Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex

The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) is the modern archaeological designation for a particular Middle Bronze Age civilisation of southern Central Asia in regions around the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea. This civilization is also known as the Oxus Civilization. The civilization thrived between about 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE, though there is debate about details and interpretation of data. Although commonly referred to as the “Oxus civilization” and formally designated as the “Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex” (BMAC), recent studies have questioned the geographic adequacy of these terms.

While the traditional labels emphasise the concentration of major urban sites in Margiana and northern Bactria, new archaeological surveys and excavations show that the cultural core of this Bronze Age complex was considerably broader. Significant sites have been documented across northeastern Iran, within the historical region of Greater Khorasan, including newly excavated settlements such as Tepe Chalow, Kalat-e Yavar, and Shahrak-e Firouzeh, along with numerous surveyed locations exhibiting characteristic BMAC material culture.

On the basis of this wider distribution—extending from