Allchin and Hammond Archaeology Of Afghanistan

The Archaeology of Afghanistan

L 1· J LC Itec.

from earliest times to the Timurid period

F. R. llchin and Norman Harnrnond

Facu.l~y c~f ()ricntul Studies, If i· ,.; ('Jrrl, i 1 JP FllJlrn•l n.Ter,,} 'l c .tuLul- -·y ,,_ ~s~c -"--Doug1LLS'.Y Co1legc j I\utgers [Jni ~v J

\ '•'))' J 'j'•' .. /} c ~-,___ f.:~)~\)-.... J

··-·-·····--------..... ___ _

1978

ACADEMIC

London ... Nevv York ... San

A Suhsidian Puhlisl:cr~: ------------- ------·-·-------- -------------·--

186 JIM G. SHAfFER

and understand the cultural developments \'Vitnesscd in Afghanistan then such developments must he ·vie\ved as possibly resulting from indigenous processes rather them .J.x!omatically

attributing them to outside inf1ut'nccs (Mesopotamia, Turkmenistan or the Indus va1le:y). A

prime example of this is the domestication of plants and animals. Not on!y doe~; it nm.v seem ]Jossihle to hvjJothcsizc that an indiQTnous ]Jrocess of domestication occurred in /\Jo-hanista

11 _. 0 0 ' but also that ne\v thcoretic·al insights into these processes are :;till disti llablc from the /\J:ro:han data.

Traditionall:v the processes of domestication has heen envisaged as vYitnesslng ~ gradual

transformJtion from hunting and gatherin~ to mixed agriculture and finallv to 'il.wciahzccl

agriculture with pastoral no~11adi':i1;1 dcvelr;ping much la~er (e.g. Spooner, 1_,97.2; ;_;m\th and

Young, 1972; Lees and Bates, 1974-). In contrast the Afghan data indicates a strong pnlbability

th<1t specialized agriculture and specialized pastoral nomadism developed as cr;I~tvmporar~· and rcinli.lJTing adaptations allov1·ing maximum use of resources (sec Shaffer n .d. fo1 cxtcnsiv~; discussion). The existence of such a bidimensional adaptation and tlw assncia1\.'d symbiotic

relationships which re.sulted fliT Yital :in understanding the cultural similaritin P'-'TCE'iH·<l

through space and timt' and the distribution of items vv·ith limited sources of origin. It is <lnitc

possible that pastoral nomads V\-'tTe a source of cultural communication and irteraction

between vvidely dispJratc sedentary groups. l'viorcoYfT, the early existence of such pJstoral

nomads might s!gnificantlv J.ltcr current eXf)!anations concerning the cultural and ccnioo-ical ~ L • b

contingencies surrounding the development of stratiflcd ::-.ocicties. IV1ore speciflcally the

existence of pastoral nomad(i yields new insights into the understanding of the nJtWT and

extent of the intcraction,.:'communiccttion \\'hich existed bet\VCen cultural dcn.:•lopnwnts in

Afghanistan and those in Baluchistan, the lndus valley and Turkmenistan throughoc1t the prehistoric p<Jiod.

Another important prohlern v;hi<+ has not received adec1uate attention is vvhat hapf.H"ncd

to the prehistoric ocCUfHtions follu\'ving Mundigak IV? No satisfactory explanation ha::: heen

proposed \Vhich accounts For the apparent ah,:mdonmcnt of the sites bctvl-"een Shahr-i s~-;khta and Dch Morasi. The entire area of southern Afghanistan seerning!y was abandonf'd until the

late Bronzt.' Age or Larly Iron Ag{'. If abandoned vvhcre did these populations go and ','>-h:v? Considering that the so-called ''Helrnand Ci-vilization'' ('ncomlnssed one of the largest Jrcal

distributions of any pn:_·historic culture, it is extremely diflicult to envisage ct Sl< of circumstaru:_-es '.-vl-lich \Yot!ld result in its total di:;appearancc,

These are a fc"\-Y of the major problems apparent in the A(ghan prehistoric record. Th''IT are se\,Tral more specific ones such as: \\/hat vvas the role and nature of the lapis lazuli trade?

V'lh;- is there nn cYidcnce of contact \vith the Harappan culture des pitt' the evidence of such

contacts in Turkmcnist<m and ca.stern Iran? Did the Hclmand Civilization incorporate Jrea.c; of

central and northern AilJ-nnistan? \Vha.t i:-: the signi11cancc of the \viJel;· disiribuu..'d fern. de

figurine:-;? Future· investigations into the later prehistoric periods of A±~~hanisLm v;,-ii] proYidc

not cml:< an understanding ofJ.real ndtural developments b·ut also provick the opportunity L1r th\' con."!truction of ne·,-v cxplanator: modds concerning sornc of the major cultur,1l devc1oprncnts in man's pc1c;t.

4 The Early Historic Period: Achaemenids and Greeks

D. W. Mc1C Dondl untl JI. Tuddei

Historical Background

The Achacmenid Empire

prov inn' ..

188 D. VV . .i\'lAC DOVVALL i\ND M. TADDEI

To the north or /1 fuhan· ·t d \ l S

- ,. .-'c.--< Isan WrClCIC111('nidernlJircinclucl,lf'1,--,--·- , . ,ugUlana,andlater!nhic:•-l'l·".l'I.l•J·J·L.l 'l I] -. . u~..._~l1d1tSlo1l<l{K11hJr!/.lTli,•nd

--· c:," u 1s awect 1L,p i-f ·s· 1 · the Indus. The whole of tl-~, _, . _, __ -

1. : '-- u~11 '1 ) and-- !J1( to constitute the 5 ,11:rap\ of

'"". _ ,t_ unpn c >'\as c !YH.lccl mto · -conomy 'I · pronnccs go,-erncd by 1 l '-- - .. · \Vas somw;: bas<.'d, tn.dc \Y<-1S encouraued md L sad·aF;· ts estahhshcd. Aramaic \'\-~s tlv·l- - - l'' -.. b , c ln t'Jfccl!\t road S\stem \\ ·s

I , -- <-- ~ angu<~gc usee lOr offwial b-. ·- , c:: l . . . . - ,,

t ut {he local Kharoshth_i sc···ij)t - -- .. I - l!SIJJe .. s Jnc lt lS from .. "\ramaic s' .,.:l'l . , ' \\as ::.n )sequcntlv Jevcl(ned !11 '\f l- -. . l -.,-~ I ' g1,UlL':itan anc the Punjab.

Alexander the Great and his Successors

It ,,."'' th·· ,Jc.i·, t t. tl I , _' ' ,'- \_ ·a 0. 1C ac:t i'-\chacmen_id kinu I lai l'!' m 11 tl 1 I f pla·H.1S ol lvleso]JOtumia in 3)l Bo tl1 t 'l '!' 'I , l', ~IL tMtt c (! G,ll!garrtcla Jn r!" '\·I ··-· .c. d,lJfe,e!\.ance.thc(,ttl 'C1J.E'mCnl{j J:.mjJiJT ir-c]u}'--, ;., rYtl tlt' llt\\ lUltl of the ,. : '·. ~, J, _r m~~ ,L, .-,.atraplcs m /duhanistan \_!' ,_ap~tals 'H the v-e~·t · · 1 . . ,:-- - · } ,tcr c,tJ,·Jturin.F the Pcrc .. ,·.,111 .• ... J ••••. .· .,_ ·"-, .-"E'!Zmg tncn treasures and 1 1 - ~-·' ··--n·JH ~-1 1 "f 1 '.Ym JO icalJy hurni•p p,-,,-"PIJoi-1· ,, · " _,)t, ln_o n g1anrstan Ztnd cros::::,,d the 1 · - ' . ..., , __ ,._, ':-.. ,1-,_icxJndcJ

Ba.ctria dtH.l So(!chana (::}-)(}- )Y7 '0 c· I 'J- ,-hwlu iClJsl; rn ... wntctms lo ~Olh]llt'l tiH '..,atJ,'Dli" ul '-' . - ''· · · (_) S>;.(Uil 11S f f

1

Pl'nn;lnent IJosts at AI,-~ ,L.· . .~ . . nJcs o (OJ11llllll1JCatlc•n he C'>tablJc;b, (; - - . C\dLilEt lll :1.rld (J-Ierat), ') j \ cxan(Jia Ill \ra(hosn ll\.and:dtarJ ,<l1ti

4. FARLY PERIOD. ACHAEMEN!DS AND GREEKS 189

Alexandria sub Caucasum (Begram or a site nearby 1n the north of tbc Kohistan of Kabul).

Returning to Begram he nurchccl east to conc1uer Svvat and the hmjab (327--32 5 B.C.). On the

banks of the Bcas, his arn1y rvfused to go furtlwr. Alexander built a fleet, sailed chnvn the Indus to the sea and returned to Persia in 324 after a dangerous land march through

Baluchistan. He left behinc1 him satraps and governors, but his administration dic1 not long

outlJ::-t his early death in 32). Although his campaigns and short rule haYe left no direct traces

in Afghanistan, his conquests had far reaching consccp.lcncc·s and mark a watershed in the

history of \vcstern Asia. ln the north the old Achaen1enid satrapie:; of Parthia and Rtctria

became provinces of the Hellenistic Scleucid kings; \Yhile the yacuum created by Alexander's

"'.-ithdra\Ya1 from the Punjab enahlcd Chandragupta, the nc\'\' !VLruryan King of Pataliputra

(Patr1a), to extend his kingdom to northwest India and eastern Afghanistan.

/i.fter Alexander's death, Selcucus I Nicator emerged from the "\·Var or succession as King

of SYTia and most of western /\sja; but wh<..'11 he trie(1 to recon'r the territories of southeast

Afghanistan and the lndu~, he wc1s forced to make peace, acknov.dcclgc the soYcrcignty of

Chandragupta Iv1aur;'a, ;md cede Gandhara, i\ rachosia and Parnpamisadae in return for ·;oo elephants J.nd a ma.trimonia\ alliance (c. 104 H.C. ). Thet-iC satrapics remained under ~v1auryan rule during the third century n.c. in the reigns of Bindusax~t ( 298-27 3) and Asoka (27_1 -2 12 ),

until the Mclury;m empire began to hreak Ui) with disputes <.wcr the rov;·tl su<.Tt'S~ion and its

gtT::tt proYin(_·es established their inckpcndence.

