Pactyans
/ˈpæk.ti.ənz/noun
An ancient people recorded by Herodotus as inhabiting Pactyica, probably somewhere in or near modern eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan.
Did you know?The Pactyans are often connected with the ancestors of the Pashtuns, but historians treat that identification as plausible rather than proven.
Etymological Timeline
5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Πακτύες (Paktyes)
“Herodotus’s name for a people living in the region called Pactyica.”
5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Pactyica
“The geographical territory associated by Herodotus with the Pactyans.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Classical tradition
Pactyes/Pactyans
“Later forms preserving the ancient ethnonym in Greek and Latin geographical writing.”
Medieval period
Iranian languages
Pakhtūn/Pashtūn
“Later ethnonyms used for Pashtun peoples; their connection with the ancient Pactyans is debated.”
Modern English
English
Pactyans
“A historical name for the ancient people described in classical sources.”