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Art of Asia
Hidden treasures revealed
A story of daring and intrigue - archaeologists discovered the treasures of Afghanistan's nomadic ancestors but then had to hide them to keep them safe. © Trustees of the British Museum. Created by British Museum.
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How far back in time do you have to go for grave robbery to turn into archeology?(10 votes)
I think there's always some dilemma about whether it is appropriate to disturb human remains. There's no doubt that we can learn from the artifacts people were buried with, even the bones themselves, as they're often the best preserved objects from those eras and cultures. But still, people are almost always buried with the intention that they will rest undisturbed. How long must we leave them before it's okay to dig them up? Is it okay to dig up Egyptian tombs? Caveman graves? Middle-aged Kings (think Richard III)? Colonists? Native Americans? Your great-grandparents? When are we getting too close for comfort? Is it when people alive still remember them?(7 votes)
- @1:11They say there wasn't much time to excavate and pack and show images of the military bearing down on them as though this wasn't an authorized dig, so were they indeed pulling a Lara Croft (or Indiana Jones depending on how old you are) and Tomb Raiding? Is that what they are generously phrasing as "Daring and intrigue"?(4 votes)
Note that the excavations began in 1978. Note also that the Soviet Invasion that began the civil war began in 1979. Subtract one figure from the other and you'll notice that they only had a year before the war began. That's very little time in the world of archaeology.(2 votes)
could there be a curse upon removing remains(2 votes)- Many years ago people believed that disturbing the dead could lead to a curse. That's why the pyramids in Egypt were created. To protect the remains of Pharaohs so they aren't disturbed by the outside world.(2 votes)
what year was this?
Where was the treasure in Afghanistan?(2 votes)- Treasure is all over Afghanistan. These treasures were in the Northeast.(2 votes)
- Who were these nomads? A group related to today's Central Asians or a South Asian group that would eventually leave their homeland forever to seek another home?(2 votes)
How was this so secretly hidden. I want to know more! this is incredible!(1 vote)
people from old times always could imagine what could happen that is why they did not want to show what they had. there are still things no one had found. I don't know it it is true or false but when I was in Afghanistan people were saying that there is a hill surrounded by ghosts and snakes and that whole hill is gold. American forces went there to dig but those ghosts hide them all they found were snakes and small amount of diamonds.(1 vote)
- I Lived in Afghanistan for 12 years now i am in U.S.A. I love it when i visit Afghanistan it is very historical and beautiful. In Afghanistan you always have a felling you are going to find something, as I did in my 12 years me and my friend found found a chicken made out of gold and in about 5 mins Americans, and people from London who were there came and took it out of the ground it was about 2 miters long and 1 meter wide. and it was beautiful. some people say that there are 30 more big treasures that nobody had found yet in Afghanistan.(1 vote)
1:11Video transcript
These gold treasures give a gleaming insight
into Afghanistan's nomadic ancestors They tell a story of daring and intrigue caught up in their country's turmoil since
their discovery in 1978 at the northwestern site of Tillya Tepe Tillya Tepe the golden hill was the graves
of six nomads dug into a hill This was discovered by a Russian archaeologist
Viktor Sarianidi He decided to excavate this area for the Bronze Age With a team of Afghani archaeologists started the excavation on the site they discovered these six graves five of that were for the women and one was
for the man The team didn't have very much time to excavate, inventory, pack and take the objects to Kabul museum And it was in the late eighties when the decision
was taken for some of the most precious objects to be hidden under the Presidential Palace And this decision was made by a committee
of curators and archaeologists and they moved these objects into the Presidential
Palace vaults There they remained for thirteen years and these four or five curators kept a secret they didn't tell anyone, they didn't even
tell their wives We kept quiet and didn't tell anyone until 2003 They went back down into the vaults and there was this incredible moment of discovery when they realised that they'd managed to
save some of their most precious objects The archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi and his Afghan colleagues watch intently as the vault reveals its horde Is it the treasure they secreted away thirteen
years previously? A nod of the head confirms it These are indeed the same precious gold objects that so excited them all those years ago The reason that I have supported this exhibition
to go outside of Afghanistan is that we would like to show the world that
we are getting from the culture of war to culture of peace And this treasure we want to share it with
the world that this is not only for Afghans but belongs
to the humanity And we need to share that with all the world that Afghanistan has a culture heritage that we are proud of it and the world should
enjoy it