Ai-Khanoum

Ai-Khanoum or Ay Khanum (lit. Lady Moon

in Uzbek,[1] possibly the historical Alexandria on
the Oxus, also possibly later named or
Eucratidia) was one of the primary cities of the GrecoBactrian kingdom. Previous scholars have argued that Ai
Khanoum was founded in the late 4th century BC, following the conquests of Alexander the Great. Recent analysis now strongly suggests that the city was founded c. 280
BC by the Seleucid king Antiochus I.[2][3] The city is located in Takhar Province, northern Afghanistan, at the
conuence of the Oxus river (todays Amu Darya) and
the Kokcha river, and at the doorstep of the Indian subcontinent. Ai-Khanoum was one of the focal points of
Hellenism in the East for nearly two centuries, until its
annihilation by nomadic invaders around 145 BC about
the time of the death of Eucratides.[4]

tion at the junction between Bactrian territory and nomad

territories to the north, ultimately allowed access to commerce with the Chinese empire.

2 A Greek city in Bactria

Numerous artifacts and structures were found, pointing

to a high Hellenistic culture, combined with Eastern inuences. It has all the hallmarks of a Hellenistic city,
with a Greek theatre, gymnasium and some Greek houses
with colonnaded courtyards (Boardman). Overall, AKhanoum was an extremely important Greek city (1.5
sq kilometer), characteristic of the Seleucid Empire and
then the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. It seems the city was
destroyed, never to be rebuilt, about the time of the death
The site was excavated through archaeological searches of the Greco-Bactrian king Eucratides around 145 BC.
by a French DAFA mission under Paul Bernard beAi-Khanoum may have been the city in which Eucratides
tween 1964 and 1978, as well as Russian scientists. The
was besieged by Demetrius, before he successfully mansearches had to be abandoned with the onset of the Soviet
aged to escape to ultimately conquer India (Justin).
war in Afghanistan, during which the site was looted and
used as a battleground, leaving very little of the original
material.
2.1 Architecture

Strategic location

Corinthian capital, found at Ai-Khanoum in the citadel by the

troops of Commander Massoud, 2nd century BC.

Ai-Khanoum was located at the extreme east of Bactria.

The choice of this site for the foundation of a city was

probably guided by several factors. The region, irrigated The mission unearthed various structures, some of them
by the Oxus, had a rich agricultural potential. Mineral perfectly Hellenistic, some other integrating elements of
resources were abundant in the back country towards the Persian architecture:
Hindu Kush, especially the famous so-called "rubies" (actually, spinel) from Badakshan, and gold. Lastly, its loca Two-miles long ramparts, circling the city
1

2 A GREEK CITY IN BACTRIA

A citadel with powerful towers (20 11 metres at
the base, 10 meters in height) and ramparts, established on top of the 60 meters-high hill in the middle
of the city
A Classical theater, 84 meters in diameter with
35 rows of seats, that could sit 4,000-6,000 people, equipped with three loges for the rulers of the
city. Its size was considerable by Classical standards, larger than the theater at Babylon, but slightly
smaller than the theater at Epidaurus.
A huge palace in Greco-Bactrian architecture,
somehow reminiscent of formal Persian palatial architecture
A gymnasium (100 100m), one of the largest of
Antiquity. A dedication in Greek to Hermes and
Herakles was found engraved on one of the pillars.
The dedication was made by two men with Greek
names (Triballos and Strato, son of Strato).
Various temples, in and outside the city. The largest
temple in the city apparently contained a monumental statue of a seated Zeus, but was built of the
Zoroastrian model (massive, closed walls instead of Stucco face, Ai-Khanoum, 2nd century BC
the open column-circled structure of Greek temples).
An unnished statue of a young naked man with
A mosaic representing the Macedonian sun,
wreath
acanthus leaves and various animals (crabs,
dolphins etc...)
A gargoyle head representing the Greek cook-slave
Numerous remains of Classical Corinthian columns
Architectural antexae, Ai-Khanoum.
Sun dial within two sculpted lion feet.

2.2

Sculptural remains

A frieze of a naked man, possibly the god Hermes,

wearing a chlamys
A hermaic sculpture of an old man thought to be a
master of the gymnasium, where it was found. He
used to hold a long stick in his left hand, symbol of
his function.

