Another land which appears in Akkadian inscriptions, described as a land beyond Elam, and often mentioned together with Meluhha (the Indus Valley) was Markhasi, or, Marahasi.
According to archaeologist HP Francfort who excavated numerous Greek sites in Afghanistan, and the Harappan settlement of Shortugai, this referred to the Oxus Civilisation.
According to archaeologist HP Francfort who excavated numerous Greek sites in Afghanistan, and the Harappan settlement of Shortugai, this referred to the Oxus Civilisation.
Francfort reasons as follows, some excerpts on a retrospective essay on the importance of the discovery of Shortugai:
Markhasi was a kingdom with Meluhha, they had deep and enduring commercial and cultural ties (all proven in subsequent excavations, as I recently shared); it is always mentioned in Sumerian texts in relation to Meluhha, and their period of flourishing (also now proven) is congruent;
Markhasi was a kingdom with Meluhha, they had deep and enduring commercial and cultural ties (all proven in subsequent excavations, as I recently shared); it is always mentioned in Sumerian texts in relation to Meluhha, and their period of flourishing (also now proven) is congruent;
The routes established between the Oxus Civilisation (or Markhasi according to Francfort), and the Indus Valley, remained important in all ages which followed, especially the Graeco-Scythian Age I have been exploring.
More on the Oxus Civilisation:
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