The Graeco-Bactrians

B.l.ctria had he en an important base for /'\ h"xancler' s campaign against Sogdiana; ;md

pn~sumably retained an intportant milita-ry role undfT the Sclcucid."' with a ;-,Lnmg Gre-ek

garrison. During th(' reign of Scleucus H, prohahl;-' during the Thinl Syri.an Vv',tr (24-6-- .?Al)

vdH.'D Ptok·m;-- HI of 1--'.gypt i~lYaded :-;yria, the t-v•;o nortlwi;cstern satrapies of the St'leucid

empire, Parthia and Bactria, lTYohe(1 rtnd became indepemient kingdom~; Parthia under

Ar:·taCC"S and Bactrja_ undt--r Diodotus. i\nt·io'-·hus IH, the Sekucid king tried to take puniti·<.;\._'

action againsl Bactria in 208 B.C. and besieged King Euth;.-dcmus in Bavtria.; hut he ;,.vas oblig~.·d tr: v;ithdraw and formally· n·cognizcd Bactrian i_nclepcndcncc. Bdun.· returning to the '\vc::-:t)

_1\ntiochu:; crossed the Hindu Kush, and rcne\n:·d h.is ;:tncestral friendship with the nding king,

S;_;bhagasena ---a rt+ercncc to tb(' alliance that Selcucu.s -.i\icator had rn<tdt· a <.-cntur;· prn iousl;­

\Yith Chandragupta Maurya. But the Yisit \YJS hGrdl;.- friendly. /\ntiol_·hus rcYictua.l led hi~; army

;:L Subhagasena's expense, robbed him of all hi::; elcp1nnts ,md imposed an iw1t·mnit:. The consequences \H're far rr'2,(-hing. lt v~--as clear that a rc~oluh· in,cvler would m,_·vt littk

opposition from the remnant::: of tht.· lvbur;.-;m empire. hcbwkmus Jnrwx(·d Sci\t,<n ,wd

Arachosla. His son Demetrius pushed his conquests further. There was subsccp.!t'ntl;· a. pcciud

'Jf civil \Y<:tr. Eucntidcs took l3actriJ and othe1· tcniturit's Crom th\.' huw;'-· oF Demetrius {c. 170

B.C.) and afterv:ards ·we see t\'VO rin.llinc'> of lx-inccs. Under ,'\pollodotus l ,md Ivkna.ndcr the

Cll·aeco-BrlcHian,c; conuut'lTd J \Yidc tcrritnrY in eastern Af.2hani~ta.n, the Punjab J.nd Jndu~ I ' ' '

Yalky, gon·n1cd by satrap" and stratcgot (c. !S) B.C.). Subc,t·quently the Cr.wco-Baz1.r-i,UJ

kingdom lwcornvs diYicled b\- civil war ;md lost mo."~t of itc, \\ c<~t,·rn tnritorics to "the

190 D. W. l\lAC DOVVALL AND M. TADDEI

Parthians. Vl/e see several series of more local Greek rulers, until their kingdorns arc

progressively overthro\vn hy the inYasions of the Yueh-chi, and Sakas from the north and the Pahbvas from the \VCst.

Yueh-chi and Saka invaders

_From Chinc1:le sources >.\'C kncnv that the Yuch--chi migratt>d west\'Vard into tht> Ili region L" 160

B.c and displaced tlw Sakas, \Vho migrated-some into the Pamirs, Kashgar, Khotan aml

sornc \'H'St\'vard to the provinces ofHcrat and Seistan. The Yuch-chi themsel-ves moYf'{l ;;outh

across the Oxu~ c. 120 100 B.c., occupying the Gracco-Bactri.an territory north of the Hindu

Kush rnountains. About 80 H.c. Vic find the f-irst Saka king I\1aucs ruling at Taxib and

controlling the proYinct'S of th(' Punjah. He is succeeded by other Sakas ,vvho are King of

King~~- Azes I, Aziliscs and AzC's lf, The end of the Greek rule in the Paropamisadae is nmch

less dear. The last known king \-"'·a.s Hcrmacu.s, but his coinage is \.'Xtensivcly copied, and it is

not clear vvho the issuers vvcrc. In Arachosia, after the rulf" of Azc.s I and Axilises, \'\'f" f}ncl a

line of Kings vvith Pahlava name;;, Spaliri.s 1 Spalagadama, Spalahores, the latter O">Ying

alleviance to Vonont'S as K-int: of Ki:rgs who is ~;ometimcs identified >Yith Vonones I of Pac~::hia '--' ~ '-

(A.D. ](} ]2).

Mcanvvhile the Parthian dynasty of Arsaccs had maintained its indqwndencc from dw Sclcucids, and under IVIithradates I had become a major povver. After the conquest of Media c.

1 S) B.c. l'vlithradatcs I campaigned in Arachosia and took some border provinces from Eucratidcs. i\t this time the Parthians probably ruled Hcr,1t and Scistan. The Parthian~' ildl1 serious problems v\·ith the Saka rnigrat:ions hut lV1ithradatcs II ( 123---88 B.C.) ,,,-as successful in

settlinu them recciYinp- allcuiancc frorn them and establishing Parthian rule Ff'tH.Tallv in tlw b j L~ b - C' •

east. Isidore of Charax, who died c . . '\.D. 25 de.'lcribcs Arachosia and Kandahar as the eastern­most part of the Parthian empire.

The Indo-Parthians

/\bout 1\. D. 15 we sec the emergence of a major ncYY povvcr in southern Afghanistan, the [ndu.':

va1ley and the Panjah--establishcd by the Indo- Parthian King {~ondophares. This d-vnastv i::

(jUite distinct frum the Parthian .zlngclom and there is much to commend Herzfeld'-'"

hypothesis that the Parthian Surcn in Sci stan broke a_yvay to establish an independent cmpin'

Gondophares controlled Seisi.an, }\racho:-;ia, and the Paropamlsadae in Afghanistan, as \Yell cL--;

cxtensin.' territorif'S in the Indus ;:alL::")' that he captured from the Sakas and the East Greek

kingdom that he conquered from the succcssor.s of Strato H. His ncphn\- Ahdagascs continued

to rule most of this extcnsi;:e empire, but their successors lost the Paropamisadac, Arachosia., Gandhara and the lndus tnritorie,c; 1o dw Kush~ms about A. D. 78. A much attenuatc(l Indo­

Pal thl,-m Klngdmn' n::.'prcscntccl bY Ortha~~llC'i, Pacorcs, Condnphares n, Sana bares I and II'

continued to ~uJc. in St:istan throu.ilwut th; second centurY,\ .D. and seems to ha\T contrn! led at times both Hcrat and lVhTY.

Epigraphy

The Achaemenids

The Behistun Inscription

."CHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 4. EARLY PERIOD. 191

• - ",_1 ~A ·haem":nid wriocl comes not from Afghanistan but Enigraph-ic rnaterial for the hiSt. ory ot _u;)" - c_' -r~'-, B -'t1ist··n inscrij)tion (Kent, 1950) and the

' '----- . 1)--. .. ~ 1·. d ~ac1 sh-t [\_ustanL 11c t · u ' , . ! 1-_

fromBelnstu:n, ·tiStpo.Is.an . . - . ._ ··]·rr .·,· '. highabo\Ttnemamroac Jom ' I . ·s ~t are cut on a~ LtllS1ng -

relief of Darjus-' .t lat accompanic. 1 ' l , - 1" ~£ o:mDothcd avvay so that no one VI d. D . s hctd dr stC')s up tot 1t \ e_JE'l . . !

Mc~;opotamia to l c la .. arm. < "'" ·, t, l .· l tl ,, rdY·1s he had put down boun< in l ., Tl - - ~t· ,f sho\vs Danns scatcc Vdt 1 It .__ . - ! - f

could approac Ill .. w ~t ~c ... ; , -- , 1 ua JeS Old Persian, Akkaclian (the .anguagc o front of.hin1, The mscnptwn lS ,n thi ('t 1\al. g ·!·. ~· o' _. . ftcr he hecame.kinu and the b. a.ttlcs

El "t l ... setsoutthe(cecscH- atmsa - . ::::. ' ' . lt,Jwlon) and Nco-< arm e. l · --· , _ _. , ,.l · -. pmnirc The:-;e incluctt' ,'-\na,

' , ] · _ ·=· l"stinu tl1c 23 countiJes or 11s '- 1 ·· . h(' fought to subctue 1iS eiwmt...s, ~ L b ~ d r• 1l .. -- satrapies that are no\v part ut

L • .:·\ rachosia, Sattag·'·,·chJ an uanc nr<'t . v,lCLria, Drangtana., '- _ '' ~ . -·--1

l'':;;;;:'-,~c::o'"l7 I //·--~~----Ernshl Tepe, . <Kh1shtTepe ~

J • BaiKh< • •Q 1 ~ounduc ---v Sh1bargan MarO""i·Shanf urn

6 1 / ~

' ' (Shahr·l- anu ,...../"

___.-f <,J

)

'\..._ ~ Sc;hh Kotol '•Pel-< Kcmn

·-'v HINDU e~~r;'~WSH MTNS

Chan~Cir /' ) Bam1yan• x • 'Begram .

Fond-•kistan "Tapa Skanaar • Hera! " o

0 Laghman

\ •\<obul r,,Jo;0 , _. x~hug1an1

)> Guldma< xShewetkl / Haddo L/'pura Je;olo,?ad...._ __ ../

Oa~h\ Nawm ' xJagatu xN11rwkah

( Gh0wl •Gardet \ ( ,,., ( "-....~ _ ~Kanduhar ./~,_/ I

l~Nad-1·AI1 .5 I /'--..-- I

SEISTAN - J 0 II (' Chcmo? '--- 1

100 ~0 Km

'-........._ . .J I ·--------=-_-_~/ :::::==::._ ____________________ ]

and numhrna\ ic bnd sih''> of the Fi.g. 4-.2.: t:pig:rztphiL perin(is.

I · ' 1nd()-Crc•_,k Ach;wmcnid, Hcl \.'1li.stll" ;md

192 D. W. MACDOWALL AND M. TADDEI

Afghanistan. A fragment ofthi::; text in Aramaic has been discovered in Egypt (C(nvley, 1923:

248-271) gi·ving credence to Darius' claim that he made rnany copies and sent them evcrvvvhcrc among. the pnwinces.

