“Around 2100 BCE a substantial population colonized the Murgab River delta north of the Iranian plateau...This was Margiana, a region that quickly became and remained one of the richest oases in Central Asia. The immigrants built new walled towns, temples, and palaces (Gonur, Togolok) on virgin soil during the late Namazga V period, at the end of the regional Middle Bronze Age...Anthropological studies of their skeletons show that they came from the Iranian plateau....The colonization phase in Margiana, 2100-2000 BCE, was followed by a much richer period, 2000-1800 BCE, during Namazga VI, the beginning of the regional Late Bronze Age. New walled towns now spread to the upper Amu Darya valley, ancient Bactria...The towns of Bactria and Margiana shared a distinctive set of seal types, architectural styles, brick-lined tomb types, and pottery. The LBA [Late Bronze Age] civilization of Bactria and Margiana is called the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC).”¹