DOCSLIB.ORG

Ai Khanoum After 145 Bc the Post-Palatial Occupation*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ai Khanoum After 145 Bc the Post-Palatial Occupation* Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 24 (2018) 354-419 brill.com/acss Ai Khanoum after 145 bc The Post-Palatial Occupation* Laurianne Martinez-Sève** University of Lille [email protected] Abstract The attack that caused the ruin of Ai Khanoum around 145 BC was a key event of its history. This was the beginning of the so-called post-palatial period, which is often considered of short duration. The article intends to provide a general study of this last stage of the history of the city, taking into account the information already published, but also the new evidence resulting from the ongoing study of its main sanctuary (henceforth the Sanctuary). The few inhabitants of Ai Khanoum still living in the city after 145 BC reoccupied its private and public buildings and were engaged in the recovering of all the riches of the former Graeco-Bactrian capital. They exploited the stone materials, the metallic objects, the furniture and even reused the ceramics abandoned in the town. The Sanctuary remained in activity for a while, under the control of an authority who undertook maintenance operations, but the religious conceptions of the population underwent some major changes. This study also enables to review the common assumptions regarding the role played by nomadic people during this period. Keywords Hellenistic Bactria – Ai Khanoum – Post-palatial period – the Temple with Indented Niches – cults – recovering activities – Yuezhi – Sakā * I wish to thank F. Grenet, G. Lecuyot, B. Lyonnet, M. Minardi, C. Rapin and S. Watson for their accurate assistance and comments. But I alone am responsible for the opinions expressed in the paper. ** Domaine du Pont de Bois, BP 60149, 59653 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi:10.1163/15700577-12341336Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 02:10:27PM via free access Ai Khanoum after 145 bc 355 1 Introduction It is a well-known fact that critical events happened at Ai Khanoum (fig. 1) around 145 BC which caused the disappearance of the Greek elites, who either fled or were killed. The Graeco-Bactrian kings, who had made the city one of the major centres of Bactria, and perhaps their main capital under Eucratides I, lost it at the same time they were deprived of eastern Bactria. However, these events did not lead to an abrupt demise of the city (figs. 2, 3): the remains of a later occupation were brought to light all throughout the archaeological exca- vations achieved under the direction of the late Paul Bernard. There is a general consensus about the fact that the city underwent deep changes during that time. It was no longer a political centre, and its inhabit- ants are described as squatters because they reoccupied the Graeco-Bactrian buildings, exploited them and scavenge for metals and building materials. Greek culture no longer played any role in the lives of this population, which had given up the key practices, institutions and probably also the values of Hellenism that had previously represented the basis of the identity of the local elites. Much about this period is still unclear, and any estimation on its duration is difficult to asses. Variable data have been published, especially because the estimates of the archaeologists involved in the DAFA excavations formed grad- ually after the completion of each new fieldwork season and in some cases it changed. For instance, while examining the first findings from the exca- vations, P. Bernard had thought that the final stage of the history of the city lasted about one century, until the 1st century BC.1 He reached this conclusion after finding (in 1966 and 1967) a residential quarter extending between the Heroon of Kineas and the entrance of the Palace, and then after he excavated (in 1967) the remains of the last stage of the Gymnasium and of the Temple with Indented Niches (in 1968 – temple aux niches indentées). These were the most densely populated areas of the town at the end of its history. P. Bernard’s opinion changed thereafter. In one of his final articles summariz- ing the findings of Ai Khanoum, he wrote that the city was abandoned around 140 BC, which would reduce the duration of the post-palatial period to only five years.2 The members of his archaeological team followed this evolution of his thought. In 1983 O. Guillaume had considered that the reoccupation of the 1 Bernard 1968, 279 (he even wrote in this paper that the town was definitively abandoned only at the end of the 1st century BC “aux environs de notre ère”); Bernard 1969, 354; 1970, 301; Bernard 1973, 110-111. 2 Bernard 2006, 66. Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 24Downloaded (2018) 354-419 from Brill.com10/10/2021 02:10:27PM via free access 356 Martinez-Sève figure 1 Map of Bactria (drawing by B. Leguyot and L. Martinez-Sève). monumental Propylaea – through which one passed to reach the Palace area from the street – had a long duration.3 But in 1987 S. Veuve estimated that the same stage had lasted twenty years at the Gymnasium,4 whereas according to C. Rapin (1992) it could not have lasted for more than five years at the Treasury 3 Guillaume 1983, 27. 4 Veuve 1987, 109. Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to DownloadedSiberia 24from (2018) Brill.com10/10/2021 354-419 02:10:27PM via free access Ai Khanoum after 145 bc 357 figure 2 Plan of Ai Khanoum (drawing by J.-C. Liger and G. Lecuyot). of the Palace.5 This latter assumption has finally prevailed. Moreover, it seems supported by the fact that the same pottery types remained in use after 145 BC, without undergoing significant transformation since the Graeco-Bactrian period. According to B. Lyonnet, this strong continuity implies that the last period of the city was short-lived, with an estimated range going from some months to a few years.6 By contrast, if this state of affairs had lasted longer, the shapes and techniques of the vases would have changed. Her assumption concerns the city as a whole, whereas the other assessments had been given for only some of its quarters. Thus it could have been hypothesised that the 5 Rapin 1992, 295 (see also 32-35, 287-294). 6 Lyonnet 2013, 183. Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 24Downloaded (2018) 354-419 from Brill.com10/10/2021 02:10:27PM via free access 358 Martinez-Sève figure 3 Ai Khanoum. Plan of the central area (drawing by J.-C. Liger). Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to DownloadedSiberia 24from (2018) Brill.com10/10/2021 354-419 02:10:27PM via free access Ai Khanoum after 145 bc 359 reoccupation of the Treasury had a shorter duration than that of the Gymnasium or the Propylaea. Nobody has since then questioned these conclusions except for J.D. Lerner, who recently suggested placing the desertion of the town at the end of the 1st century BC.7 However, P. Bernard himself revisited this issue in the final publication of the residential quarter extending between the Heroon of Kineas and the entrance of the Palace in the last volume of the series Fouilles d’Aï Khanoum. He thought necessary to reconsider the length of the last period of life of the city, for which he might have given too short an estimate, as well as the characteristics of its last inhabitants, who may have been too rashly described as “squatters”. Since this last period of the history of Ai Khanoum started after the destruction of its Palace, he also recommended to employ the term “post-palatial”, which has a less negative connotation than the French “tardif” (i.e. late).8 This was by no means a novelty, since he had already used this expression in his first preliminary reports.9 Thus we need to reconsider this post-palatial period, taking into account the evidence recorded in previous publications, but also the new and rich informa- tion provided by the ongoing study of the Sanctuary. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this work, without pretending to be exhaustive. 2 The Characteristics of the Post-Palatial Occupation at Ai Khanoum Ai Khanoum’s post-palatial period differs considerably from the previous Graeco-Bactrian period, both in relation to private dwellings and to the activi- ties of the inhabitants of the town. The latter were apparently of local origin and modest in their social background. The only available archaeological evi- dence points at the absence of any permanently residing elite which would have held political and military power.10 7 Lerner 2010; 2011. Using epigraphic and numismatic arguments, J.D. Lerner concludes that the Greek elites remained at Ai Khanoum until the middle of the 1st century BC. For criti- cal remarks, see Holt 2012. 8 Bernard 2013, 147 (footnote no. 313), 151. 9 Bernard 1968, 179 (“post-palatial occupation”). 10 Contrary to Lerner 2011. An inscription engraved on a silver ingot found in the treasury is assigned to a nomad power (Rapin 1992, 34-35, 288). However, no evidence indicates that representatives of this power had been appointed in the city on an ongoing base. Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 24Downloaded (2018) 354-419 from Brill.com10/10/2021 02:10:27PM via free access 360 Martinez-Sève 2.1 Private Dwellings Broadly speaking, one of the main remarkable features of the post-palatial period at Ai Khanoum is the phenomenon which saw the reoccupation and change of use of the Graeco-Bactrian buildings. This explains why the inhabit- ants of the town were seen as squatters. They settled both in private properties and public buildings, which were privatised and divided into distinct units.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Limits of Empire in Ancient Afghanistan Rule and Resistance in the Hindu Kush, Circa 600 BCE–650 CE
