Since we are all as humans fated to live in coexistence it is our roles, as distinct cultures and societies, to bequest knowledge to our many brothers and sisters. Overtime, once a city has developed vastly they will look back to their ancestors with appreciation, for it was them who facilitated their fortune. We live in accordance with this thought as all of our modern technologies have through time been developed by peoples of all nations. Ancient empires, like the Persian Empire, are good examples of this. It is through the intellect of these ancient peoples that we can relish in our modern luxuries.
One such province of the Persian Empire, which contributed to this process, was Sogdiana. It is believed in Zoroastrian scripture, specifically the Vendidad, that Sogdiana was the second land of value created by Ahura Mazda. The capitals of Sogdiana were: Bukhara, Kesh, Khujand, and Samarkand; cities all located presently within Uzbekistan. Their inhabitants however were not Turkic as they are now in modern day Uzbekistan; rather they were an Iranian group of people. Their language Sogdian is an extinct Northeastern Indo-Iranian language of the Indo-European family.
The Sogdians were known throughout the silk road as travelling merchants. They were dominant in the trade of goods along this region from the second century BCE to the tenth century CE. They travelled all along this great path routinely, therefore helping with the introduction of certain goods to areas where they are not naturally present. They are held in high esteem because other than raw products, they brought to new lands culture, philosophies, and religion. Their presence was so beneficial that during this period the region’s vernacular was Sogdian.
Overall, nowadays Sogdiana is thought of as an important historical city as it was the reason for the spread of many common-day necessities. They brought with them silverware from Persia, glass and wool from Rome, and paper and copper from China. The Sogdians were also known to create wonderful art; many such pieces have been unearthed and preserved recently. These are all goods we need in our daily lives so we should be grateful for the existence of the Sogdians. It may seem inevitable for goods and technologies to spread through time, but the Sogdians did so in an intelligent manner.
