1840.J from Bactrian and Indo- Scythian coins. 741 



— 175 B. c. Between 175 — 140, according to our foregoing 

 review of the facts, occurred the overthrow of Demetrios, the 

 murder of Eukratides, and the reign of his son, or of his suc- 

 cessors. All is here uncertain, save that the reign of Eukra- 

 tides must not be extended too far, as he fell in the midst of his 

 victorious career, and appears to have made only one campaign 

 in India.* 



§ 16. 

 The Scythians in Bactria, 



Euthydemos mentioned to Antiochos as a reason for not over- 

 weakening his power, that in this case he would not be able to 

 repel the northern barbarians, and that Antiochos^ own provinces 

 would run the risk of being inundated by the invading current 

 of the bai'barian hordes. (Polyb. xi, 34.) 



The Bactrian kings had in their palmy days possession of the 

 country of the Scythians in two directions ; to the east, beyond 

 the Mustag, the provinces of the Phrunians and Seres, and on 

 the north towards the Caspian the Satrapies of Turan, and ano- 

 ther named after Aspiones. Mithridates had taken the latter, 

 probably when Eukratides fought with Demetrios. 



Among the nations in warring with which the Parthian 

 empire became exhausted, the Sogdians are mentioned ; they can 

 hardly be Sogdians properly speaking, but rather the Saces, who 

 had invaded Sogdiana ; Strabo represents them as of that nation, 

 when he says on the occasion of the great irruption of the Scy*- 

 thians, that they had started from the country beyond the 

 Jaxartes, ^^rrJc f^cLTa Sa/cac /cai 2oy^iavouc> hv Karuyov 2a/cai." 



They are probably the same Saces from whom Mithridates 

 took away a part of Bactriaf occupied by them, and who alrea- 

 dy so early as the days of Herodotus (vii. 64) bordered on 

 Sogdiana, and whose name was given to all nomad tribes and 



* There will be found a great difference between my numbers and those 

 given by Mr. Mueller (at o. p. 218.) This is no place for a critical com- 

 parison of both statements ; I beg only to remark, that the reign of 20 

 years (160-40) Mr. Mueller assigns to Eukratides in India, is as impro- 

 bable as the reign of 40 years, generally ascribed to him. 

 t XI, Scyth. § 2. 



5b 



