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.

Test your knowledge about the history, culture, and significance of Ai-Khanoum, a Hellenistic city in Afghanistan. Learn about its founding, rulers, decline, rediscovery, and archaeological excavations.