Hunt for Lost Bactrian Treasure

07 January 2002

This graceful figure of a griffin on a chalcedony seal is part of the 20,000-piece 'Bactrian Treasure' excavated from Tillya Tepe in northern modern Afghanistan by Victor Sarianidi. 

Working on the hope that an ancient Iranian golden hoard found in Afghanistan by Soviet archaeologist Victor Sarianidi 24 years ago may have survived in Kabul, a team of Greek archaeologists under the "Bactrian treasure" excavator will soon visit Afghanistan to investigate, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.

It is unclear what remains of the hoard excavated by Sarianidi - Sariyiannidis in Greek - from the Tillya Tepe (the Golden Mound) royal grave complex in northern Afghanistan in 1978.

The 20,000 golden objects - ornaments, coins and figurines tentatively dated to 100 BCE, of Parthian Dynasty - were last heard to have been in an underground, steel-doored vault beneath the presidential palace in Kabul. That was in 1991.

Since then, the Tillya Tepe finds have been wrapped in rumor, acquiring a quasi-legendary status. Recent reports agreed that the hoard was once in the vault. In one of his last interviews before being assassinated this year, late Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massod confirmed this but said the Taleban - who looted and destroyed most of the Kabul Museum's exhibits - had gained entry. If so, they may have melted down or smuggled out the Bactrian treasure.

For more information Please see: 

Bactria (Balkh)

Bactrian Language

A review of archaeological reports: Southern Bactria and northern India before Islam

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