Zoroaster, and the scene of his preaching, to Bactriana, that land of
heroes whose exploits formed the theme of Persian epic song. It is not
known, as we have already had occasion to remark, by what ties it was
bound to the empire of Cyaxares, nor indeed if it ever had been actually
attached to it. We do not possess, unfortunately, more than almost
worthless scraps of information on this part of the reign of Cyrus,
perhaps the most important period of it, since then, for the first
time, peoples who had been hitherto strangers to the Asiatic world were
brought within its influence. If Ctesias is to be credited, Bactriana
was one of the first districts to be conquered. Its inhabitants were
regarded as being among the bravest of the East, and furnished the best
soldiers. They at first obtained some successes, but laid down arms on
hearing that Cyrus had married a daughter of Astyages.* This tradition
was prevalent at a time when the Achaemenians were putting forward the
theory that they, and Cyrus before them, were the legitimate successors
of the old Median sovereigns; they welcomed every legend which tended to
justify their pretensions, and this particular one was certain to please
them, since it attributed the submission of Bactriana not to a mere
display of brute force, but to the recognition of an hereditary right.
The annexation of this province entailed, as a matter of course, that
of Margiana, of the Khoramnians,** and of Sogdiana. Cyrus constructed
fortresses in all these districts, the most celebrated being that
of Kyropolis, which commanded one of the principal fords of the
Iaxartes.***

* This is the campaign which Ctesias places before the
Lydian war, but which Herodotus relegates to a date after
the capture of Sardes.

** Ctesias must have spoken of the submission of these