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Afghanistan treasures- the story of the Bactrian gold

Article Summary: The Bactrian gold is both, a display of the Afghan wealth and rich history and a contemporary detective story.

The famous Bactrian gold collection is one of the world’s finest pieces of Antique art, which remained almost untouched by the violence and wars that had been scattered Afghanistan in the past decades. The cache was discovered under the currently popular Hill of Gold, in Tillya-tepe, where it had been resting for more than 2000 years. Russian archaeologists discovered and exposed it in 1979, short time before the Soviet invasion in the Afghan land. The team that discovered the precious hoard was lead by the Greek-Russian scientist Victor Sariyannidis and it was astonished to discover in six different graves, five women and a man, displaying what will be considered one of the most impressive and rich collection of jewelry in the world.

The team discovered six bodies in a four-thousand-year old temple, covered with lustrous jewels and lavish instruments and tools. Most historians think that these were the remains of some Bactrian nomads, hidden inside the temple together with their fortunes. Each of the six was covered with dazzling buckles, golden sewn garments with turquoise crusts, garnets and lapis lazuli, coins, mirrors, and other objects of cult all displaying incredible wealth. The clothes were of Scythian origin, as they displayed gold plaques from the Bosporus and Chersonnese, while the mirrors were of Chinese origin, dated from the Han era. Classical intaglios of Athena and an ivory comb full of incisions link these objects to Begram or Dalverzine tepe. A Bactrian Aphrodite, with a grace and childish aura evoking Sirkap is delicately crowned with flora. All these objects, and many more, summing a total of 21,618 pieces, dated 1st century BC, were brought to the National Museum of Afghanistan in the year 1979. They are samples of nomad civilization, full of luxury and curiosity for foreign cultures.

Pendants, a belt with equestrians killing fantastic creatures, an Achaemenid ibex, and a Tiberius coin come to complete the complexity and strangeness of the graves. Some researchers implied that the people in the graves,- clearly of noble rang, should be seen as the first yuezhi from a Chinese envoy, known to have camped in the northern parts of Bactria. Others say that these mysterious characters must be members of a saka clan, a Scythian wing that led a nomad life and dwelled between Urals and Altai mountains. The coin casts a new light on the treasure, as it shows how nomads dominated the Golden Road from Altai and how they were part of a complex trading network, reaching China, Iran, and nowadays-Afghan territory.

In 1980, these pieces were part of an exhibition in Kabul, for a short period, as the Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and desperate measures were taken to protect this sample of unique art. Consequently, in 1988, the treasure was moved to a highly secured place, a part of the Afghan presidential palace. Here, the hoard was secretly kept and thoroughly guarded- during these years, the treasure was only exposed once, as the president Mohammad Najibullah wanted to show the foreign diplomats that the Russian army did not touch the precious discovery. Thus, a one-day exhibition of the pieces was held in the Arg palace.

When the civil war started, many of the historical and cultural treasures of Afghanistan were lost or destroyed. During the civil war years, many researchers, bankers, and important men tried to find out the exact location of the gold. However, the secret was kept so thoroughly that rumors about the loss, melting or stealing of the treasure started to spawn the country.

In 2003, the vault was finally opened, showing the world that the hoard was intact. All the pieces were photographed, and catalogued in Dari and English. However, inadequate conditions made the public display impossible. All this happened thank to a group of dedicated individuals, called the “key holders” which kept the Bactrian gold guarded safely underground.

During the year of 2007, the Bactrian gold reached Europe, France, in an exhibition displaying the richness and inestimable value of the Afghan archaeological treasure, which tool place at Guimet Museum. The exhibition ran until April 2007, under the close supervision of Victor Levefre, a Guimet curator. “The goal is to present another picture of Afghanistan than the one usually seen on the news — war and violence”, the Museum curator stated.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
David Yuri
Afghanistan and its Bactrian gold is a sample of a mixed, unique civilization Afghanland holds many treasures nad hoards like the one mentioned above, although many of these have been lost during the Soviet invasion and Taliban government.