The Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature In honor of beloved Virgil— “O degli altri poeti onore e lume…” —Dante, Inferno The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Classical Literature Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation, which was established by a major gift from Joan Palevsky. HELLENISTIC CULTURE AND SOCIETY General Editors: Anthony W. Bulloch, Erich S. Gruen, A. A. Long, and Andrew F. Stewart I. Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age, by Peter Green II. Hellenism in the East: The Interaction of Greek and Non-Greek Civilizations from Syria to Central Asia after Alexander, edited by Amélie Kuhrt and Susan Sherwin-White III. The Question of “Eclecticism”: Studies in Later Greek Philosophy, edited by J. M. Dillon and A. A. Long IV. Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State, by Richard A. Billows V. A History of Macedonia, by R. Malcolm Errington, translated by Catherine Errington VI. Attic Letter-Cutters of 229 to 86 B.c., by Stephen V. Tracy VII. The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World, by Luciano Canfora VIII. Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind, by Julia E. Annas IX. Hellenistic History and Culture, edited by Peter Green X. The Best of the Argonauts: The Redefinition of the Epic Hero in Book One of Apollonius's Argonautica, by James J. Clauss XI. Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics, by Andrew Stewart XII. Images and Ideologies: Self-definition in the Hellenistic World, edited by Anthony W. Bulloch, Erich S. Gruen, A. A. Long, and Andrew Stewart XIII. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire, by Susan Sherwin-White and Amélie Kuhrt XIV. Regionalism and Change in the Economy of Independent Delos, 314–167 B.C., by Gary Reger XV. Hegemony to Empire: The Development of the Roman Imperium in the East from 148 to 62 B.C., by Robert Kallet-Marx XVI. Moral Vision in The Histories of Polybius, by Arthur M. Eckstein XVII. XVII. The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor, by Getzel M. Cohen XVIII. Interstate Arbitrations in the Greek World, 337–90 B.C., by Sheila L. Ager XIX. Theocritus's Urban Mimes: Mobility, Gender, and Patronage, by Joan B. Burton XX. Athenian Democracy in Transition: Attic Letter-Cutters of 340 to 290 B.C., by Stephen V. Tracy XXI. Pseudo-Hecataeus, “On the Jews”: Legitimizing the Jewish Diaspora, by Bezalel Bar-Kochva XXII. Asylia: Territorial Inviolability in the Hellenistic World, by Kent J. Rigsby XXIII. The Cynics: The Cynic Movement in Antiquity and Its Legacy, edited by R. Bracht Branham and Marie-Odile Goulet-Cazé XXIV. The Politics of Plunder: Aitolians and Their Koinon in the Early Hellenistic Era, 279–217 B.c., by Joseph B. Scholten XXV. The Argonautika, by Apollonios Rhodios, translated, with introduction, commentary, and glossary, by Peter Green XXVI. Hellenistic Constructs: Essays in Culture, History, and Historiography, edited by Paul Cartledge, Peter Garnsey, and Erich S. Gruen XXVII. Josephus's Interpretation of the Bible, by Louis H. Feldman XXVIII. Poetic Garlands: Hellenistic Epigrams in Context, by Kathryn J. Gutzwiller XXIX. Religion in Hellenistic Athens, by Jon D. Mikalson XXX. Heritage and Hellenism: The Reinvention of Jewish Tradition, by Erich S. Gruen XXXI. The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties, by Shaye D. Cohen XXXII. Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria, by Frank L. Holt XXXIII. Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora: From Alexander to Trajan (323 B.C.E.–117 c.E.), by John M. G. Barclay XXXIV. From Pergamon to Sperlonga: Sculpture and Context, edited by Nancy T. de Grummond and Brunilde S. Ridgway XXXV. Polyeideia: The Iambi of Callimachus and the Archaic Iambic XXXV. Tradition, by Benjamin Acosta-Hughes XXXVI. Stoic Studies, by A. A. Long XXXVII. Seeing Double: Intercultural Poetics in Ptolemaic Alexandria, by Susan A. Stephens XXXVIII. Athens and Macedon: Attic Letter-Cutters of 300 to 229 B.C., by Stephen V. Tracy XXXIX. Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus, by Theocritus, translated with an introduction and commentary by Richard Hunter XL. The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity, by Kathy L. Gaca XLI. Cultural Politics in Polybius's Histories, by Craige B. Champion XLII. Cleomedes' Lectures on Astronomy: A Translation of The Heavens, with an introduction and commentary by Alan C. Bowen and Robert B. Todd XLIII. Historical Fictions and Hellenistic Jewish Identity: Third Maccabees in Its Cultural Context, by Sara Raup Johnson XLIV. Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions, by Frank L. Holt XLV. The Horse and Jockey from Artemision: A Bronze Equestrian Monument of the Hellenistic Period, by Seán Hemingway XLVI. The Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa, by Getzel M. Cohen XLVII. Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan, by Frank L. Holt XLVIII. Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome, by Arthur M. Eckstein XLIX. Hellenistic Egypt: Monarchy, Society, Economy, Culture, by Jean Bingen. Edited and introduced by Roger S. Bagnall L. Jewish Perspectives on Hellenistic Rulers, edited by Tessa Rajak, Sarah Pearce, James Aitken, and Jennifer Dines LI. The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature: The Hellenistic Period, by Bezalel Bar-Kochva LII. From Alexander to Jesus, by Ory Amitay LIII. Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan, by Frank L. Holt LIV. LIV. The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India, by Getzel M. Cohen LV. Creating a Common Polity: Religion, Economy, and Politics in the Making of the Greek Koinon, by Emily Mackil Lost World of the Golden King In Search of Ancient Afghanistan Frank L. Holt UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2012 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Holt, Frank Lee. Lost world of the golden king : in search of ancient Afghanistan / Frank L. Holt. p. cm. —(Hellenistic culture and society ; 53) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-520-27342-9 (cloth, alk. paper) 1. Bactria—Civilization. 2. Bactria—Antiquities. 3. Greeks—Afghanistan—History—To 1500. 4. Eucratides, the Great, fl. 170–145 B.c. 5. Coins, Greek—Bactria. 6. Coins, Greek—Afghanistan. 7. Afghanistan—Civilization. 8. Afghanistan—Antiquities. I. Title. DS374.B28H655 2012 939'.6—dc23 2012000828 Manufactured in the United States of America 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In keeping with its commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on Natures Book, which contains 30% post-consumer waste and meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/ NISO Z 39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper). For Alec Emery McDaniel and his parents, Laura and Patrick, From someone who loves them all