Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
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Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
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Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#2Err, because Afghanistan was conquered and became part of the hellenistic kingdoms created by Alexander the Great?
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#3Err, because Afghanistan was conquered and became part of the hellenistic kingdoms created by Alexander the Great?
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif?
He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#4Err, because Afghanistan was conquered and became part of the hellenistic kingdoms created by Alexander the Great?
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif? He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism.
The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there which matched the muscled aesthetic of Apollo statutes, as opposed to usual image of the sitting Buddhas in China. Greek culture wasn't some attempt to manufacture legitimacy for national boundaries in the '30s.
Interestingly, it seems that the desire to inherit the legacy of Alexander the Great's feats is not limited to the people in his kingdom. After all, Sean Connery in the film "The Man who would be King" is one of the more famous depictions of Kipling's novella on wayward westerners trying to capture an Alexander glory from the locals, including Civilization V, Star Trek episodes, Jimmy Buffet songs, etc.
Also: Once the Taliban took over, I think everyone can agree that they represented the polar opposite of modernity and ties to Europe. Despite destroying the Buddhas, they did not destroy the Greek antiquities or scrub the Greek from their money.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#5Earlier quoted context omitted.
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif? He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
>Greek culture wasn't some attempt to manufacture legitimacy for national boundaries in the '30s. Interestingly, it seems that the desire to inherit the legacy of Alexander the Great's feats is not limited to the people in his kingdom.
Exactly. He kind of produced a real multi-cultural empire (even if the Greek element dominated some aspects) instead of mere subject nations, and those belonging to it respected it and cherished this past more than e.g. countries conquered by the Roman empire did or countries colonized by the British etc.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif? He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
tired formula of western Orientalism
Well stated.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif? He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
> Despite destroying the Buddhas, they did not destroy the Greek antiquities
My guess would be simply because Buddha is a symbol of a modern religion, whereas the Greek antiquities are not.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
The last half of the article gets into that. Sure, of course that was the case, but it was also later taken over by the Persian muslim invasion, so why the greek motif? He covers two questions: 2- how it got there at all and 2 - why it appears on the note.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
except of course that some greeks were buddhist but whatever.
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
except of course that some greeks were buddhist but whatever.
Ancient Greek Buddhists?
Re: Why is there ancient Greek text on Afghan banknotes?
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
But the author didn't get it right though. His conclusion- "By highlighting its Greek heritage, Afghanistan could claim a share of the classical origins of Europe and the West", aspiring to "the 'civilizational norms' of the developed world"- is a tired formula of western Orientalism. The Seleucid Greek culture has had an enduring impact on the people and culture of Afghanistan, as anyone can see by the Buddhas there…
> Despite destroying the Buddhas, they did not destroy the Greek antiquities My guess would be simply because Buddha is a symbol of a modern religion, whereas the Greek antiquities are not.
That doesn't make much sense; both predate Islam by over a millenium.