' '

The Role r:J. Aramaic

/\ramaic had become the commo'l language of the Ncar East under the Assyrians. The

Achaemcnids used it as tlx' official language of their administration, and prcsun1<tbly introduced it to their satra]Jics in Afghanistan and the Indus ·valley. The Aramaic im:criot:io;

' . ' discon.Tcd on an octagonal pillar during cxca\'ations at Taxila in Pakistan'.in 191 5 (IVlar.'ihalll

1951: 164-- l 66) rcf\.-rs to an official, when Asoka \va,'i governor ofTaxila under his f.1ther The

five Aramaic inscriptions knovvn so far from Afghanistan, three from Laghman and t\Yn from Kandahar, also belong to the IVlauryan empire thrtt came to control the former Achacmcnid satrapies in e.ct-;tern Afghanistan in the third ct>nturv B.c·.

Inscriptions of Mauryan Date

The Imcriptions from Laghm:m

The first Aramaic inscription to he discovered in /\fghanistan \Vas the fragmentary stone lJ.hkt

found in the neighbourhood of Pul-1-·Darunta in 1932 (Fig. 4.3). It VI/as puzzling hccau.V_' it

contained a mm1her of unkno-wn \\T·rds, vvith SHYTY repealed several tinlf"Co. l-ienning { 19·.1~9: 80---88) shcnvcd that it contained not only Aramaic but Middle indian Prakrit words and that

SHYTY accompanied these. It seems to be an abstract from tlw Sth or 7th Pillar fdict of Asoka.

Such abstracts YVt:Te expressly authorised by Asoka in his Rock .Edict XIV. \V c see that it is a

bilingual Indo-/\ramaic inscription similar in form to tht· mw discovered at Kandahar in 196 3.

/-\ second Aramaic inscription \vas disco\Tred in the Laghman \ allc;· in 1969, 30 km from

Pul-i-Darunta. It is cut on the n:rtical face of a rocky ri1h.:;e above the river i.n c1 position that

\nmld ha.Yc dominated the old road (Dupont-Somm~r, J 970: 1 .SS--173 }. Dated in ;Tar l 0 \lf Asokd, the year of his convrT::;ion to Bwld_hism, it :-;peaks of the expulsion of \·anity and the

king's prohibition against flslling. Dupont-Somrr1er's claint that it refers to the distance to

Palmyra-- '' 200 arcs to T aclmor'', cannot hcnvcvcr he substantiated (J-Jumbach, 19T-3: 161 169).

A third i-\ramaic inscription of Asoka, dated in his 16lh year! \·\·as disco\Tred in 1 97 3 in

the i aghr:nan Yalley sonw 12 km from its confluence \Yith thv Kabul river (Davar;-- and

Humbach, 1974: 1 16). It refers to the King's religiou:i views and sccrns to giH' an indication of the distance to the next localitY.

The .Bilingual P.och Inscription ot Kandolwr

In 1 9 )S a tine rock inscription y,:as discm-ered in Old KrnHbhar ( Schlurnbcrger c1 uf., ·19 ;g). It

vvas in excellent condition \Yith a text in Grvd:. on the upper p,1.rt of the rock and one in

4. EARLY P:ERIOD. ACHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 193

l . . ·'tl ~sok-t's rumc uiycs the . 1 · F. . ,1 4-) The Greek Yerslon, wgmnmg '' 1 1 ' · '- · '. ' o Aramzuc ben eat 1 tt ( l.g. '· . f' l ' .· It .. ··omnl"te in itself and iollcl\'VCd \wan · f 1 · · ·lanntions o t 1c KUW. JS c- r '- - - -textofonen t1cpwuspnx' ~ -. . . k" I ··t···tki·l(TofthclVhurYJ.ndynasty

· \. l . , - ·lamatwn Aso a, ttl' gic,llS 'b- . • . _ AranDic HTSion o t 1C. same pr oc . . l - r· :-- Indian texts and Buddhist tradJtlon

. I ·r I clia lrd been a laZY Dgure H1 . . . L l and the hrst ru cr to Ulll )' n < c j ,, . ". > . l . I' r c.lf rock edicts inscrluel on

f h. . . .. · · c.c __ )roclamatlons m t 1t o, m · until the discovery o ts mscnptJon ... } l .. - l . These \YC!T intended to explain the

l, . ·q - edicts -in~'-Ttbc( on l'O;umn;-;. . . ' -I. . l rock sur acet::' or m Pl' ai . - -, l ]' . . l"l. ~f so much as attltuele o_ .;;oct a

f ')] \ '·JrD!J. rc lU10Ut::' •C H • king, s concept o L ·lanna-- -no t' o

resPonsibility. . . . 1. l I .. 1.,_.,. ·n \vhich he set un his inscriptions-' hi ,··dscnntotwocaJ.deSl- r l

Asoka usee, t c anguaf_;l em · r ~ . . 1 1.. '\ ,..,a;c i.n Tetxila J.nd Laohman arK • · 1· · h p, -· 1 -, · H. Kharoshtht scnpt m ,m Ja, ' rJ.L.c' _ ':' _

1.

middlt·lnciaH'I-'Ht ,.Jcl!lLl( ', -h, i' t·x:tsn-ccle::trcnout.Thmuutme, , 1 ,, · . h . ~ . t Kandahar. Althougi• t .c 11H 1an .t · ·- '- ' _::-. . _

1.

Greek anu r'-rama1'- ei t a .. . '--- _. ·l . ·l the versions m non-L1man then::· have been difficult problems oi mtcrpretatwn, \-~·-1H.l··· __ ! t'"' 1 as ''law''· hut the

- . . ,1_ '-l -- . -l ,'-,. For example dfwrmtl \VaS ong t. ansta c{ -- ) - .

lanuuagc haH~ hueu to so H · . l .. 1 . t [)u·)ont-Sommer translates J.S c-- '-- . · AramJ.tc v;,'on L;1.:L i - "

I .I. ] Kanlhlrtr inscnptwn uses an , J1 nlu.ua < " < > _ _ 1 '' · - r , '' ''tru'th'' and a Greek won:l that must ,w pw-) .

The Greek Building Inscription from Kandahar

. ,. l·l tr_.,, 1chh 1T ('ho .. 4.5) V\'<lS discovered in " k · · f frn1n the rums ot o t n .. u c. u -s The second C1rcc · mscnp.JoD _- __ -. .. -l . ,,,_, ..

1.1 .. ·t to thz' Kahn1 Ivlu;;cum.

- 1 · · [)- S •vqnu '\·\ 1{) pte:>·~l! U 196) by a German plysKlan, l .(;~. C' gr:J.. 13---1,..7 Iti~~cutonab1ockofporou;; _ l .. )9t--4. l/6-140· Bcnn·mste, i o .. ' I ,) ). . . , _. __ .- 11,

(Schlum w1ge1, - u a. - '. . l · .. J ·.!· . 1 ... ~ X'l .,~1d tlw beumrnng ol cdH_ t X. t ,,- 7()· ItsteXlU1\TStJ.CCll{O(C1LL.Lcu b ~ r

lit.nl'Stoncsomc·tJ X c_m .•. , ::::-_ ll ·kl'l ---. tb'--k-,vb~chmu~;thJn:·becnpartoJa ,. 1 Tl . ~ ;-. ~ rect-anuuia.r 'oc "--- lL1 .lC -- - - ·.- -- -I· o! ['.,_ing AsoKa. lC' --;tnnt ,s ,t - ... o , -} .. l tl· . four1·cen maJ·or rock cdH t:- o

L _ , __ 1- -~ 1'nt.J ut stone on \'l..llCl tC- · . . . Jlll!l'h la.rgcr munLmlt_nt a ,)LU\Ci ::_, ,· . 1, ·, 11-' .,H_-~se find mmT mscnptton'-. /\:,oka \'\'t~re inscrlhcd; and thi~ suggests that\.\'<::' ~,hcu d ltl c Lt c.- lh

J • 11· · \l K_·,nd'11r·· · from t 1ls Dui ( 1ng m 01 '" < ;, ~'-' • 1 . . .L. tl -, _ us"' re.c,l)fl't va.ch other and acn·pt the

1- '' 1 ··ts •\S')Kl ltlS!StS _lt \ n1 · l + Ethct XIII is a,H_mt LV.' sel · · ' ' ' ' ·- · _ , 1 - .,_ , ,

1 tl Jn"lated l)\ '' -.,chuolc; o

. , -_ :,. : ~t "" ·stiJtn io sec ho\\ tni.: ..,\ ccs Zll 1v:-.-;()l1.'i or ottlcrs. lt !,) d, ( ,(_. 'b- . l l lr:-, I Ol1l)1.H',;: of Kcdtnga \\h( !l

_, ,, : r' -~~,k ·l•clic·"- XIV a:- in otht·r ycr:nons, { eo.;uJ 1ts,, , ~ "ll•>.lll'hi 11~ vl l--.:. . - - L ' l 1 1 · _ ' - , .•. ,. frn du'--, h1' ' , t·· ,--' . . __ , , . ~ L-lk 1 _, 1 1 ~0 000 ckportcc, tnc .zwg ~; lTllHJ ·' 1 of·itswhablt<mt~, ...... ,t.-ll l'-L ,cat.c __ - '.. __ ,, __ 1 1.;. leal for pict\·. on1cr to alJsL1in from eating tht~ tlc·sh of any lt\·Jng crcatLil{~, ,lnz, ,,,:-; . - - .

'J' r .I ] ... r~·'iC lnvrintion .from Kandahar nc ,}](_JQ-/.{'--J'-<U ,_,_,__, [ . -.

Flg. 4"3; The ArarnJ.lc in:;cripli(Jn fm:n Pul-i-Darunta in l aghman pnnincc.

198 D. W. l\1AC DO\VALL AND M. TADDEI

change is marked by SHYTY. It is an interesting presentation, \vhich gives the origlnal Indian text transliterated into Aramaic, fol1ovvcJ "\Vorcl by \'Vonl with an Aramaic translation. It contains part of the seventh Pillar Edict of Asoka. The end of the Kandahar inscription appropriately has in Aramaic alone "[These orders] \YlTe set to vvriting on pilLtrs''.

Histor kal SiHnificance

The discovery of this important group of inscriptions of Asoka from Laghman and Kandahar

gin·s us a clear picture of the \Vestcrn extent of the Mauryan empire, and its control of

Arachosia. The Greek inscriptions, in form and stv1e, belong to the hir-h Helkni:.;tic ocriod -· (."' '

and are lhc same as one vvould End elsevvhere in the Greek \vorld at this date- --irnprcssive

e~;iclcnc(' for the unity of Greek culture in the third century B.c. Greek colonists at K?,ndahar

still constitute an important nucleus of culture under the Mauryans, in tou::,·h vvith t!w m;J.in

Greek "\·vor!di and it is to them that the preaching of Asoka's edicts in Greek arc {lircctvd. But there is ec1ual interest in the iranian population of the Mauryans--in particular the Kcuubujas

mentioned with the Yonas (i.e. Greeks) in edict XIII as pf'oples to \'V'hom A:>uk;1 sent rnissinnarics.

Discoveries at Ai Khanurn

Greek inscriptions in Bact.ria

The fir:-:;t Greek irtscription (other than tho:-w on c_.oins_) from Bactria \i\'rtS the pot::;hercl '.Yith

.-\TI-'o{· discoyercd by St·hlumbcrger (_ 194-7: 2·~1--)) ,1t Tcpe Nimlik --35 km \-Ycst of R1lkh i11

!9~-6. The subscCjllCnt exc1Yations at Ai KhamJHl have produced thn'c \\.-vJl pre~.;( ''\'('d

in.'icriptions-- important eo;;idcnce for the pure Greek character of the c_!t-;; in _its brw L\gc,

c ulturc clncl .c:ystcm of education in Ba.ctria.

The InscripUons '?l Clcarchus

ln<..;i(_k tlu_· \-\",liL ofAi Khanurn in the pronaos of the funcrar;: monument ofKincas, \Ylw st-·<. m~, to ha\T been the ±~Amdcrol"-dw citv, tht' hase of'ast(··le (hp. 4.6_) V\-.-asdlscovcrcd inmu 11ith

" 0

-~~\Yo h'X(S of the third centur;-- 13.C. (Bernard, 1967: 317--8; 1-Zobcrt, 196K: 421 --457 J. Un,· in

L'Ursiyv script describes in two L'l,·ga.ic couplets hcnv Clcarchus had erected in the tcrm:n(j" of

KirH:,ls a tr,;m;cript of the prcu::vs at Delphi. He had gcnw to copy them can+uJI; .. at

hi me; elf. To the right in a different hand is th(· text of ti. \T maxims ''A:::. a. child he m(){kra1v, ,\:·, ,1

- ' '' t 'I d . . ' I' i · ' I] 1· . ' ' ' ' )"Onng mcm nc St'!i con ro1 _c-, m m1m !c agt' ;w JU.'~•,, a:-:; an D.{ man o goml counsc1 and at nc; 111

\Yithout regret· -an exhortation to J('{jUire the chief qualities of man apprupri,1tc to t'ach .tgt·

of life. The imponance of this pl1ilosoph;- tu the city is srTn i"rum the local ion- ---the tl'nH·n(!··-~ of its founder. Robert comments aptl~v on the impre~si_>:e f-idel it;: to th'-· mos1 outhentic form oi

Hclkni:-;n1 rq)rescntcd b; tlw "\Yisdom of Delphi and on the conJmU1lit;· of race, langua,t:t:' <'lll!.l

culture fostered bY dwsc remote Greek colonist<; in .:1 strall[JC en\ irunment, C'

4. EARLY PFRIOD. ACHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS

The Dcdicotions in the (~ymnasium

199

1 H 1 . - • ·ctors of the l. } 1 .- ~. nnl a dedication to Hennes anc lTCU cs, plOl'-- · - ···,

In the north part o t 1E' 0\\ ll t( ~ I 1 q6o. 41 (). -4/ 1) was discovered in the yvall . B·------1 l967a· _117-9· R(nert, ~ o. - - . . I I

gymnJ.SlUll1 ( Ulldl' -. . , . j· . \ ('. • 'k wtal1lishrf't'llt for phYs!CZI JJ1( ..._. - l t t1 " ce'1trc qJ: a traut!ona 1l cc c, 'L ~ . -- -enclosing a <trgc cour: -- K 1. , . . . ·- - - ] , bv tvu) brothers Trihallos and ~tTato- both intellectual education. The de( lcatwn['\\clS·l]llJ.l.l -· -tl "l''l Thracc sucwr"-;ting LhJt the famih

,, s· -~·~··,j,,,j[,·)s is the naJl1t' 0 a. tn )t' 111 not ,)( -l ' '. 1_.--,i::," -sons or . trato. " had had some link with the Macedon ian arrnv.

Finds Jrom the Necropolis

. · 1 ~ 1t'd to tlw c:.:.cav;<tion . , i'- . , . ~v Greek inscrij)tion ol hmcrar; c 1aracLcr .

The chance hnd oi a ttagmcntcu -'. 1. . I t' . . 1',. t

1,

1·h

110rt1n-\TSt yault \\TlT

1 · l , .. - - 1SOU1SHl' !ll"Y\J._ ·"'··· _,_ - ' in 1971 o!" a C rt'ck rnalJSOii._'Ulll m t 1l' nll_! lopclJ . . . r the d'""re :tscd whose rcrnain.s tlwY

- . --· ; ,.-. · .. -·1 , -l in ink \\-'it 1 t H.' llcll11CS 0 '- '· • . -1 thrcv hmt'l ,11_, Ja' c, llhll

1 let - jl , . I . ned\ ,,1r] l \·sania." cmrl lsFlor,t, Jill_

.. I ) ,- .. l 197'· 600--618",----J smct \DO\ JlH Sl '- 2·-' ',.· . _. conL_!.llH_', (L( lHJ.tu, _, , __ , . I ~- . •i _, '-'t1 nic cllaractcr ol th{' nopuhnon.

y • • , 1 ,,__, i'nJVVtZlnt CYH ence 101 'll '- l ' , 1 .- I KcHlllJ.:'i. l-ierc ag;un \\ l ,la\ ~ ' . ·' - I I . _ _:

1-,terestin(f ,~yidcncc tor 1 lC

II · t- ·- is~ t WOj) 1onc netnH'- .1 ' · "-· • l\."'Flils is a lviaccdonian net me am ,•;H m.d . "' ll ' · ·" · -~ r h C l :;,;or ( :, . -l · ,,1•• l, ·1,. 1· 11 tb.:' rernotc north ea7ot o, t_, c 1 rcc-::: " - · . ·

weds 11p ·' ,, · 1. l Irlumcpts of 1"\YO hmcr;\ry l . . .1 t tl e mausoleum vvcrc ( Jscovcre(_ 'o ',_,

On t lC app1oacn o 1

' ' . . l .. _I· ''Kinus' ,1Jn'Sllll1C1hly th('

1- f . -·t_clf' '''lrt11nmu t w \'\·Ol( s b inscriptionc;. One vvas par- o_ a s · '- -- ~ '· - b .

• 1· 11 the rovJl administratH)n. tombstone of sonw dignatory · .1

The Arcmwic Ostracon

l :~ecn in the ostracon in /\ramai'-' tht l O( X•stenc eo! a nHvC local cuhn' e 1S to J( , jll"'l l~v dentl Jot I I· ( ~ ') )):_:;·1 in 1970 {B.l·rnarn -I ·

I l , i'--1H_'\'l1')t(!lC(l•IJistll·---.· · __ s(' 'l'tdJSlO\('C'( 111t lt._ SdlHlLll\ () U ~'' . f -· --1,_ · -- cd·csitdiih(l.ll\

. - . , . , .., l "·-' f 1 ·; tiaD names but tbc ahsuJCc o __ an_\ s;·n ax m, " . , 6':5l-2).hcontalllSandL,lhl,l l_U - _ ', .

1.1

_ 1 -j+.,xJ·isFl""'"lllOlnicducuml'ril , . , l . · _: 6 , .. -.-,._ ic, \" rniddll' P.c•rsUJ1_ H' cendJ cc_.' · c · .._ ·-' - , , '· .

to dccwv \">.-hct H:'l ll 1·" "~' ,:u,.a_, ,L . c.'. ·.· , '- ,_,-, 1",..0111 the a.rchi1 t':: ol -"Y""· .i1 IC: -- _,_ ""', ,.; ,-. j f'l\'l11C"iltS{H1t!C i_yl)t kno,J. '' . .

n·cordmtrthesta~cot,~Si._'"'c'o ,__,.(.:- . - - .Itht' .local lnmi,ln ]·'nlf'iHW- Bactn;tn • ·1 ·1 '--' -r ,." 'T'Ch /\rarnaic o:t't1ciJ! but '"·-::-.'--'-':::. prona_) _'. no, ·-''~ ·' '·' --

tran.'ililcratt·d into Ar<l.ma.ic script,

Kharoshthi Inscriptions

t:arlv {}5;c cJ Khoroshthj /

200 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

Scythian empire of l'Vfaues and th _, cl' . . f. ~ . c ) nasty o Azes vrh k, l -h . unptre on the Indus vvith a nc\V era-· --the- Old Sak--: e o :n~r. c c t f' e~tahli~hment of their althouuh Konovv (1929· . - . ,· 'I - . ~ ' ra. 1hts rs probably the era of 5?i

t:- .•. xc--xu) attn mtcs it to 84.'3. , I - . 'B.c., 88 B.c. I B.c. an< Van Lohuizcn (1950: 1-72) to

The Inscription 0 r Tiravharna tl r . :J 1e .wtrap

The earliest Kha ·' tl .. . . . 'ro~m ll JHSCrtjJtJon fro 111 r\f h · ·t . _ , . - · u ams an seems t l -' 1 c j · m year 8.)- (Irscovcrccl in diggina an .. _': . I .· o n t Bt. o.' t.1e ~1atrap Tiravharna 43- s--) ]' . - b < llllgatwn C1annel nnr J I J l 1 •l_" {

J · f has carlv letter forms (Fi _ 4 7

, l -' - a a a )JC {l'USSllBn, 197()-

1 . · - i!. · l ano ;elo~ws t I 1 . ·

apparenty 1!1 A.D. 25, i.t'. durinu th•L'·,· ·'!. ,, .lb, o an IH"o-Scythi;:m satrLm--. -'j . . 6-tlugno t1.Zcsi1asK' 1 fr· ....... J.

plo\JC cs proof of the \\Tstern extei1Siorl ,\ l I S . .. lLg o '-mgs. J. his inscri-,·/don .. f . . . . J. IH Ih cYlhra·1 nrl. • J I l I I teJ·I.1 orcmg the eYidcnce f:rom some· l ,. -.-·J.· I' . ·.. 't t u) a a a. )ac at thi::; lime-·-

! , j' ' · 1,)J.l l S 0 l'ODJWr l"C ' . [' •\· . oc,1 ttv. t · · )l!1S 0 ,· z:cs II dt"COVk.'rc""l ' ·tl .. ' lll 1C

4. EARLY PERIOD. ACHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 201

The Bimaran Vase

The other early Kharoshthi inscription from Afghanistan was also found near Jalalabad. When

Masson excavated the relic chambC'r of Stupa No. 2 at Bimaran, 12 km west-north .. ·vvest of

Jalalabad., hP recovered a steatite Yase containing pearls, beads, a gold casket for relics and

four billon coins of Azes with the tamgha of Kujula. The vase has two KhaTosththi

inscriptions, one on the lid and one round the body of the vase relating to the relics (Komnv,

1929: .50 .. 52). To judge by the coins, the relics were deposited soon after the collapse of Azes

H empire) after the fi.rst invasion of Kujula, and before the Indo-·Parthian conquests; and the

inscriptions \vi.11 then belong to this period of transition .

Numismatics

Evidence for Currencv and Circulation J

Evidence foT the coinage current ln clifferent parts of Afghanjstan during the AchaemenJd and Greek ncdods comes from a varietv of sources, We must d"istin,auish isolated coin f1nds, i.e.

J J ~ .

coins th.at have been accidentally lost and so indicatf' the rdati\'e frecpJency of coins cuncnt in

that locality at tlw time of their loss, from hoards i.e. groups or coins that have been collected

by somcunc in antiquity, dc1ibcratc1y concealed and foT sorne rea.son not recovered by their

ovvner or his family. Some hoanls may have been collected over a period of time and are

evidence foT the currency of the locality over a period rather than for current circulation at

the tinw the hoard vvas secreted. This vvil1 only become appaTf'nt on studying the composition

of the hnd. There ls a grov'.,.in.g body of numismatic evidence for this period from the excaYations at

sites s1..;ch a.s Bcgram, Surkh Kotal, Ai Khanum, Hadcb and Kandahar (Fig. 4.2); hut for many

areas v-,:e must still rely on coins o!lr·red in the local bazaar, private collections forrned in that

locality aJ.·Ki the local museum col.lf'ctions at Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat and Kandahar. Much of

hoard nnte-rial docs not con1e from controlled cxcava.tlons. The most important hoards have

been p~.;,b\!shed, but in se'\TraJ casrs information ahout the di.snn-'E'T)' is incurnplete and only

some of the coins oTi.ginally discoven ... ·d mav havt· hccn avaibbk for study.

The Achacmenids

Role of the Si qlos --· {.~

The ofhcial curre-ncy of th1..· Achacmenid satriapif's in Afghanistan consisted as one might

expc, ... i:.1

of the ,t.ccbaeracnid .sigloi, hut as in other parts of the Achaenwnid empire the

royal silver sigloi arc very heavily outnumbered hy Greek coin.:. and their \..'opies --some of a

much ·:'cJ.r'! ier dalE' from /\ thcns and other Crcf'k cities. Schlumlwrgcr ( 19 5·3: 1-64) has shuvvn

that prior 1o tllC' Macedonian COfH.}1..WSt the circulation of silver throughout the A.chaenH'Bid

ernpi; ('depended heavily on Greek irnports and \VaS nor mall;' a·~Tcpted as hull ion-.. not at its

II

202 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

nmninal value. The traditional Aduemenid relation bctvl'·ecn gold and sih.--cr \\'as 1: 13· 3 and this \Yas the hasis oF the standard or the gold claric, silnT SiFlos and their ofhcial l'Xchangc. In Greece the relative ·value of gold to sih~r \vas 1: 12 and ther~-. 1:10 after Phi !ip opened th~: gold mines at Pangacus in 3.58,/7 B.c. This is a strong economic reason \Yhy older Greek coins \\Tre

preferred to thC' over-valued Achaerncnid siglos, until Alexander and the Sdcw .. :ids reformed the currency.

] he Ox us Treasure

The Treasure of the Oxus, contain_rw rich /\chacmt'nid ohiccts of Fold and J-:n...-ellcr--r' n'\-h'hcd ;;::,. -' c "

Europe -,vith some 1 )()()coins ranging fronl. the culy fifth century to about 200 B.c. (fhlton, _I 90S; .Schlumhcrger, 19 53: 46-4-9; Bellinger, 1962: S 1-6 7). The coins fall into t\VO distinct

period~~- that of tlw Acha.cmcnid cmpin' and that of the kingdmn." of' A lcxamler the (rrcat ,--,nd his successors. Sch!urnlwrgcr has studied the prehellcnistic coins uf the Oxus Treasure that

remain in the British I'v1useun:1 and has shmYn that in containing old Creek sil-,-er and its

imitation:. from Athens, Acanthus, Byzantium etc., jt f(JJlo\\-s the pattern of other

Achacmenid hoards. Among the :.ih-er ho,uds of Achaemcnid date known to him limn all

parts of the Empire, five contained Achaemenid sig.!oi only, tTn contained both sigloi .:utcl GTeek silver and more than 44 contained Greek silver but no slp1oi.

0

The 1966 Balkh Hoard

The hoard of more than 170 old Gn-'Pk coins found in a pot in the neighbourhood of Balkh in

1966 confonns to this pattern. (Trcxell and Spengler, 1969: l- 19). h corrtJincd 1 SO A then ,m

'tl·traclrachms and coins From some 1 3 othc-T Greek cities that suggt'St C\ burial cbte c. 380 n.c. -but no sigloi.

The Chaman-j-HazuTi Hoard

The CL;tman-i .. Ha;;.ul·i hoard fron~ Kabul wa.s di:scm"Cred in 193'-3 b-v workmen

foundations fo.r a howie (Schlurnbergcr, 19;3. 31 45), Of the 1000 or ~o coins itt

Schlurnberger has been able to rt'CC',·er and publish J.lS. Tlw striking feature about the hoctnl is the large number of Greek sil\-cr ::_·oin~), 34 frorn ,4.thens and 30 frorn other Greek states and

the .':rnall number of P:,channenid t'oins, sirnply eight slgloi-- refkcting the recurrent pall('!·n

in Achacrncnid hoards throughout the empire. Most of the Creek coins can be cbted Llirl:·

clost'ly ;1ncl there is no rt'ason V; place any of them later them 400 B.c. d!though a. co-p~- ma;'l~<.· dt=:Tived from an Athenian nrototYDe of 3. This, with the ;tbsence of l'vii'lccdonian and

l - l

Ht'!Ienistic coins suggests a buriaJ date in the rnid t'ourth centur> lLC. The remaining .sil \Tr

pieces arc bc·nt bar sil\'LT coins---mostly uf ahont 11·7 g and local silYer· punched coins of ,1

comjJktch; nc-,y \Yith a fuU den~;mination ra_nyin;:: from 9 to 12 p. Bent bar coins -1)lTlYidcd

. 0 0 0

the ~ilYrT C1Jrrenc;: of Taxila and the i\chaemenid satrapics of nortlnYcst India before thf·

invasion of Alexander the Cn:'J.t. Exampln, are recorded from C'har,"-ada and the Rhir ?vlound

exccnations at Tdxila in Paki:-;LHL Two hoanlc; containing them haYe lwL'n rq)()rtc(l from Bhir

4. FARLY PERIOD. ACHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 203

. . . . l· in Pakistan From Afghanistan, in the deposit from Mir Mound, and a tht.rcl from Bapm, as~ ~ , -~-· .. '-· l 550 of the round (.<;ometimcs

C - 1 . tl _,., \\'Crt' 50 bcnt bar Sl ycr coms anc - - . I I Zakah ncar .Jan. <::7. len.: - , 't't te the threc-cluartcrs and onc-elg1t 1

. hat<'l sJ·J·lo-lc iYj)C silver that secme(1 to cons l u sc;·p .· · s : . denomination of the senes.

to l ' tcxaneler

Alc-,:under s· CurrencT Rcj(nm

Tht.: of i\h'x,lnder tht' c; tTat it'd t() <l

th( !l; J.J' C.?l_~,t In a major CUiTL'nc: reform lw in!.roduccd

) : \I

204 D. VV. MAC DOVVALL AND M. TADDEI

based on the realistic value of gold to silver of 1 to l 0 that Pl ·t· II I 1. l instcadofthearchaicrahoofltJ1·ll t. 'I h. ' lltp •l<'H mtrocuccdtolVIacedon

t 2 rc <HIWCJ Jy t e A chao ,· l· '". 1. struck a gold stater of Attic vvei 'ht and as; 1 , , . . . ' neLH ~11om an ear Jer period. He at 20 drachms j"HT uold stater r1is jJU ·r) . '\~.t,clrlachlm on the AttiC standard that \i\'J.S tariffed

b · • I; ose "\'Va::; c car 'r' to cstabl'sh tl ~ · f · · · money (not bullion) through the emjJtrc and tl , .. ~] - ~ L' 1t usc o_ nnpcnal comed

l . L , K \\'e1g1t stanoan1 \vas \'V ~11 -l . · ·

t 1t' vvJclc popularitv of Athcniar s:l-""''. ,-.. ~ .. I jj· l - . ". { c lOS.'.~n. m VH:'\V of ./ • ,_1 •'- c.Olh clS )U lOTI t Fough the p, .. · ' .

The ne\v imperial currency rapidly became the sta-nda~d (~ s~;u: t 111pln' ·,

successor state of the Sckuci(~,s ..,nd 1- t , . t' "' B· . -. ~ and \'i- a. s ±olltm- ed ny the '] 5 a a \..1 lh aCtllan (JlTeks In tho. I

l--lel cnishc elate coins of the JKriod ]Xior t 1 1\l - l --- """] l.l. - : numtTOUS 1oards of · . . , I . . c " exa:m \.. ~ ai '- 1an v ever found \lvTl -. -l , . lssuu a plcntJtu1 CUlTenc) .. ·md gave . -. j·. . . I . . ·. H n t_,H state

, ' c' a 1 {a lStlC VJ. UC tO Ii S O'VP1 :;"] '•- ' ' · j· overvaluation that had clevelotwd umler tiJ, 1 t . .-> ·h ~- ·lJ. J \CI cotnagc, avmc mg the ,. - - ( a eJ :-1c. aenwn1 s the." . . . prcter o!d coins traded as bullion. -- . ' - H -vi-as no occaswn to

Later Element ~f the Oxus Treasure

The later stratum d' tl - · . 1· h (') , . 1 w coms o t c xus l rcasurf' reflect this ,..,·tl I and 100 1 l c \1 - - · • - ·- " 1 a )OUt 100 tetradrachms

<. - • c rae uns OJ /. ;cxander the Great, follo-,vcd h~.c c . ,. I. Scle1lf'US] A

1-· 1 I , -' om,_, 0 Alexandcr''s succc:>sors

' ·- -- . 'HlLlOCT\_l_S- ;:tnd Antiochu~ n anymrr <-l, ~ 1.' _.' k. c ' , - '- ' F-. '- e "f',CUClG 'l11US OT l o· ] among the hrst indqwndcnt rulers of Bactria.- b' anu JO<,otus I

Mauryan and Graeco-B"ctr1'an C' , ~ - oinage

The On:wll Pattern

For the t~auryan and Gracco-Bactrj;:m periods the )attcrn f , --, ... staoes of f}Oliti .. l -· .. ~ . . ~'' · _ I 0

cult ( m )' I el1ccts the succes~ vc ,. b '-a ::;UZt ramty. uandhara, f\l_-achosia and the p- ., · _ . . . , lvlaurvanl):rov1nc·(·~ and'<St'<ltl

1,, 11 1f -.· •

1 , ".'".panusadae vverc 1nit1a1lY'

.1 -·, <- - .. - • ..___ l'lidUj van s1 vcr ano -, - 1 1 · the Hindu Kush momYL'lins in B- -,j ." _· fi ] -c .copp~ryuncl-Jnan::ed coinage. North of , ]] c • ac,_na \·\'e m nrst a S£>lcucid 1-l ,- B ·

1:o ovving the Attic \'\'eiu.h1

staml ··l .; h 1

... _ ,., . I ' ,_,q_cn a at._-tnan curr.cncy '-- ·t_, -· c -~a~c \\-,L lnct_;rree;-:portrc·,.-, .,~ .,.,- .. . -- ·

legends onl;; (Fia 4 10; W} - f r thS a.L_c TCHrsc types lt'mw (J"rcr-k -., '-- _ . -b· , · · lCh nf' ,orrner NL:nJX\''-lll provin<J'S "'Vt'., .. . . ~.-: 1 ' 1::' .

(.J:rel·ks,\\'l'Sceancv;'bilincq_nlb1{1;-C ··I",. _, . -~- . , ltcap1uJ~{, tllcBactnan

K. - 0 ,_ ·. _,( 1r-c-t "coJna_(Jt' \-VJtJ· legt'"lds inC l 1 b haroshthl on the H'\-'crse (Fiu.

4 l, ) .. , _ ·k . b · ~' _ - _, ·

1

rce (on t 1c o_ ve1·sc and - ::--· • 1 , stn.tc. to a ne\v lT<h.·cc 1 I j· · [ 1 - -

c-oppel· coins of the snu:J.rc lvb_urya--, t\- tl'· 4 17 - ~ • <. H\ ian V>'clg lt sta.nnard, vvith ~ ''l '~ < _,·.]A /PC _<1g .. o .. ).

Mir Zakah Deposit

The Mir Zakrth ']'r,.,-.. -, (..---' .... -' 1 . - - -. _t«Sliil \._.LU_(e and Schlumb-.. TtfT 1953· 6'- 9 , .... ·-,,·. ,. 1 l ,000 indjan (~r~•·co P-tct ·. S' k d I ~· ) - . ) - 1) C011SlSI1112_ o1 rnon::: than

, _ _ • ' __ L_ <k - _.,. nan, a ·a an akr coms V\-'as dic;r:ove•·<.·d in 194 7 : L ·11 ~ 3 k ':~rUt cast of Gar-d-cz on nne of the old route::, link in- , . :,: -. , . - . -_ - ,n !a Yl !agl: ') .. m C:randhara. Most nf the coiw ,,_..-, . .;], ·1·1 g GlL~m and nm thern Ar<.<.cnosn with _ .. ~-- _ _;:-, ,\llt m s, ver. ncre ·vvtTC )() hcnt ba · · i , ,'c-) sc_\pdate and nunusc 1dc ]Jl'Pcb ~d . ·~ .. ,. .. . . . . l co_ns a.d A)) round

_, ,., - - '-- ..t t 0111s nl: ancJcnt lruha 4810 , --1 _ -, _1 , l .· _ . .2012 (,racco-Hactri ± .' .· , '. - punc1 n.1«1KU sdvcr coitb '~ an t racnms {co.mpared -v'lilh six tctrac1r--1r·hms·) {J·_:::,-- ~ k .I 1 . ' · --' , ·· , , , ; -') ,_,a a crcJCdJTic-.

4, EARLY PERIOD, ACHAEMEN!DS AND GREEKS 205

(against 13 tctradrachms). The find included much smaller numbers of copper coins of these

periods and of the lndo,Parthians and Kushans. The French excavations of 1948 (Curiel and

Schlumbergcr, 19.53: 92-99) established that the place of discovery had been tvvo sacred tanks

or basins, into vvhich oficrings, notably coins, bad been throv\.'11. This explained the presence

OJ. a varietv of votive offerings and items nfJ. C\'vc1lery, the enormous chronulocrical ra.nue of the _. ~ ' b b

coins extending oYer five centuries, thC' excellent state of preservation of some of the oldest

coins present in the hoard and the very hca\')' predmninance of smaller silver denominations.

The coins h·orn this excavation showed the same general pattern as the coins recovered the

previous )Tar fo:r tb.· Kabu1 lY1useum. The treasure is therefore a deposit, not a currency

hoard, <Hlri provides cxtrcmch inlDortant evidenc-e for the currency of Gardcz and its locality

over the \Yi10le period. VVe s~ec the substantial role played by the- punch .. ·markcd silver (tb~ silver currency of the pnwinces of the Mauryan empire) and its replacement by the bilinf:_Jl..Jal Greek and Kharoshthi si1vtT clrachms struck on the Indian ~tandard ·vvhen the Graeco-Bactrian

kings cotFj'-ltTed the former Mauryan proYinces. This in turn '>Yas replaced by the bilingual Greek and Kharoshthi Saka coinage of Azcs 1, Azilisc:-~ and Azt...·s ll, as at Tax!la. On the other

hand tlw sih:cr drachrns of the Parthian and early Indo-Parthians arc conspicuously absent--­

vvith only three examples in all. Copper coins arc less numerous than the siher, but may be an

even bctt!..T guide to politica) suzerainty in the area as their cirrulation \\'as much more

restricted than silver. There V'.'tTC 78 Mauryan coppe:r coins of the :;quare Taxila type in the

deposit ,tnd S4 bilingual square Gracco-Bactrian coins 1 cornparcd vvith three bilingual rouml

copper colns, and three GrcC"k rnonohngual coppers from Bactria. The coppt'TS of

Apollodntns l (22) an~ most heavily represented, follcnYed by Pan tal em: {9) and Eucratidcs

(1 0).

Findsjrom Bcwam

Durin!;?: his residence in Afghcmistan, Charles Jviasson discovered that lar.ge nurnlxTs of coins C. L -

vverc beirw found on the nlain of B~'i'rarn near the contlucncc of the Ghorhand. and 0 l 0

Panjshir rivers in the Kohistan 60 km north ol' Kabul. During 183 3 he purchased \ 879 ancient

coins__ coppers, am1 iD the fo]]v,,vi_ng four years he collected ma.ny lTl.OrC. lir· described

his 18 3) hncLs in sontt~ detail (Masson, J 8 34: 1 52-17 ·:;) and penT an enumeration of the total ·-'

collectLd from Begram in 1833, 1834 and 183S (_J'vlasson, 18'36: )_37----)47). This impo1·tan1

evid<:'m·e is reinforced bv the much srnaHer nurnbcr of coins from the h·ench cxcaYations at

Bcgr2rn in 1941' } 94 2 and 19,+6 (Ghin;}nnan, 1946: s s- 90) DOVV in the lv1useum at Kabul.

These {'Xcavation coins c:ho·vY the same ha_sic nattern a.s the Masson surface finds. Vv' e can ' therckn.· check details from the excavation coins and use its eYidencc in conjunction v .. --ith tlw

statistical E'\.-ide:nce of the Masson finds. [\ikrc than 8CP

0 of the Gracco-Ba(_-tria.n copper coins froiD the Trench cxcavatimv; prior to

the collapse of the silver denominations under Hermaeu:-, arc square, hilingua.l

Gn d.: 'l(baroshthi copper coins. Among Masson's flnds there .:~rc sorn_c 600 Cracco-Baclrian

coppt'r coins of this period. The denomination of the 78 i\Aauryan square coppt'r coim is copi-;·d_ l'Jy the 4·3 square coppers of Agathoclcs and seven of Pantzdcon, and the later stages of

the SCHill' square denomination is seen in the 26B S(luare coins l/ Eucratidvc>, 7) of }\polludot.us

2

3

5

fig. 4.10: ( l ) {;old Stati..Tof G raeco- Bactrian k-ing 1) iodotus ( i<~tc third ccntur;· B.c. J. British !\luscum. ( 2!

Silver Attic tctradrachrn of t!w Gracco--Bactrian king Ant.\machuc, (tdd.'.,- second ccnuu_\ n.c.) \\·itll

rc\ erse type of Poseidon holding a trident. Hnat ,\linscu1-n. ( 3) Squa rc .'li her coin of the Grat'co- Bact r·ian

king /\ntimachm ( eari:· second century B.c.; from the I'vli r Lakah hoard, \vith tlw figure of an c.kphM!l on

OJh· aild a thunderbolt on the rt'\Trc;e. Kabul :vluscurn. ( 4) Si her tc1 radrachn1 of the Graeco- Bactrian

king Ly,.,ias (second CC'Htu.r:· B.c.)\\ ith tlw king wearing an dcphant 's :,calp lwaddrc~.s and \\·ith a '>tanding

figure of Hercules crowning himself on the 1"CY,~r.sc. British !'v1uscum. ( S J Copper coin of Euth:·dcnnls II ( secorxl century ll. c.) \Yith a laun.:atc ht·ad of Apollo. Bri ti.•;_b_ .:vtusnun. 1· .'\li coin<... shc_nni in Figs 4. l 0 -+. 21 are reproduced actual si:re, cxn·pt for Fig, 4.1.5).