Various sculptural fragments were also found, in a rather

conventional, classical style, rather impervious to the Hellenizing innovations occurring at the same time in the
Mediterranean world.

Due to the lack of proper stones for sculptural work in the

area of Ai-Khanoum, unbaked clay and stucco modeled
on a wooden frame were often used, a technique which
would become widespread in Central Asia and the East,
Of special notice, a huge foot fragment in excellent Hel- especially in Buddhist art. In some cases, only the hands
lenistic style was recovered, which is estimated to have and feet would be made in marble.
belonged to a 5-6 meter tall statue (which had to be seated
to t within the height of the columns supporting the
Sculpture of an old man. Ai-Khanoum, 2nd century
Temple). Since the sandal of the foot fragment bears
BC.
the symbolic depiction of Zeus' thunderbolt, the statue
is thought to have been a smaller version of the Statue of
Bust of the same man.
Zeus at Olympia.
Also found among the sculptural remains were:

Frieze of a naked man wearing a chlamys. AiKhanoum, 2nd century BC.

A statue of a standing female in a rather archaic

chiton

Same frieze, seen from the side.

The face of a man, sculpted in stucco

Hellenistic gargoyle. Ai-Khanoum, 2nd century BC.

2.4

2.3

Artifacts

Epigraphic remains

Various inscriptions in Classical, non-barbarized, Greek

have been found in Ai-Khanoum.
On a Heron (funerary monument), identied in
Greek as the tomb of Kineas (also described as the
oikistes (founder) of the Greek settlement) and dated
to 300-250 BC, an inscription has been found describing Delphic precepts:
Pas n kosmios ginou (As children, learn good
manners)
hbn enkrats, (as young men, learn to control
the passions)

3
Various Greek inscriptions were also found in the
Treasury of the palace, indicating the contents
(money, imported olive oil...) of various vases,
and names of the administrators in charge of them.
The hierarchy of these administrators appears to be
nearly identical to that in the Mediterranean Greek
areas. From the names mentioned in these inscriptions, it appears that the directors of the Treasury
were Greek, but that lower administrators had Bactrian names.[5] Three signatories had Greek names
(Kosmos, Isidora, Nikeratos), one a Macedonian or
Thracian name (Lysanias), and two Bactrian names
(Oxuboakes, Oxubazes).
One of these economic inscriptions relates in Greek the
deposit of olive oil jars in the treasury:

mesos dikaios (in middle age, be just)

presbuts euboulos (in old age, give good advice)

In the year 24, on ....;

teleutn alupos. (then die, without regret.)"

an olive oil (content);

The precepts were placed by a Greek named Clearchos,

possibly Clearchus of Soli the disciple of Aristotle, who,
according to the same inscription, had copied them from
Delphi:
These wise commandments of men of old
- Words of well-known thinkers - stand dedicated
In the most holy Pythian shrine
From there Klearchos, having copied them carefully, set them up, shining from afar, in the
sanctuary of Kineas

the partially empty (vase) A (contains) oil transferred from

two jars by Hippias
the hemiolios; and did seal:
Molossos (?) for jar A, and Strato (?) for jar B
(?)" [5]
The last of the dates on these jars has been computed to
147 BC, suggesting that Ai-Khanoum was destroyed soon
after that date.

2.4 Artifacts

Stone block with the inscriptions of Kineas. Ai-Khanoum, 2nd

century BC.

Remains of some papyrus manuscripts, the imprint of which were left in the thin earth of brick
walls, containing unknown philosophical dialogues
on the theory of ideas, thought to be the only surviving remain of an Aristotelian dialogue, possibly
the Sophist, where Xenocrates, another philosopher,
present his theory of ideas.[5]

Plate depicting Cybele pulled by lions, a votive sacrice and the

Sun God. Ai-Khanoum, 2nd century BC.

