Kangju

Kangju was a state in Kazakh steppe and Semirechye (Central and North Asia) that lasted from c. 200 BCE to 450 CE, about 649 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).

A nomad confederation of the middle Syr Darya, known from Chinese records. It sheltered the Xiongnu chanyu Zhizhi, whom a Han army killed at his fort on the Talas river in 36 BCE.

See Kangju on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates: c. 200 BCE to 450 CE
Duration: 649 years
Type: State
Region: Kazakh steppe and Semirechye, Central and North Asia
Language family: Iranian

Events in Central and North Asia during its time

138 BCE Zhang Qian travels west

Neighbours in Central and North Asia

Xiongnu Empire c. 209 BCE to 93 CE
Sogdiana c. 545 BCE to 722 CE
Kingdom of Khotan c. 200 BCE to 1006 CE
Kushan Empire c. 30 to 375 CE
Rouran Khaganate 330 to 555 CE
Xianbei state c. 93 to 234 CE
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom c. 256 to 125 BCE
Hephthalite Empire c. 450 to 560 CE
Kingdom of Kucha c. 100 BCE to 840 CE
Ancient Chorasmia c. 600 BCE to 305 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Europe
Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Middle East
Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE, North and West Africa
Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE, North and West Africa
Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
Tiwanaku c. 400 to 1000 CE, South America
Roman Republic 509 to 27 BCE, Europe
Parthian Empire 247 BCE to 224 CE, Middle East

Questions

When did Kangju exist?

c. 200 BCE to 450 CE, about 649 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.

Where was Kangju?

Kazakh steppe and Semirechye, in Central and North Asia.

What language did Kangju speak?

Iranian. This family includes Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish.