| Treasure of Begram | |
|---|---|
 Helmeted Athena, Treasure of Begram, Guimet Museum (MG19073) | |
| Period/culture | 1st or 2nd century CE |
| Discovered | 34°58′00″N69°18′00″E / 34.966667°N 69.300000°E /34.966667; 69.300000 |
| Place | Bagram (Begram),Afghanistan. |
| Location | |
TheTreasure of Begram orBegram Hoard is a group of artifacts from the 1st-2nd century CE discovered in the area ofBegram,Afghanistan. TheFrench Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA) conductedexcavations at the site between 1936 and 1940, uncovering two walled-up strongrooms, Room 10 and Room 13. Inside, a large number ofbronze,alabaster,glass (remains of 180 pieces),coins, andivory objects, along with remains of furniture and Chineselacquer bowls, were unearthed. Some of the furniture was arranged along walls, other pieces stacked or facing each other.[1][2] In particular, a high percentage of the few survivals of Greco-Romanenamelled glass come from this discovery.
TheBegram ivories are a sub-group of over a thousand decorative plaques, small figures andinlays, carved from ivory and bone, and formerly attached to wooden furniture. They are rare and important exemplars ofKushan art of the 1st or 2nd centuries CE, attesting to the cosmopolitantastes andpatronage of local dynasts, the sophistication of contemporary craftsmanship, and to the ancient trade in luxury goods.[3][4]
The ancient city ofKapisa (near modernBagram), inBactria was thesummer capital of theKushan Empire, which stretched from northern Afghanistan to northwestIndia between the 1st and the 4th centuries. Some eighty miles fromKabul, the strategically located city dominated two passes through theHindu Kush, connecting Bactria withGandhara (modern north-eastPakistan.[1]
The finds were divided, in accordance with the system ofpartage, between theMusée Guimet and theNational Museum of Afghanistan inKabul. After the Kabul Museum closed in 1978 the whereabouts of the ivories was uncertain, and many items werelooted in the 1990s.[1]
A number of the missing items were located in 2004, and a further group of twenty pieces,illicitly traded byantiquities dealers, was later recovered and is to berepatriated. Afterconservation treatment in theBritish Museum they wereexhibited there in 2011.[4][5]
![Emblema with Endymion and Selene[6]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBegramMedallion6.jpg)
