Ai Khanoum 3rd C. BCE

September 30, 2023

Ai Khanoum 3rd C. BCE - 2nd C. CE

"These wise sayings of men of old,

The words of famous men, are consecrated

At holy Delphi, where Klearchos copied them from carefully

To set them up, shining from afar, in the sanctuary of Kineas.

As a child, be well behaved;

As a young man, self-controlled;

In middle age, be just;

As an elder, be of good counsel;

And when you come to the end, be without grief.

—trans. of Ai Khanoum stele by Shane Wallace and Rachel Mairs.

Ai-Khanoum (/aɪ ˈhɑːnjuːm/, meaning Lady Moon; Uzbek Latin: Oyxonim) is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The city, whose original name is unknown, was likely founded by an early ruler of the Seleucid Empire and served as a military and economic centre for the rulers of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom until its destruction c. 145 BC. Rediscovered in 1961, the ruins of the city were excavated by a French team of archaeologists until the outbreak of conflict in Afghanistan in the late 1970s.

The city was probably founded between 300 and 285 BC by an official acting on the orders of Seleucus I Nicator or his son Antiochus I Soter, the first two rulers of the Seleucid dynasty. There is a possibility that the site was known to the earlier Achaemenid Empire, who established a small fort nearby. Ai-Khanoum was originally thought to have been a foundation of Alexander the Great, perhaps as Alexandria Oxiana, but this theory is now considered unlikely. Located at the confluence of the Amu Darya (a.k.a. Oxus) and Kokcha rivers, surrounded by well-irrigated farmland, the city itself was divided between a lower town and a 60-metre-high (200 ft) acropolis. Although not situated on a major trade route, Ai-Khanoum controlled access to both mining in the Hindu Kush and strategically important choke points. Extensive fortifications, which were continually maintained and improved, surrounded the city.

Many of the present ruins date from the time of Eucratides I, who substantially redeveloped the city and who may have renamed it Eucratideia, after himself. Soon after his death c. 145 BC, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom collapsed—Ai-Khanoum was captured by Saka invaders and was generally abandoned, although parts of the city were sporadically occupied until the 2nd century AD. Hellenistic culture in the region would persist longer only in the Indo-Greek kingdoms.

It is likely that Ai-Khanoum was already under attack by nomadic tribes when Eucratides was assassinated in around 144 BC. This invasion was probably carried out by Saka tribes driven south by the Yuezhi peoples, who in turn formed a second wave of invaders, in around 130 BC. The treasury complex shows signs of having been plundered in two assaults, fifteen years apart.

Although the first assault led to the end of Hellenistic rule in the city, Ai-Khanoum continued to be inhabited; it remains unknown whether this reoccupation was effected by Greco-Bactrian survivors or nomadic invaders. During this time, public buildings such as the palace and sanctuary were repurposed as residential dwellings and the city maintained some semblance of normality: some sort of authority, possibly cultish in origin, encouraged the inhabitants to reuse the raw building materials now freely available in the city for their own ends, whether for construction or trade. A silver ingot engraved with runic letters and buried in a treasury room provides support for the theory that the Saka occupied the city, with tombs containing typical nomadic grave goods also being dug into the acropolis and the gymnasium. The reoccupation of the city was soon terminated by a huge fire. It is unknown when the final occupants of Ai-Khanoum abandoned the city. The final signs of any habitation date from the 2nd century AD; by this time, more than 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) of earth had accumulated in the palace.

While on a hunting trip in 1961, the King of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, rediscovered the city. An archaeological delegation, led by Paul Bernard, unearthed the remains of a huge palace in the lower town, along with a large gymnasium, a theatre capable of holding 6,000 spectators, an arsenal, and two sanctuaries. Several inscriptions were found, along with coins, artefacts, and ceramics. The onset of the Soviet-Afghan War in the late 1970s halted scholarly progress and during the following conflicts in Afghanistan, the site was extensively looted."

-taken from Wikipedia

...

"The silver ingot engraved with runic characters found during the excavations of the Treasury could suggest they were Sakā/Sai. This inscription comprises 21 characters of a script and a language that are unknown and both attributed to nomadic people of Sakā origin, by comparison with a dozen similar inscriptions coming from an area extending from Ghazni in Afghanistan to Almaty in Kazakhstan, and dated between the 5th century BC and the 8th century AD."

-taken from Ai Khanoum after 145 BC: The Post-Palatial Occupation by Laurianne Martinez-Sève, University of Lille, 2018

Antefix from palace.

Bust of a woman.

Crescent moon pendant with face.

Moon pendant with face.

Handle for a vessel, from the courtyard ruins.

Man from administrative palace.

Portrait of a man from the administrative palace.

Administrative center, portrait of a man.

Corinthian column.

Antefix.

Antefix from administrative palace.

One sources says this may be a statue of Hermes because of its square pillar.

Herakles.

Column and man.

Herakles and a philosopher?

Statue of old man or philosopher.

Part of sundial from gymnasium.

Sundial from gymnasium.

Delphic inscription of Kineas.

From Henri-Paul Francfort, "Hypothesis about the cults".

Digital reconstruction of temple interior by Malcolm Quartey.

From Henri-Paul Francfort, "Hypothesis about the cults".

Plate with Cybele and Helios.

Relief.

Gargoyle for water transportation.

Decorated gutters as gargoyles. National Museum of Afghanistan.

Decorated gargoyle water spout. National Museum of Afghanistan.

Gargoyle spout for water.

From FOUILLES D'AÏ KHANOUM V- Remparts, Monuments Associés; Afghanistan AI-KHANOUM 29.

Inscription with the Delphic precepts.

Philosophical papyrus.

Mosaic.

Gold state of the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter, minted at Ai Khanoum 275 BCE. Reverse: image of Apollo. Greek legend: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY (of King Antiochos). Δ monogram of Ai-Khanoum in left field.

Coin of the Baktrian King Agathokles vers 180 B, written in Brahmi language, found in Ai-Khanoum. The coin shows Hindu deities: Vasudeva-Krishna and Balarama-Samkarshana. Obv Balarama-Samkarshana with Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ (Basileōs Agathokleous). Rev Vāsudeva-Krishna with Brahmi legend:𑀭𑀚𑀦𑁂 𑀅𑀕𑀣𑀼𑀼𑀓𑁆𑀮𑁂𑀬𑁂𑀲 Rajane Agathukleyesa "King Agathocles". These are "the earliest unambiguous images" of these deities. - From Wikipedia.