Editing Euthydemus I (section)

===Activities on the Central Asian Steppe===
Polybius claims that Euthydemus justified his kingship during his peace negotiations with Antiochus III in 206 BC by reference to the threat of attack by nomads on the [[Central Asia]]n [[steppe]]:
:"...[he said that] if [Antiochus] did not yield to this demand, neither of them would be safe: seeing that great hoards of Nomads were close at hand, who were a danger to both; and that if they admitted them into the country, it would certainly be utterly barbarised." ([[Polybius]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+11.34 11.34]).
Archaeological evidence from coin finds shows that Euthydemus' reign saw extensive activity at fortresses in northwestern Bactria (the modern [[Surkhan Darya]] region of [[Uzbekistan]]), especially in the [[Gissar Range|Gissar]] and [[Köýtendag Range|Köýtendag mountains]]. The Seleucid fortress at [[Uzundara]] was expanded and large numbers of Euthydemus' bronze coins have been found there, as was as hundreds of arrowheads and other remains indicating a violent assault.{{sfn|Stančo|2021|p=262-264}} Coin finds also seem to indicate that Euthydemus was responsible for the first construction of the Derbent Wall, otherwise known as the "[[Iron Gate (Central Asia)|Iron Gate]]", a 1.6-1.7 km long stone wall with towers and a central fortress guarding a key pass.{{sfn|Stančo|2021|p=264-265}} Landislav Stančo tentatively links the archaeological evidence with the nomad threat.{{sfn|Stančo|2021|p=262}} However, Stančo also notes that Derbent wall seems to have been designed not to defend against an attack from Sogdia to the northwest, but from Bactria to the southeast. Hundreds of arrowheads also seem to indicate an attack on the wall from the southeast. Stančo proposes that Euthydemus was originally based in Sogdia and built the fortifications to protect himself from Bactria, before seizing control of the latter.{{sfn|Stančo|2021|p=265-266}} Lucas Christopoulos goes further, proposing that he controlled a large area going from Sogdiana to [[Gansu]] and the [[Tarim Basin|Tarim basin]] walled cities together with enrolled Hellenized [[Saka]] horsemen even before he ascended the throne of Bactria in 250-230 BC.<ref>Lucas, Christopoulos; Dionysian rituals and the Golden Zeus of China http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp326_dionysian_rituals_china.pdf pp.75-118 </ref>