Ai Khanoum after 145 BC

Abstract

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.