부산대학교 도서관

This chapter covers five territories of the Persian Empire, which in Bruno Jacob’s interpretation of the imperial territorial organization correspond to different degrees and concepts of administrative geography, with Arachosia representing the only “Great Satrapy.” While only Sattagydia still presents problems in its precise geographical identification, all these regions—except for Drangiana—belong to the “Indo-Iranian frontier,” for whose understanding the (rare) written sources must be combined with the representations of their peoples in the Persian Empire’s official art, especially as bearers of the imperial throne: their cultural orientation is evident in the fact that the Arachosian and the Drangianian are shown wearing Iranian dress, whereas the Sattagydian, the Gandaran, the Indian, and the Gedrosian wear Indian dress. The chapter endeavors to trace the manifestation of an imperial presence in the frontier satrapies through a detailed analysis of the archaeological sources, which show in particular the important role of Drangiana within the Iranian plateau. Due to methodological issues, the evidence from the sites of Charsada and Taxila is problematic. However, the sound methodology of the excavations at Kandahar, Akra, and Barikot allows for a more secure interpretation of the archaeological sequence, in which some features attesting to a Persian imperial presence can be isolated. The chapter therefore also stresses the need for renewed, methodologically sound excavations at Charsada and Taxila.