    THE LIMITS OF EMPIRE IN ANCIENT AFGHANIStaN RULE AND RESISTANCE IN THE HINDU KUSH, CIRCA 600 BCE–650 CE PROGRAM & ABSTRACTS The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago The Franke Institute for the Humanities October 5–7, 2016 Wednesday, October 5 — Franke Institute Thursday, October 6 — Franke Institute Friday, October 7 — Classics 110 THE LIMITS OF EMPIRE IN ANCIENT AFGHANIStaN RULE AND RESISTANCE IN THE HINDU KUSH, CIRCA 600 BCE–650 CE Organized by Gil J. Stein and Richard Payne The Oriental Institute — The University of Chicago Co-sponsored by the Oriental Institute and the Franke Institute for the Humanities — The University of Chicago PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016 — Franke InsTITUTE KEYNOTE LECTURE 5:00 Thomas Barfield “Afghan Political Ecologies: Past and Present” THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016 — Franke InsTITUTE 8:00–8:30 Coffee 8:30–9:00 Introductory Comments by Gil Stein and Richard Payne SESSION 1: aCHAEMENIDS AND AFTER 9:00–9:45 Matthew W. Stolper “Achaemenid Documents from Arachosia and Bactria: Administration in the East, Seen from Persepolis” 9:45–10:30 Matthew Canepa “Reshaping Eastern Iran’s Topography of Power after the Achaemenids” 10:30–11:00 Coffee Break Cover image. Headless Kushan statue (possibly Kanishka). Uttar Pradesh, India. 2nd–3rd century CE Sandstone 5’3” Government Museum, Mathura. Courtesy Google LIMITS OF EMPIRE 3 SESSION 2: HELLENISTIC AND GRECO-BACTRIAN REGIMES 11:00–11:45 Laurianne Martinez-Sève “Greek Power in Hellenistic Bactria: Control and Resistance” 11:45–12:30 Osmund Bopearachchi “From Royal Greco-Bactrians to Imperial Kushans: The Iconography and Language of Coinage in Relation to Diverse Ethnic and Religious Populations in Central Asia and India” 12:30–2:00 Break SESSIOn 3: KUSHAN IMPERIALISM: HISTORY AND PHILOLOGY 2:00–2:45 Christopher I.
    [Show full text]
  • Reviews Reconfiguring the Silk Road. New
    Reviews Reconfiguring the Silk Road. New Research on East-West Exchange in Antiquity. The Papers of a Symposium Held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology March 19, 2011. Ed. Victor H. Mair; Jane Hickman. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Mu- seum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2014. xvi + 104 pp. ISBN-13? 978-1-934536-68-1. he “Silk Road” as we thought we knew it has been sion of the silk roads (which were many and included T subject to “reconfiguring” for a good many years importantly maritime routes) should not just focus now, thanks in no small part to the prodigious efforts on Rome and China. The earlier history of western of Victor Mair, the convener of the symposium whose Asia and northeast Africa are important, as the evi- papers he and his colleague Jane Hickman (editor of dence for Eurasian exchange under the Achaemenids the Penn Museum’s excellent Expedition magazine) and Alexander’s successors makes very clear. Little of have edited into this attractively presented book. The this is news, but to have it emphasized in this way is occasion for the symposium was the exhibition of ar- valuable. tefacts excavated in Xinjiang which Mair organized The distinguished historian of Late Antiquity Peter and whose last stop on its U.S. tour was Philadelphia.1 Brown reminds readers how some of the most im- It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate and dis- portant early explorations of the Silk Road a century tinguished group of presenters, whose papers are here ago were inspired by the effort to find Late Antiquity published.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Asia in Xuanzang's Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western
    Recording the West: Central Asia in Xuanzang’s Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions Master’s Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master Arts in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Laura Pearce Graduate Program in East Asian Studies Ohio State University 2018 Committee: Morgan Liu (Advisor), Ying Zhang, and Mark Bender Copyrighted by Laura Elizabeth Pearce 2018 Abstract In 626 C.E., the Buddhist monk Xuanzang left the Tang Empire for India in a quest to deepen his religious understanding. In order to reach India, and in order to return, Xuanzang journeyed through areas in what is now called Central Asia. After he came home to China in 645 C.E., his work included writing an account of the countries he had visited: The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions (Da Tang Xi You Ji 大唐西域記). The book is not a narrative travelogue, but rather presented as a collection of facts about the various countries he visited. Nevertheless, the Record is full of moral judgments, both stated and implied. Xuanzang’s judgment was frequently connected both to his Buddhist beliefs and a conviction that China represented the pinnacle of culture and good governance. Xuanzang’s portrayal of Central Asia at a crucial time when the Tang Empire was expanding westward is both inclusive and marginalizing, shaped by the overall framing of Central Asia in the Record and by the selection of local legends from individual nations. The tension in the Record between Buddhist concerns and secular political ones, and between an inclusive worldview and one centered on certain locations, creates an approach to Central Asia unlike that of many similar sources.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hephthalite Numismatics
