page_title: Indo-Greek art
section_title: Architecture in Bactria
hierarchical_section_title: Indo-Greek art / Early Indo-Bactrian period (200-145 BCE) / Architecture in Bactria
caption_attribution_description: Ai Khanoum capital, 2nd century BCE. Guimet Museum. Personal photograph 2006. Français&#160;: Chapiteau corinthien. Afghanistan, Aï Khanoum. IIIe - IIe siècle av.n.è. Calcaire, 81,5 x 81 x 74 cm. Musée National d'Afghanistan, Kaboul. Visible lors de l'exposition temporaire: Afghanistan: Les trésors retrouvés&#160;: Collections du Musée National de Kaboul, Pierre Cambon, dir. Musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet, 2006-2007, éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, 300 pages. ISBN&#160;978-2-7118-5218-5. N° 24, page 157
context_page_description: Indo-Greek art is the art of the Indo-Greeks, who reigned from circa 200 BCE in areas of Bactria and the Indian subcontinent. Initially, between 200 and 145 BCE, they remained in control of Bactria while occupying areas of India, until Bactria was lost to invading nomads. After 145 BCE, Indo-Greek kings ruled exclusively in parts of ancient India, especially in Gandhara and the area of Punjab. The Indo-Greeks had a rich Hellenistic heritage and artistic proficiency as seen with the remains of the city of Ai-Khanoum, which was founded as a Greco-Bactrian city. In India, several Indo-Greeks cities are known such as Sirkap near Taxila, or Barikot, where some Indo-Greek artistic remains have been found, such as stone palettes. Some Buddhist cultural objects related to the Indo-Greeks are known, such as the Shinkot casket. But by far the most important Indo-Greek remains in India are the beautiful and numerous coins of the Indo-Greek kings, considered as some of the most artistically brilliant of Antiquity.
context_section_description: Numerous artefacts and structures were found, particularly in Ai-Khanoum, pointing to a high Hellenistic culture, combined with Eastern influences, starting from the 280-250 BCE period. Overall, Aï-Khanoum was an extremely important Greek city (1.5 sq kilometer), characteristic of the Seleucid Empire and then the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, remaining one of the major cities at the time when the Greek kings started to occupy parts of India, from 200 to 145 BCE. It seems the city was destroyed, never to be rebuilt, about the time of the death of king Eucratides around 145 BC.
  Archaeological missions unearthed various structures, some of them perfectly Hellenistic, some other integrating elements of Persian architecture, including a citadel, a Classical theater, a huge palace in Greco-Bactrian architecture, somehow reminiscent of formal Persian palatial architecture, a gymnasium (100 × 100m), one of the largest of Antiquity, various temples, a mosaic representing the Macedonian sun, acanthus leaves and various animals (crabs, dolphins etc...), numerous remains of Classical Corinthian columns. Many artifacts are dated to the 2nd century BCE, which corresponds to the early Indo-Greek period.
caption: Corinthian capital, found at Ai-Khanoum in the citadel by the troops of Commander Massoud, 2nd century BC.
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