Ai-Khanoum: Hellenistic City in Afghanistan

Ai-Khanoum was a Hellenistic city in Afghanistan that was founded by an official acting on the orders of Seleucus I Nicator or his son Antiochus I Soter.

The city lost some importance through the secession of the Greco-Bactrians under Diodotus I.

Seleucid construction programmes were halted, and the city probably became primarily military in function; it may have been a conflict zone during the invasion of Antiochus III.

Ai-Khanoum began to grow once more under Euthydemus I and his successor Demetrius I, who began to assert control over the northwest Indian subcontinent.

Many of the present ruins date from the time of Eucratides I.

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.

Ai-Khanoum was founded by the Achaemenids in the late 4th century BC.

It became a major city under the Seleucids, with a mint and a temple.

The city's development was slowed when the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom was founded.

The Seleucid emperor Antiochus III invaded the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in 209 BC, but was unsuccessful.

Ai-Khanoum was not attacked by the invaders.

The Seleucid emperor Antiochus III invaded the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in 261 BC, but was unsuccessful.

Diodotus I, governor of the eastern provinces, seceded from the Seleucids and founded the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.

Under Diodotus, the temple and sanctuary were reconstructed, but most Seleucid construction programmes were not continued.

Bertille Lyonnet theorizes that during this time Ai-Khanoum was merely a military stronghold with administrative functions.

Ai-Khanoum was the capital of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.

The city prospered during the rule of Eucratides I.

The city was reoccupied by nomadic tribes in the 2nd century AD.

The final inhabitants of Ai-Khanoum abandoned the city around 2nd century AD.

John Wood was the first European to rediscover the site in 1838.

The French Archaeological Delegation led the excavation of the site in 1961.

The site was excavated easily because it had never been resettled.

The excavation revealed that the city was once prosperous.

The city of Ai-Khanoum was founded on a triangular plain in the region of Bactria, at the confluence of the Oxus and Kokcha rivers.

The city was strategically important due to its location at the confluence of two major rivers and its strong defensive capabilities.

The founders of the city built Ai-Khanoum to a high defensive standard, with strong walls and a natural acropolis.

Ai-Khanoum was located 10 kilometers downstream from the confluence of the Oxus and Qizilsu, a tributary whose valley provided access to the mineral-rich Western Pamirs and Chinese Turkestan.

The city was protected by steep cliffs on three sides and a small moat on the third.