Arachosia

Arachosia is also a spider genus (Anyphaenidae).

Arachosia (Old Persian harahuvati, corresponding to Sanskrit sarasvati 'rich in rivers') was an ancient province of the Achaemenid, Seleucid and Parthian empires and corresponds to the southern part of today's Afghanistan. The Helmand River runs through Arachosia and provides the most fertile lands in southern Afghanistan. Its major city since the time of Alexander the Great, who is said to have founded it, has been Kandahar.

Arachosia was directly to the south of Bactria, but separated from it by the Hindu Kush. The main inhabitants of Arachosia were the Pactyans, an ancient Iranian tribe. They were probably the ancestors of today's Pashtuns.

Etymology

Arachosia is derived from Arachotos, a hellenized form of Harachuwati, the Achaemenid Persian name for the Arghandab River, the chief tributary of the Helmand River.

References

Frye, Richard N. (1963). The Heritage of Persia. World Publishing company, Cleveland, Ohio. Mentor Book edition, 1966.
Hill, John E. 2004. The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. Draft annotated English translation.[link]
Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. [link]
Toynbee, Arnold J. (1961). Between Oxus and Jumna. London. Oxford University Press.
Vogelsang, W. (1985). "Early historical Arachosia in South-east Afghanistan; Meeting-place between East and West." Iranica antiqua, 20 (1985), pp. 55-99.

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