Numerous Greco-Bactrian coins were found, down to

Eucratides, but none of them later. Ai-Khanoum also

4 CONTACTS WITH INDIA

yielded unique Greco-Bactrian coins of Agathocles, consisting of six Indian-standard silver drachms depicting Hindu deities. These are the rst known representations of Vedic deities on coins, and they display
early Avatars of Vishnu: Balarama-Samkarshana and
Vasudeva-Krishna, and are thought to correspond to
the rst Greco-Bactrian attempts at creating an Indianstandard coinage as they invaded northern India.
Among other nds:
A round medallion plate describing the goddess
Cybele on a chariot, in front of a re altar, and under
a depiction of Helios
A fully preserved bronze statue of Herakles
Various golden serpentine arm jewellery and earrings

The Indian plate found in Ai-Khanoum, thought to represent the

Some Indian artifacts, found in the treasure room of myth of Kunala.

the city, probably brought back by Eucratides from
his campaigns
Several Indian artifacts were found among the archae A toilet tray representing a seated Aphrodite
ological remains of Ai-Khanoum, especially a narrative
plate made of shell inlaid with various materials and col A mold representing a bearded and diademed
ors, thought to represent the Indian myth of Kuntala.[7]
middle-aged man
Various artifacts of daily life are also clearly Hellenistic:
sundials, ink wells, tableware.
Bronze Herakles statuette. Ai-Khanoum. 2nd century BC.
Bracelet with horned female busts. Ai-Khanoum,
2nd century BC.
Stone recipients from Ai-Khanoum. 3rd-2nd century BC.

Trade with the Mediterranean

The presence of olive oil jars at Ai-Khanoum indicates

that this oil was imported from the Mediterranean, as its
only possible source would have been the Aegean Basin
or Syria. This suggests important trade contacts with the The equatorial sun dial adjusted to the latitude of Ujjain, AiMediterranean, through long and expensive land routes.[6] Khanoum, 3rd-2nd century BC.

Contacts with India

As the southern part of Afghanistan up to the Hindu Kush

(Paropamisadae) seems to have been occupied by the
Mauryan Empire between 305 BC until the reconquest
by Demetrius in 180 BC, Ai-Khanoum was in eect a
frontier town, located just a few kilometers from Indian
dominions, for more than a century.

Greek coins were also found, bearing the rst known representation of Indian Vedic deities: the early Avatars of
Vishnu, Balarama-Sankarshana and Vasudeva-Krishna.
The various sun-dials, including a tropical sundial adjusted to the latitude of Ujjain found in the excavations
also suggest that some transmission into Indian astronomy may have happened, due to the numerous interactions with the Mauryan Empire, and the later expansion
of the Indo-Greeks into India.[8]

Numismatics

Gold stater of the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter minted at AiKhanoum, c. 275 BCE. Obverse: Diademed head of Antiochus.
Reverse: Nude Apollo seated on omphalos, leaning on bow and
holding two arrows. Greek legend: BAIE ANTIOXOY (of
King Antiochos). monogram of Ai-Khanoum in left eld.

6 Nomadic invasions
The invading Indo-European nomads from the north (the
Scythians and then the Yuezhi) crossed the Oxus and subdued Bactria about 135 BC. It seems the city was totally abandoned between 130 and 120 BC following the
Yuezhi invasion. There is evidence of huge res in all
the major buildings of the city. The last Greco-Bactrian
king Heliocles moved his capital from Balkh around 125
BC and resettled in the Kabul valley. No coins of Heliokles have been found in Ai-Khanoum, suggesting the
city was destroyed at the end of the reign of Eucratides.
The Greeks continued to rule various parts of northern
India under the Indo-Greek Kingdom until around 10
CE, when their last kingdom was conquered by the IndoScythians. Only a few decades later, the Yuezhi united to
form the Kushan Empire and expanded in northern India
themselves.
As with other archaeological sites such as Begram or
Hadda, the Ai-Khanoum site has been pillaged during
the long phase of war in Afghanistan since the fall of the
Communist government.

7 Signicance

The symbol found on a brick in Ai-Khanoum.

Many Seleucid and Bactrian coins were found at AiKhanoum, as were ten blank planchets, indicating that
there was a mint in the city.[9] Ai-Khanoum apparently
had a city symbol (a triangle within a circle, with various
variations), which was found imprinted on bricks coming
from the oldest buildings of the city.
The same symbol was used on various Seleucid eastern coins, suggesting that they were probably minted in
Ai-Khanoum. Numerous Seleucid coins were thus reattributed to the Ai-Khanoum mint rather recently, with the
conclusion that Ai-Khanoum was probably a larger minting center than even Bactra.[10]

Ai-Khanoum was located at the very doorstep of India.