    THE HEPHTHALITE NUMISMATICS Aydogdy Kurbanov 1. Introduction Arabic – Haital, Hetal, Heithal, Haiethal, Central Asia and neighbouring countries have a Heyâthelites. In Arabic sources the Hephtha- very old and rich history. A poorly-studied and in- lites, though they are mentioned as Haitals, tricate period of this region is the early medieval are sometimes also refered to as Turks. period (4th - 6th centuries AD). During this time, In the 4th - 6th centuries AD the territory of Cen- “The Great movement of peoples”, the migration tral Asia included at least four major political en- of nomadic peoples (Huns) from Asia to Europe, tities, among them Kushans, Chionites, Kidarites, took place. In South and Central Asia, great em- and Hephthalites. Discussions about the origins pires existed, including Sasanian Iran, Gupta and of these peoples still continue. Ideas vary from some small states. Across Central Asia, mysteri- the Hephthalites considered as part of the Hun ous new peoples appeared: the Hephthalites, the confederation to different other origins. It is also Kidarites and the Chionites, among others. Their uncertain whether the Hephthalites, the Kidarites origins are still debated. Some scholars suppose and the Chionites had a common or different ori- that they were part of a Hun confederation, while gins – that is, are they three branches of the same others suppose they had different origins. ethnic group or are they culturally, linguistically, Generally, the early research on the Hephthalites and genetically distinct from one another? was based only on written sources. They were The Hephthalites are well represented in their mentioned for the fi rst time in AD 361 at the siege coins.
    [Show full text]
  • The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan
    The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan George Fiske Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2012 © 2012 George Fiske All rights reserved ABSTRACT The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan George Fiske This study examines the socioeconomics of state formation in medieval Afghanistan in historical and historiographic terms. It outlines the thousand year history of Ghaznavid historiography by treating primary and secondary sources as a continuum of perspectives, demonstrating the persistent problems of dynastic and political thinking across periods and cultures. It conceptualizes the geography of Ghaznavid origins by framing their rise within specific landscapes and histories of state formation, favoring time over space as much as possible and reintegrating their experience with the general histories of Iran, Central Asia, and India. Once the grand narrative is illustrated, the scope narrows to the dual process of monetization and urbanization in Samanid territory in order to approach Ghaznavid obstacles to state formation. The socioeconomic narrative then shifts to political and military specifics to demythologize the rise of the Ghaznavids in terms of the framing contexts described in the previous chapters. Finally, the study specifies the exact combination of culture and history which the Ghaznavids exemplified to show their particular and universal character and suggest future paths for research. The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan I. General Introduction II. Perspectives on the Ghaznavid Age History of the literature Entrance into western European discourse Reevaluations of the last century Historiographic rethinking Synopsis III.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Historian Su Beihai's Manuscript About the History Of
    UDC 908 Вестник СПбГУ. Востоковедение и африканистика. 2020. Т. 12. Вып. 4 Chinese Historian Su Beihai’s Manuscript about the History of Kazakh People in Central Asia: Historical and Source Study Analysis* T. Z. Kaiyrken, D. A. Makhat, A. Kadyskyzy L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, 2, ul. Satpayeva, Nur-Sultan, 010008, Kazakhstan For citation: Kaiyrken T. Z., Makhat D. A., Kadyskyzy A. Chinese Historian Su Beihai’s Manuscript about the History of Kazakh People in Central Asia: Historical and Source Study Analysis. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies, 2020, vol. 12, issue 4, pp. 556–572. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu13.2020.406 The article analyses the research work of Chinese scientist Su Beihai on Kazakh history, one of the oldest nationalities in Eurasia. This work has been preserved as a manuscript and its main merit is the study of Kazakh history from early times to the present. Moreover, it shows Chinese scientists’ attitude to Kazakh history. Su Beihai’s scientific analysis was writ- ten in the late 1980s in China. At that time, Kazakhstan was not yet an independent country. Su Beihai drew on various works, on his distant expedition materials and demonstrated with facts that Kazakh people living in their modern settlements have a 2,500-year history. Although the book was written in accordance with the principles of Chinese communist historiography, Chinese censorship prevented its publication. Today, Kazakh scientists are approaching the end of their study and translation of Su Beihai’s manuscript. Therefore, the article first analyses the most important and innovative aspects of this work for Kazakh history.
    [Show full text]
  • The Archaeology of Central Asia, C. 500 BC – AD 200: Alexander in Afghanistan and Buddhas in Bactria
    The Archaeology of Central Asia, c. 500 BC – AD 200: Alexander in Afghanistan and Buddhas in Bactria Rachel Mairs Where is Central Asia? The ‘Great Game’ between Britain and Russia (C19th) Central Asia, from the Bronze Age, to Buddhism, to Islam The Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), c. 2300 – 1700 BC Gonur-tepe (BMAC) Buddhism, between India and China via Central Asia Travels of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, AD seventh century Buddhism in Central Asia ‘Graeco- Buddhist’ art, Gandhara (NW Pakistan, E Afghanistan): “Buddha in a toga” Bamiyan, Afghanistan: Before and after Blue Mosque (Shrine of Hazrat Ali), Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan Minaret of Jam, Ghor Prov., Afghanistan Merv, Turkmenistan Afrasiab (monuments of Samarkand in background) Immense, multi-period tell sites (–AD 1220-1221) Persian (Achaemenid), Hellenistic (Graeco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek) and Kushan Central Asia, c. 500 BC – AD 200 Central Asian and Indian ‘Alexandrias’ ‘Indo- Greeks’ (late third century BC - early first century AD?) The Kushan Empire (AD first – third centuries) Persian – Greek – Kushan Central Asia Continuities in elements of material culture, land management, administration. Changes in other elements of material culture, religious practice, language use, etc. etc. The ‘Two Sides of the Coin’ Why this is an exciting time to be doing Central Asian archaeology: You can go there. Why this is an exciting time to be doing Central Asian archaeology: You can go there. You can dig there. Why this is an exciting time to be doing Central Asian archaeology: You can go there. You can dig there. Your parents might actually have heard of it.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan and Are the Sole Property of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
    An Educator Resource Packet November 9, 2008 Project coordinator: Stephanie Kao, Manager of School and Teacher Programs, Asian Art Museum Author: Kristina Youso, Ph.D., Independent Scholar and former Assistant Curator, Asian Art Museum Lesson plans and activities: Lessons 1–5: Agnes Brenneman, Curriculum Consultant and retired 6th Grade Teacher, Park Day School, Oakland, CA Lesson 6: Lucy Arai, Artist and Museum Education Consultant Editors: Tom Christensen, Director of Publications, Asian Art Museum Tisha Carper Long, Editorial Associate, Asian Art Museum Designer: Jason Jose, Senior Graphic Designer, Asian Art Museum With the assistance of: Forrest McGill, Ph.D., Chief Curator and Wattis Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Asian Art Museum Deborah Clearwaters, Director of Education and Public Programs, Asian Art Museum Acknowledgements The education department would like to extend our thanks the following individuals for their generous time and contributions to this packet: Dr. Kristina Youso, Independent Scholar and former Assistant Curator, Asian Art Museum; Dr. Forrest McGill, Chief Curator and Wattis Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Asian Art Museum; Mark Fenn, Associate Head of Conservation, Asian Art Museum; Agnes Brenneman, Curriculum Consultant and retired 6th Grade Teacher, Park Day School, Oakland, CA: and Lucy Arai, Artist and Museum Education Consultant. We also want to thank Dr. Kristina Youso, Independent Scholar and former Assistant Curator, Asian Art Museum; Caren Gutierrez, School Programs Coordinator, Asian Art Museum; Kenneth Ikemoto, School Programs Associate, Asian Art Museum; Saly Lee, Arts Program Coordinator, Asian Art Museum; Nadia Tarzi, Executive Director of the Association for the Protection of Afghan Archaeology; and the K-12 outreach team at the Archaeology Research Facility at UC Berkeley for their work creating the accompanying museum school tour and for their outreach efforts to bring programs about this special exhibition to Bay Area schools.
