Delphic Maxims from Ai Khanoum
Άϊ-Χανούμ Δελφικό επίγραμμα Ai Khanoum Delphic Maxims Epigram by Klearchos of Soloi accompanying inscription of Delphic maxims in the temenos of Kineas (the oikistes (founder) of the Greek settlement) at Ai-Khanoum .early 3rd. century BC. Inscription of Kineas. Ai-Khanoum 3rd century BCE. Musée Guimet. Apart from the two inscriptions at Kandahar, in which Asoka addressed his Greek subjects in their own language, the most revealing text concerning the Hellenism of the Greek colonists is undoubtedly the inscription discovered at Ai-Khanoum in the heart of the city inside a funerary monument. 36 The philosopher Clearchus of Soli, a well-known figure in the history of the Aristotelian school, on a visit from Greece around 275 B.C., had set up in this monument a copy of the famous Delphic maxims to serve as a code of good conduct. The maxims were a collection of some 150 aphorisms kept on display at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi embodying t...