. 11 I. ,-·c-'!'ht ··truck b.,- Avollodotus l, \-liith an elephant , ·1 . J· ·hm of rcduet'c w 1aD ' ' - ·' - •· , -1,

Fig. 4.\ i: ( 1) Squ.lrC s: .H.'l ( I,\( . . . I l 'l c' I Kharoshth: legend on the n=-•yt-•rsc. tL.'. I -] -' . , .. -, unl :1 h-un-.ncl nu: ,HH ' ·- '" '-

and GP:<.-k lec,z_clH on tH.' Cl!'l\t,st.: '- ~ ,_ • ·1_. ]"· IL·- .,,. JdrTntur-vB.C.)\\itht;n'\Tr:ic - . . , .1. -l! 'i:w dn.chm ol i\•lcnarH ,, {a cr sc.oJ . I ,

Collection.(2)Sih:nnlmgua nu,' '_ - II i. (3\"-ilyr·rhlinrruallnclicmdraclmOI I ·' ,l.nd thunderbolt. l)tc co cc wn. , ·-' ' ~ - ' .::: home ~_,f Pallas ho ulng an

0 1. ,.,·.til tl·,,, O\\-l rncrsc n.·}JC. Pte Co]l;_·cti(ln. lv1cnawJ( , '-

208 D. W. MACDOWALL AND M. TADDEI

I and 153 of Menander, followed by the 37 of Antialcidas and 14 of Lysias. We see how the square copper bilingual copper denomination in this period was initially derived from the Mauryan and then progressively modified.

The silver currency of the Hazarajat is seen from the hoard of 120 Graeco-Bactrian .sdver drachms of the Indian standard purchased at Charikar (Masson, !836: 537---547). It consisted of seven sc1uare coins of Apollodotus I, 5 round coins of Anbmachus and 108 of l'v1cnandtT---­similar in composi6on to the 1926 Gang hoard and the 1942 Bajaur hoard --both from mockrn

Pakistan. The 1942 Bajaur hoard is remarkable for the presence of some 700 bent bar ;md punch marked coins vvjth 800 Indian clrachrns of Apollodotus I, Antimachus and Menander --a treasure in ,,.o,rhich Jnclian standard drachms arc hoarded with the Mauryan punch marked sih-er,

from "\vhich tlwir metrology is eventually derived. A later stage in the silver currency of the

Upper Kabul valley is to be seen in the ! 92'3 hoard of 97 Graeco-Bactrian drachms of the Indian standard of later kings duvvn to Hermaeus (\Vhite1wad

1 1923: 125).

Excavated Coinsfrom Ai Khanum

The discoven' of tv''O non-struck coin Hans of Scleucid or early thctrian Greek fabric in the

French t'Xcavations at Ai Khanum in 1968 (Bernard, 1969: 3 54_) suggests that there may have

been a local mint for copper coins~- either official or unofficial in th(__· city. The series of excavation coins discovered since 1965 (Be-rnard et a!., 1973: 203-5; Bernard, 1971: 446--7; 1972: 631) nuv\-' provide dear evidence for the curr~:"ncy of eastern Bactria. The copper coins of the Seleucid kings .Scleucus and Antiochus I are succee-Jed by coins of the independent Graeco-Bactrian kings Diodotu.~) Euthydcmus and Eucratidcs, mostly monolingual Greek

coins of the Attic,/Sdeucid systZ"m, but v .. ·ith occasional bilingual Greek,/Kharoshthi square

copper coins of Eucratidcs amounting to hct>/\'fTn 5 and 1 O:>S of the Graeco-Bactrian coppers found. There is evidence of trade with prov·inccs south of the Hindu Kush in the two _punch-­

markt·d Mauryan sil"':iCT coins found (in addition to tht-. Graeco"Bactrian Attic standard silvec

coins one- vvould expect), in the 1970 hoard of l'v1auryan punch-marked silver and in tlw prescnn~ of three bilingual tctr2drach1ns among the 63 sil-ver coins in the 1973 hoard.

The hoard of 679 Indian and Indo-Greek silver coi.ns found in the 1970 excavations has be-en full)' published by }_6~udouin and Bernard, ( \97.3: 2 38 -289; 1974: 7-41 ). Thf' hoard vva~ discovered in a traveller's vvatc-r flask- -far too large really for the number of coins concealed. It had hef·n hurriedly buried c. 13-:) B.c. hy the latest inhabitants of A! Khanum at the time of a

nomad invasion, but the hoard itself had been assembled over a relatively short tim(__" some 40

yean; earlier, Punch-marked .sihrr_T coins and the Indian standard bilingual Indo-Greek sil-ver drachms >.overc the currency not of BactTia but of the provinces of the Mauryan and forrncr

Iv1a.uryan empire. There is no doubt tlwref{):rf:' that.thjs treasure reprEsented an import by vvay

of trade from Gandhara. The 673 punch-rnarked s:il·ver coins were all of l'v1auryan date fror:n the mint of Taxi/a. As in the 19'!2 Taxila hoard (YVahh 19'39_) there \vere no pre- or post­

Mauryan punch-marh·d coins. They all ha-;;e the h:i111

symbolized by three arches surmounted

with a crescent, that seems to be the dvnastlc {_'Tnhlem of the Ma.ucvan kin2dom. The six sih-(__'r -' ,· '----'

coins of Agathocles are of a completely m __ ,_,·v type and arc bilingual-· -1,-vith a figure of the god

4. EARLY PERIOD. ACHAEMENlDS AND GREEKS 209

h l l 1 · ·turv B c) +'rom t-he !970 Ai Fi 4.1 ~· Scjuare sJ!\er b 1lmgt1al com of Agat m cs (ear) seconc ccr, __ -· . · · ·' - __ ~ -] ·. g. ] j ob-verse and of 'v asudcYJ. Knshna on t H Khanum '!021 d \\ tth a hg-ure ol 1 he god Sankars nna on l ''-

reverse. ~Reproduced X 2.) Kabu! Muscum.

S kar \·:<•n ~md Agathodes' name i.n Greek on the o1wcrse and the god Vasuck~'a Kris~ma and _a an ·~-'c __ , c ~ l '---I . , .. --. ---·, Fo " 13) Their SC]Uarc shape and method of manufacture JS Brahml levemj on t1c ~t\-l1SC ( ls. 't. , -. " , . l f . Tl _, ·] sc'l•.· PJ~dellecl on the SCjUa.re ]JUnch-InarkeJ silver vvith \Vh!ch. t1e.y w··t'.rC o~mcl. lL co. .. _,__,_ - - l 1 - - -J - -.) ac

· h, .l· tl , · , (l·,. ut· ,,]' v-:hich ·1re struck from the same o wcrsc ant. n'HT.SC. t !CS ranb we1g .ts o lC coms , ) ~- L < • • • • • l l f,. ·;. -;,_ "'-o 3. 'l g the same hroad \veight range of the punch-markecl s1lvcr cmns m tl:-t. "H.}an: · 1 orr1 "" '" l - -- ' - '--- L l l 1 • •

1 · - ' ~ I JUlY!

In severJ1 of his Indian copper coinages ,'\gathoclcs copied tH:' ocai Ue~orrll~lJ.-Jot~~-':t .• {, 1, alread-,.- in circulation; and in tbjs ho<lrd \\'C Sf'f" the same prm."('.~S and th_e ongm c~ ~~1~~ Hr~_;O-

. ] ] · · - ~-'tl , Mal-rvan nunch-markeu Sl \·er that Greek hilin_gual drachm, copying t H:' { enommatlO!l OL }{:' _1 < .l / 1 . -- • _ __;· r ·h tl " (',.-.o,.,,LB"t+t·l·"11s found current in the-ir ncvv tcrnlone.~ south oJ: tht I ,mdu 'f;~us ·

h. "·•'·' u ' u '· . '] • ,, l h A )ollodotus I, ,,-hilc retaining the square shap: ~f th~· bilingual s1 YtT 1~1~~1~n-- ( ra~· <-n~). s~bsewkntb; stabibed its weight at the bottom o! this w{'lght wtge at about, ~'. g, a111<. ':\t.s \-Vas a(:cental)lc for parity of value \-Yith the pun~·h-m.arkc~l.sdver :J~cause c:~ th,c l,~J!,lSJ~tt-n~' ~

'. ' . .1· ' -~ j (--· .. ·' · 1·.-.s Sut~sC'rjuent kliW.'i rt.:'L<.Uncd tlus sLnuaJ d fol t__ __ { hi h si~Ycr content o tne 1nc o- JlCCK co·'·-·· .J. ~ o , _ ,, ,_,-, ,. -, ·' __ , bi~ngual drachrns but rewrted to the round ,,JlvcT llan normal foJ urd k lllOdl\CjJ s ~ l)~/J. L ' • ;· 1 1 · · l!' , !· 1·'--"'ch cxcav·1tJons {Bc·lncttc, i- r. Tiw l973AiKhanumhoaxo,ai:.;o oum Lunng ~<=-- _-"~~. ·- '.·, · .. --, . i~--- -,--

280 10S: Bernard, 1975: 58-69; l-\:t·itot-BichiC'r, 19'1): 23-)l),cont~-l,fiCd s~'\t_n_A.IL~o~~~~l~l-d ·. S ·] ,.1·.] tc·t·r---.drrtchms vvilh 49 Attic tetradrachms oi the l.JIL1cco-Bactna1J kL.10S an se' c.:11 , c· cu ... ' " < - - , _.. • l Th l -. --d

v,·ho ruled north of the Hindu Ku<oh up to Eucratidcs (hut cxeludmg Hel10c t'S). • e 110nl

incluci,.-<1 <1 hitherto unknuvvn i\ttic Tctr<Hlrachrn of Apollodo::us l.

210 D, W, MACDOWALL AND M, TADDEI

tetradrachms \YCTC of Demetrius II (5) 1 Eucratidcs I (1L~4) Eucratides II (130) and Hchocles (204). Tlw hoard contained Greek tctradradrachms on the Attic "\·Yeight standard of' scYcral Graeco-Bactrian kings previously knm-vn solely f:rorn their -bilingual C;reek:_/Kharoshthi currency on the Indian standard.

