Aryan Migration to Central Asia: Archaeological and Historiographical Perspectives from the Sintashta Arkaim Complex and the Bactria Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC)

This article examines the debated issue of Aryan (Indo-Iranian/Indo-Aryan) migration to Central Asia and the mechanisms through which related linguistic, religious, and material traditions spread during the second millennium BCE. Special attention is given to the Sintashta–Arkaim complex of the Southern Urals as a potential northern source zone for steppe groups, and to the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) as a major oasis-centered cultural sphere that interacted with incoming populations. By analyzing settlement patterns, burial practices, chariot and horse-related technologies, and models of cultural transmission, the article evaluates competing interpretations based on migration, diffusion, and integration. The study argues that while archaeological evidence indicates sustained movement and contact between steppe and oasis societies, direct identification of archaeological cultures with specific ethnic or linguistic groups requires methodological caution, favoring a multi-layered model of mobility, social networks, and elite interaction.