The ndings are of considerable importance, as no known

remain of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek civilizations had been uncovered in the East (beyond the abunThe coins found in Ai-Khanoum start with those of dant coinage) until this discovery, leading some to speak
Seleucus, but end abruptly with those of Eucratides, sug- about a Bactrian mirage.
gesting that the city was conquered at the end of his rule. This discovery gives a new perspective on the inuence

11

of Greek culture in the East, and rearms the inuence

of the Greeks on the development of Greco-Buddhist art.

EXTERNAL LINKS

[9] Brian Kritt: Seleucid Coins of Bactria, p. 22.

[10] Seleucid coins of Bactria, Brian Kritt

An almost life-sized dark green glass phallus with a small

owl on the back side and other treasures are said to have [11] Source, BBC News, Another article. German story with
photographs here (translation here).
been discovered at Ai-Khanoum, possibly along with
a stone with an inscription, which was not recovered.
The artifacts have now been returned to the Kabul Museum after several years in Switzerland by Paul Bucherer- 10 References
Dietschi, Director of the Swiss Afghanistan Institute.[11]
Tarn, W. W. (1984). The Greeks in Bactria and India. Chicago: Ares. ISBN 0-89005-524-6.

See also

Seleucid Empire
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
Indo-Greek Kingdom
Yuezhi
Kushan Empire
Indo-Scythians

Notes

[1] Bell, George. "Journal of the Royal Society of Arts". Royal

Society of Arts, 1970. p. 445

Bopearachchi, Osmund (2003). De l'Indus l'Oxus,

Archologie de l'Asie Centrale (in French). Lattes: Association imago-muse de Lattes. ISBN 29516679-2-2.
Frlich, Pierre (2004). Les Grecs en Orient.
L'heritage d'Alexandre. La Documentation photographique, n.8040 (in French). Paris: La Documentation Francaise.
Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National
Museum, Kabul (2008). Eds., Friedrik Hiebert and
Pierre Cambon. National Geographic, Washington,
D.C. ISBN 978-1-4262-0374-9.

11 External links

[2] Lyonnet, Bertille. Questions on the Date of the Hellenistic Pottery from Central Asia (Ai Khanoum, Marakanda
and Koktepe. Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to
Siberia. vol. 18. 2012. pp. 143-173.

Ai-Khatum, the Capital of Eucratides on Ancient

History Encyclopedia

[3] Martinez-Seve, Laurianne. The Spatial Organization of

Ai Khanoum, a Greek City in Afghanistan. American
Journal of Archaeology 118.2. 2014. pp 267-283.

Ai-Khanoum and vandalization during the Afghan

war page not found

[4] Bernard, P. (1994): The Greek Kingdoms of Central

Asia. In: History of civilizations of Central Asia, Volume II. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. Harmatta, Jnos, ed.,
1994. Paris: UNESCO Publishing. ISBN 92-3-1028464, p. 103.
[5] Claude Rapin, De l'Indus l'Oxus, p375. Also full description of the papyrii (French)original text and French
translation
[6] Frlich, p.10
[7] Afghanistan, tresors retrouves, p150
[8] Les inuences de l'astronomie grecques sur l'astronomie
indienne auraient pu commencer de se manifester plus tt
qu'on ne le pensait, ds l'poque Hellnistique en fait, par
l'intermdiaire des colonies grecques des Grco-Bactriens
et Indo-Grecs (French) Afghanistan, les trsors retrouvs, p269. Translation: The inuence of Greek astronomy on Indian astronomy may have taken place earlier
than thought, as soon as the Hellenistic period, through
the agency of the Greek colonies of the Greco-Bactrians
and the Indo-Greeks.

Ai-Khanoum archaeological site photographs

The Hellenistic Age

Afghan Treasures
3-D reconstruction of Ai-Khanoum
Livius.org: Alexandria on Oxus
Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World
Surviving treasures from the National Museum of
Afghanistan, at The British Museum, 3 March 17
July 2011

12
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