    [Show full text]
  • INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL on ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES E- ISSN: 2615-8140|P-ISSN: 2615-7071 Volume: 03 Issue: 04 | April 2021
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON ORANGE TECHNOLOGIES www.journalsresearchparks.org/index.php/IJOT e- ISSN: 2615-8140|p-ISSN: 2615-7071 Volume: 03 Issue: 04 | April 2021 Reforms in the Military Affairs of the Turkish Khanate and the Early Medieval Central Asian States Rozimova Yorqinoy Yuldashevna Academy of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan Senior Lecturer of the Department of Humanities, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Major -------------------------------------------------------------***----------------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT The Western Turkic Khanate firmly united This article provides extensive information the nomadic deserts and the agriculturally on the armies formed in the states that ruled in the developed lands of the Central Asian cities. Istami Middle Ages, as well as the development of Khagan (553–576) conquered Central Kazakhstan, martial arts in the wars waged by them. Ettisuv and Khorezm and reached the Aral Sea. In It should be noted that today it is difficult to 558, the Turks reached the Volga. They later made summarize all the information we have learned in peace with the Iranians and united, crushing the one article, so in the process of preparing this Hephthalites in 565. The border between Iran and article, after studying the work done in this area, Turkish property ran along the Amudarya. At the published books, scientific pamphlets, this article beginning of the VI and VII centuries in the is devoted to the development of armies of the regions of Central Asia Sogdiana, Tokharistan Middle Ages. necessary military historical data (Bactria), Fergana appeared several semi- related to the gradual development of art, combat dependent states, there were Khorezm and Chach strategy and tactics were included.
    [Show full text]
  • Languages and Scripts in Graeco-Bactria and The
    ISBN 978-92-3-102846-5 Old Persian, Imperial Aramaic,. 16 LANGUAGES AND SCRIPTS IN GRAECO-BACTRIA AND THE SAKA KINGDOMS* J. Harmatta Contents Old Persian, Imperial Aramaic, Old Bactrian ...................... 386 The survival of Aramaic ................................ 390 The language of ancient Bactria ............................ 391 Greek language and script in Central Asia ....................... 394 The language of the Southern Sakas .......................... 398 Old Persian, Imperial Aramaic, Old Bactrian Script and writing appeared in eastern Iran long before the Yüeh-chih conquest of Bactria. Under Darius I, Old Persian administration and chancellery practice had probably been introduced into the eastern Achaemenid satrapies. This involved the use of the Old Per- sian language and cuneiform script, and the adoption of the Aramaic language and script as intermediary instruments of communication between administrative centres. The royal weight inscribed with an Old Persian cuneiform text from Bost (modern Qal‘a-i˘ Bist in Afghanistan) shows this development, even though it was prepared at the royal court in western Iran; and the borrowing by the Prakrit languages of such important terms as Old Persian dipi- (document), nipis- (to write) and nipistam. (inscription) clearly proves the use of Old Persian in the Indus territories belonging to the Achaemenid Empire at that time. * See Map 3. 386 ISBN 978-92-3-102846-5 Old Persian, Imperial Aramaic,. The introduction and use of Aramaic chancellery practice was, however, of much greater importance for the spread of literacy in the Middle East. Although not a single Aramaic document from the Achaemenid period has so far come to light in eastern Iran, indirect evi- dence exists.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reconstruction of the Name Yuezhi 月氏 / 月支
