Asii, also written Asioi, and probably also Asiani, were one of the nomadic tribes, mentioned in Roman and Greek accounts who are said to have been responsible for the downfall of the state of Bactria circa 140 BCE. These tribes are usually identified as Scythian or Saka peoples. The texts relating to them are very brief and there is little definitely known about them. Many theories have been proposed by historians and other scholars as to their origins, relationships, language, culture, etc.

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  • Asii, also written Asioi, and probably also Asiani, were one of the nomadic tribes, mentioned in Roman and Greek accounts who are said to have been responsible for the downfall of the state of Bactria circa 140 BCE. These tribes are usually identified as Scythian or Saka peoples. The texts relating to them are very brief and there is little definitely known about them. Many theories have been proposed by historians and other scholars as to their origins, relationships, language, culture, etc. , but so far no consensus has emerged. The three main surviving classical sources are those of Strabo, Trogus and Justin. Both Trogus' Historiae Philippicae (as preserved in Justin) and Strabo's Geography exist in a number of ancient manuscripts containing significant textual variations which have led to widely varying translations and interpretations. Trogus (Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus; fl. 1st century BCE) wrote his Historiae Philppicae in Latin. Unfortunately, only his 'Prologues,' which are rather like chapter headings, have survived intact. He mentions only three tribes involved in the conquest of Bactria: the Asiani, Sacaraucae and the Tochari, of whom the Sacaraucae were said to have been destroyed. The Asiani are reported as becoming, at some point, rulers over the Tochari, though this text is sometimes translated as the “Asian kings of the Tochari. ” Marcus Junianus Justinus, (usually referred to simply as Justin in English), a late 2nd or 3rd century Roman historian, wrote an "epitome" or condensation of Trogus' history. The last datable event recorded by Justin is the recovery of the Roman standards captured by the Parthians in 20 BCE, although Trogus’ original history may have dealt with events into the first decade of the 1st century CE. Strabo (Στράβων; 64/63 BCE – 24 CE), who wrote in Greek (and completed his Geography in 23 CE), around the time of Trogus. He mentions what appears to be four tribes (though, in reality, may be only three - see below): the Asioi (commonly accepted as the equivalent of the Latin Asii), the Pasianoi, the Tacharoi (or Tokharoi) and the Sakaraukai.
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  • Asii, also written Asioi, and probably also Asiani, were one of the nomadic tribes, mentioned in Roman and Greek accounts who are said to have been responsible for the downfall of the state of Bactria circa 140 BCE. These tribes are usually identified as Scythian or Saka peoples. The texts relating to them are very brief and there is little definitely known about them. Many theories have been proposed by historians and other scholars as to their origins, relationships, language, culture, etc.
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  • Asii
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