The Kandahar bilingual rock inscription of Ashoka was written in which two languages?

The Kandahar bilingual rock inscription of Ashoka, found in Afghanistan, was written in Greek and Aramaic.

About the Kandahar bilingual inscription:

• It was discovered in 1958 at Chilzena (Chehel Zina), a rocky hill near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan.
• It is inscribed on a rock, with the Greek text above and the Aramaic text below.
• It was issued in the tenth year after Ashoka's coronation (around 260 BCE).

It is a short summary of Ashoka's message: that he has shown people piety (eusebeia in Greek, the translation of "Dhamma"), that he has stopped killing animals, and that people have become more obedient to their parents and elders.

Why these languages?

The region of Kandahar (Arachosia) had many Greek settlers, who had come after Alexander's conquests.

Aramaic was the official language of the old Persian (Achaemenid) empire, and was widely used in the region for administration.

Ashoka wrote his message in the languages that the local people could understand.

The Greek text shows how the Indian idea of Dhamma was translated into Greek philosophical terms.

Other Ashokan inscriptions in Afghanistan:

• A Greek inscription at Kandahar containing parts of Major Rock Edicts XII and XIII (found in 1963).
• Aramaic inscriptions at Laghman and Taxila.

Importance:

• These inscriptions show that the Mauryan empire extended into Afghanistan.
• They show Ashoka's effort to communicate with people of different cultures.
• They show the cosmopolitan nature of the north-western frontier region.

About Kandahar:

• It is the second-largest city of Afghanistan.
• It was ancient Arachosia, which Seleucus Nicator gave to Chandragupta Maurya in a treaty.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Prakrit and Sanskrit, Pali and Persian, and Greek and Latin were not the languages of this inscription.