    International Journal of Old Uyghur Studies, 1/2, 2019: 249-282 The Reconstruction of The Name Yuezhi 月氏 / 月支 Hakan Aydemir* (İstanbul - Türkiye) Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dieter Michael Job Özet: Yuezhi Adının Yeniden Yapılandırılması Orta Asya tarihinin kuşkusuz en önemli problemlerinden biri Çin kaynaklarında Yuèzhī (月氏 / 月支) olarak geçen halkın kökenidir. Bugüne kadar tarihi veya arkeolojik araştırmalar Yüecilerin kökenini ikna edici bir biçimde açıklayamadılar. Bu çalışma, Yüecilerin kökenine ve Toharlarla ilişkilerine ilişkin çeşitli kuramları tanıtarak onları eleştirel bir yaklaşımla ele almaya çalışıyor. Bu sorunu çözebilmek için Uygur ve Çin yer adlarını inceleyerek Afganistan ve Doğu Türkistan’daki Yüeci boy adı kökenli yer adlarını tespit etmeye çalışıyor. Çalışmanın sonunda, Yüecilerin Afganistan ve Doğu Türkistan’daki eski coğrafi dağılımlarını göstermek için Yüeci boy adı kökenli yer adlarını gösteren iki de harita veriliyor. Boy adı kökenli bu yer adlarına ve tarihsel verilere dayanarak Yuèzhī adının asli biçiminin yeniden kurgulanması yönünde bir deneme de yapılıyor. Anahtar Sözcükler: Yuezhi, Toharlar, Tohar sorunu, Türkçe-Toharca ilişkileri Abstract One of the most important problems of Central Asian history is undoubtedly the origin of the people referred to as Yuèzhī (月氏 / 月支) in Chinese sources. So far, historical or archaeological research could not * Dr., Istanbul Medeniyet University, [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0002-2368-71030000-0002-2368-7103. 250 HAKAN AYDEMİR convincingly explain the origins of the Yuezhi. The study attempts to present and critically evaluate various theories concerning the origin of the Yuezhi and their relationship to the Tocharians. To address this problem, it investigates Uyghur and Chinese place names and tries to list Yuezhi ethnotoponyms in Afghanistan and Xinjiang.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan in the Historical Perspective
    Global Political Review (GPR) URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2017(II-I).05 Afghanistan in the Historical Perspective Huma Qayum* † Zahir Shah Abstract Afghanistan is having a very long historical ‡ background. It dates back to 1500 BC when Islam Jan Alam was far away from this region. Different dynasties established their foundations and were ruined away. The paper brings into light • Vol. II, No. I (2017) major common factors among Pakistan and Afghanistan. It l highlights the past of Afghanistan before the Islamic period and after • Pages: 46 – 53 the arrival of Islam in this region. Especially the historical • DOI: 10.31703/gpr.2017(II-I).05 background which is totally the same among the two states. Similarly, rulers consolidated their empire from Afghanistan to • p- ISSN: 2521-2982 India. The paper also elaborates different dynasties and how • ISSN-L: 2521-2982 residents of the concerned area faced such aggressions with though resistance. Who never surrendered against any foreign rule and gained independence as a sovereign state. It still survives to Key Words: face superpowers’ rivalry that affect the very foundations of Indo- Pre-Islamic period, Post-Islamic Afghan states. period, historical background, Muslim rulers Introduction The Kabul city established in (1500 BC-551) Aryans and the Medes rule. Rig Veda may have been created in Afghanistan around this period, as well as a sign of the initial wandering Iron age. Amid 2000-1200 BC, a group of tribes of Indo-European linguistic identified as Aryan started migration into this area. They split into three diverse groups Iranic peoples, Nuristani, and Indo-Aryans in the early phase, probably during 1500-1000 BC in what today is called Afghanistan (Dupree, 1977).
    [Show full text]