History of Afghanistan

15.6 MB·English

by  LTC Tim Hollifeld (Ret.)

Directorate for Human Capital
History of Afghanistan
Instructor: Tim Hollifield, LTC (Ret’d)

This presentation is Unclassified
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"Remnant of an Army" (1879) by Victorian artist Elizabeth Southerden Thompson, Lady Butler (Nov 1846 – Oct 1933)
3
President
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Four “Founding Fathers”
(General) George
Washington
1789
President
Thomas Jefferson
1801
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Learning Objectives
TLO: Participants will be able to identify key events,
civilizations, empires, and personalities in Afghanistan’s
history and explain how each have shaped Afghanistan
today

ELO 1.1 Identify key historical events and personalities
from early civilization to the “Great Game” in the 19th
century and explain the significance and legacy of each

ELO 1.2 Identify key historical events and personalities
in the 20th to the 21st century and explain the significance
and legacy of each
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The Graveyard of Empires?
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Afghanistan’s History: Key Themes
 A crossroads, roundabout, fulcrum, crucible,
battleground & buffer-zone for civilizations & nations

 Center & periphery of empires & world powers

 Both “cradle” & “graveyard” of empires

 Geography is Destiny: Likely will remain arena for the
“Great Game” between regional or world powers

 Kabul & Provinces (Markhaz-i Hukumat va Yaghistan)
Equilibrium not Stability

 Last 50 years: Unrelenting violence, political
instability, & social disruption (PTSD)
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PRE-MODERN
HISTORY
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Where 3 Worlds Overlap
 Crisscrossed by invaders, raiders, missionaries, &
traders for millennium

 Bridge & “melting pot” for
civilizations & religions

 Often seen as remote
frontier to be exploited
or ignored

 Epicenter of “Turko-
Persianate” World
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Afghanistan: Pre-Islamic Empires or Dynasties
Empire / Dynasty / Origin / Era and Duration Areas of Control or
Conquest Civilization Influence
Indo-European / Aryan Central Asian 2000 - 500 BC (2,500 yrs) North and West
Achaemenid Empire Persian 550 - 334 BC (300 yrs) All
Alexander the Great Hellenic / Persian 334 - 330 BC (4 yrs) All
Seleucid and Greco- Hellenic / Persian 312 - 63 BC and (310 yrs) N o r t h and West
Bactrian Empires 256 BC - 10 AD
Mauryan Empire Indian 321 - 185 BC (250 yrs) South and East
Indo-Parthian and Indo- Central Asia / 12 BC - 100 AD (110 yrs) All
Scythian (Saka) Persian
Kushan Empire Central Asia / 60 - 375 AD (315 yrs) All
Turkic
Hephthalite (Huns) and Central Asia / 420 - 567 AD and (250 yrs) N o r t h and East
Tokharan Satrapi Turkic 567 - 650 AD
Sassanid Empire Persian 224 - 651 AD (375 yrs) South and West
Hindu (Kabul) Shahi Central Asian / 565 - 1026 AD (525 yrs) Kabul and East
Turkic and Indian
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Timeline: Early History of Afghanistan
Pre-Islamic Dynasties Hindu Islamic Dynasties
100 CE
Shahi
Central Asia Turko-
Mongol Invasions begin
Durrani
Turkic Dynasty
BCE CE
Shahi
332 BCE Seljuk Hotaki
Hephthalites Dynasty
Invasion by Turks
( White Huns )
Alexander the Great
Safavid
Scythians ( Saka) Yuezhi ( Kushans )
Samanids Empire
Graeco- Sassanid Empire Timurids
3000 – 1500 BCE Bactrian Saffarids Ghorids
Aryans Cross Oxus
Kingdoms
into Afghanistan and
South Asia
Umayyad Ghaznavid Moghul
Seleucids
Caliphate Empire Empire
Achaemenid
652 CE
Empire
Arab Invasions begin
Mauryan
Greek Paganism Nestorian Christianity
Dynasty
1219 CE
Hinduism and Buddhism Genghis Khan’s
Mongol Invasion
Aryan Vedic Religion and Zoroastrianism Islam
1500 … 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800