Who were the Sogdians, the enigmatic Silk Road merchants?

[Kittens Are Jerks]

A new genetic study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science revealed evidence of genetic admixture between ancient Central and East Asians, offering fresh insights into the lives of these enigmatic traders.

Renowned for their sense of commerce and diplomacy along the Silk Road from antiquity to the High Middle Ages, the Sogdians became the most successful merchants of the era. They fostered relations between the Hellenistic world and the Qin and Han dynasties, contributing to the trade of goods such as silk, precious stones, and spices.

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-841956

[Piney]

They're development was more complicated than this.

They started out as Turkic-Eastern Iranic Nomads and were eventually ruled by a Greek aristocracy. 

Eventually helping Ashoka spred Buddhism to China and the Middle East.