Kandahar Sophytos Inscription

Some authors consider that his ruin may be due to the invasion of Arachosia by the Greco-Bactrians in the 2nd century BCE, supposing that Sophytos had been a Hellenized Indian in the service of the Arachosians region of the Maurya Empire.

[3] The usage of Greek and Aramaic is attested in the area from the 3rd century BCE due to the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription of Emperor Ashoka.

[3] Δ Δηρὸν ἐμῶγ κοκυῶν ἐριθηλέα δώματ᾽ ἐόντα Ι ἲς ἄμαχος Μοιρῶν ἐξόλεσεν τριάδος· Α αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ, τυννὸς κομιδῆι βιότοιό τε πατρῶν Σ Σώφυτος εὖνις ἐὼν οἰκτρὰ Ναρατιάδης, Ω ὡς ἀρετὴν Ἑκάτου Μουσέων τ᾽ ἤσχηκα σὺν ἐσθλῆι Φ φυρτὴν σωφροσύνηι, θήμος ἐπεφρασάμην Υ ὑψώσαιμί κε πῶς μέγαρον πατρώϊον αὔθις· Τ τεκνοφόρον δὲ λαβὼν ἄλλοθεν ἀργύριον, Ο οἴκοθεν ἐξέμολον μεμαὼς οὐ πρόσθ᾽ ἐπανελθεῖν Υ ὕψιστον κτᾶσθαι πρὶμ μ᾽ άγαθῶν ἄφενος· Τ τοὔνεκ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἐμπορίηισιν ἰῶν εἰς ἄστεα πολλὰ Ο ὄλβον ἀλωβήτος εὐρὺν ἐληισάμην Υ ὑμνητὸς δὲ πέλων πάτρην ἐτέεσσιν ἐσῖγμαι Ν νηρίθμοις τερπνός τ᾽ εὐμενέταις ἐφάνην· Α ἀμφοτέρους δ᾽ οἶκόν τε σεσηπότα πάτριον εἶθαρ Ρ ῥέξας ἐκ καινῆς κρέσσονα συντέλεσα Α αἶάν τ᾽ ἔς τύμβου πεπτωκότος ἄλλον ἔτευξα, Τ τὴν καὶ ζῶν στήλην ἐν ὁδῶι ἐπέθηκα λάλον.

Ο οὕτως οὖν ζηλωτὰ τάδ᾽ ἔργματα συντελέσαντος Υ υἱέες υἱωνοί τ᾽ οἶκον ἔχοιεν ἐμοὖ.

[4] Nota: As often on Hellenistic inscriptions, the sigma Σ has been replaced by the lunate sigma C. Stele of Sophytos The left vertical line, formed by repeating the first letter of each sentence (acrostich) reads ΔΙΑ ΣΩΦΥΤΟΥ ΤΟΥΝΑΡΑΤΟΥ "By Sophitos, son of Naratos"