fergana. The settled people practised irrigated farming, crafts and trade. In the 7th–6th centuries BCE cities such as Afrasiyab (Samarkand), Yerqorgon and Uzunqir (Kashkadarya oasis), Kuzaliqir (Khorezm) and Qiziltepa (Surkhandarya) developed; they were surrounded by defensive walls, and the ruler’s palace stood in the citadel. In the 7th century BCE the Ancient Bactrian state formed; Margiana and Sogdiana were under its influence. There was an ancient state in Khorezm too. These cities are at least 2,700 years old.
“Peoples on the map”: children mark Sogdiana, Bactria and Khorezm on a map with coloured pencils.