Most Gracco-Bactr1an coins have Greek monograrns in the reverse field that haYc hccn the subject of extensive discussion. They{ are usually composed of tvm or 1nmY Greek letters. Cunningham argued that they stood for the mint of issue_, but Tarn n1aintained that thev represented the initials of magistrates or mint rnasters on the Sekucid !)athTn. Fussman·'s di~ studv of the coins in the Qunduz hoard ha~ shcnvn that seYeral coins struck front the ~:e1mc

obYer~e die (i.e produced in the same mint) hase diJJerenl tTYcrsc nlOnograms ~o the

monogr;uns cannot be mint marks. I--lt> sho>Ns ;.;eyeral mint marks found on thcst.· i\ttic

tetradrachms olwiouslv intended for circulation in Bactria cuT idcntic1l ;,.yith mint rnarks of

the sanlf' Kings found on their Indi.J.n hi lingual tetradrachms intended for circulation ·"ot.r!.h of

the Hindu Kush. He suggests that they are therefore not the JTtJrks oF moncycrs but of

enpravers -,vho senTd more than one mint. C'

The latest Sekucid coin in the hoard is that of _Antioch us l3ala, hut many of the· Bactrian

coins seen1 to be latt<r. One of the :latest is probably the tetradrachm of Herm2cus, \\-h(_) is

kmJ\VD to haYe been the last Gracco-Bactrian king to issue coins in his O\'-'H name in the Kabul valley. The date nf the hoard's cmccalment can prohably lw placed tcnvanls the date or the

invasion of Bactria south of tlv.· Oxus, c. 100 B.C. It vvas under Hermaeus lhat the Grilcco­

Bactrian silver currency in the Kabul valley collaps'-'d and '-Yas replaced hy a coppfT currt:'nc;· retaining the types tbat had been ust~d for tlw si lYfT. The rich sil \Tr m.incs at A1-Panjshir m the

Hindu Kush mountains had no doubt supplied silver for the Gn.cco-Bac·trian coinage. , l1S

further an<liysis of the Qundu7, hoard suggests that some of the Iuter Gracco-Bactrian kings

ma\' have he en struck at a common :mint hoth on the /\ttic standard f"or their remaininF territories ' 0

north of the Hindu Kush, and on the Indian standard for the ParopamisacL:tf'; and the final loss

of tht' northern territories under I-·Iennaeus madt.' it impossible to continue \Vorking dw

Hindu Kush siher mines and so led to the dehascment of the southern coinagE'.

The Curren~:.Y ·~f H'Cstern ,~.f/qhaniston

Tht' currency of vvestcrn i-\fghanistan dur.ing this period can be reconstructed from the

evidence of the Tate collection of anr .. ient coins found !n Scistan (Rapson, 1904a: 673--680)

and frmn the local museum at 1--lcrat. It consisted at first of Scleucicl coins then of Grc:teco­

Bactrian coins \Vith Greek legends c;truck on the Attic \Ycight standard. {Fig. 4. H-). Like the

currency of Carmania! R,1pson) '!904b: '3 '11) it included :-,onw local copics--pos.c;ib1;' coin'i of

the Saka.s. This contrasts, as one \nmld cxpcc:l 1 \vitb the currency pattern ofKanJahar 1 \'<'here

the 1ocal n.1u;;cum and first f-1nds frorn the British Institute cxcaYations suggest that t}w

Mauryan coinage >vas replaced fndo-Greek bilingual Greek and Kharoshthi coins on t1w lndian standard. from the first centurv B.c. v .. ;F find Parthian sih·cr drachms at f--Ie-rat and

Kandahar as at l\1aza.r ·sometimes cou.ntermarked b-..,- later rulers-· -e.g. \\·ith the tamgha. ot

Gondopharc.s' dynasty by the lndo--Parthian:J or the smaJl helmeted head like the figure to be

seen on the ordinary coins of SapaleizQ.

Fi . 4 . ! 4-: ( i) lmita.llon of a sllnT didrachm ofSelcucld King Antiochus l 1np.1ircd by Hughes B~Jl-1cr in Se%tan 1904-. g 1·itic.,h _rv·l.,uscum. (2) Sih-cr oboi of Gra.cco-Bactrian king, :\ntima.chus au1mred by

Hughes Hui!er in Seistan 1904. British f..{useum.

2

212 D. W. MACDOWALL AND M. TADDEI

Yueh-chi, Sakas and Indo-Parthians

Ihe Yueh-chi Currency c:J Bactrici

The currency of Bact ria after the Yueh-·chi conquest in the first century B.c. is far from dear.

VVhcn the nomads issued coins dvy copied the denomination and types of preceding Gracco­

Bactrian kings, though usually in a debased forrn. The commonest coins of the Yueh-chi in

northern Bactria during the period -vvcre the copper tetradrachms and drachms of the

barbarous Helioc!cs (Fig. 4.15) which occur i.n stratified finds immediately prior to those of Soter Me gas and the early Kushans (Pugachcnkuva, 1967: 74-88). These copper coins are also found in northern A(ghanistan. The Kushan Hcraeus who seems to have ruled in Bactria at an

early date, issued tctradrachms and obols .in base silver follcnving the denominational pat tern

of Eucratides and the Sakas \vho succeeded him. The later stages of the Kushan currency arc discus:scd in the next chapter.

Coins of the Azes Dynassv and Su Hermaeus

SilYlT coins or Azcs l arc fcn.mcl at .\t1ir Za.kah and in the hoard from Chaman bet\\"E"en Kancbhar and Quetta (Jenkins, l9S5: 25--26). The Saka empire at this period "\·Vas centred on the Indus

proYinccs of Pakistan, but during the reign of Azes II they extended their rule to some parts of

eastern Afghanistan. A hoard of copper coins of Azes II is reported from a stupa near Jalalal.-nd

(Bayley, 1861: 72- ·78) and a further hoard frorn Jalabbad \vas acquired by an Afghan collenor in 1970 (Fig. 4.16}. Silver coins of Azes II arc very comrnon at .f\.1ir Zakah a.nd a fcv., .. a.re

rf'ported frum other localities ... ·but not from Bcgram. Masson explicitly states that he

discovered no moneys of the genuine Azt'S kings at Bcgram, and his experience is borne out hy their cxtrenw rarity among the Bcgram excaV"ation coins.

The currency of Begrarn and Kandahar at this period (Fig. 't.17J consisted of thr long

series of copper tetradrachms and drachms -·copying in copper the obverse and re\-cr:,c typ<·s

of the earlier silver coins of the last Gracco-Bactrian ruler Hermacus. lt is a long series th·at

gives tittle clue about the identity of its issuers .. ·hut probably represents the currency of the

Pahla~,,as '-sho cmK1ucred Arachosia. in the hrst century H.C {l"-.la:-ain, 1957: l.S7 162 ).

Arachosia is included in Jsidore of Char ax list of Parthian provinces at the he ginning of the

Christian era.

There '.vas a major debasement oftlw Saka silver currency at end of the reign of' Azc;., H,

\vhcn his empire began to break up. The old si!Ycr denominations V\'ClT novv struck. in billon

instead of silver and the cuppcr denominJ.tions proper largely disappeared; but the principal

impact of this "iii.·as in the coinage's of ,the Indus Yallcy.

The Distribution of Indo-Porthion lsmes

/\.bout A.D . .30 the Indo-Pa.Tthian king Gondopharcs established an independent <.'mpirc that

controlled the Punjab, mud1 of the Indus valley, /hachosia and adjacent parls of \.'a.-, tern

Afghanistan. Hi.s currency in /\r:l.chosia consisted of :'\ike-tYj)l' CODJWr telradr,Khrns (hg. - - - " . c ..

F. 4 1 f. f'o!'jJCr coins of Azcs II \vith a hum!Jcd bull on the ohvcrst' and a lion on the n .. 'H'r';c <late first lg· .. o. \.... . •. . . . . ].

century !l.C.) from the 1970 ]"alahbad hoard. Pte. Collection, Kacn.d.

fio. 4,17: Copper tel radrachm (hr.c;t "

) ccnvincr th<'" tvi.JCS of the sih·cr t.ctr<Klrachms of centurY A.D. 1 , :::- ..

Herma.t·us. Kabul Museurn.

I I 1 ! l I' tl' Kin? Pacorcs (.ate first (entun: :\.l"l.i. Fig, 4.]'9: Copper tctnc,rac1m 01 mo· ar 11an ,, . Pte.

C<Jllu"Lion.

214 D. VV. lVlAC DOVVALL AKD M. TADDEI

4.18 ), based on the copper tetradrachm struck in the name of Su Hcrmaeus, and these coins are found at Be gram, Hadda and Mir Zakah. His successors lost these territories and th~._, Indus valley to the rising po\\'Cr of the Kushans, but later copper tctradrachms in the Nikc sequence are knov\·n from SPistan for Orthagncs, Pacon.\s (Fig. 4.19), a second Gondophares etnd

Sanahares (Mac Do\.Yall, 196 5: 137-148) ruling territory jn the \Ycst during the period of the main Kushan dynasty. The latest issue in this sccjucnn' has a PahlaYi legencl v-.-hich ha,s Lt'en

tcntati-,-cly read as I\rda Mjtra. h has a Sasanian fire altar of the type used hy Ardcshir I and

seems to havt- been a provincial currency for Scistan at the time of his eastern camp<1igns.

For SCYCral kings oF the Indo- Parthian dynasty Yery rare silver drachms of Parthicm type are lo1cY\Yn (hg. 4.20). The series eventually suffer a serious debasement and later kings have

debased drachms ·with the same tVjJes struck in copper r,FiP. 4.21 )·--a coinauc \\-hich is I 0 /:'o

common i11 I\-1en and sometimes encoLmtercd in Herat.

Settlement, material culture, architecture and art

The regions that are included \Vi.thin the bouncbric~; of modern Atgha.nistan 'iHTc ilYrolved in

the political C\Tnts of lvlesopotamia CYcn before Bactria (vvhich corresponds to northern

Afghanistan and part of the Centra] Asian republics of the USSR, north of the .. ~mu­darya) I'\' a\ annexed h;- the Iranian em pin~ under the Achaemcnian dynast;: in tlw time of c·;Tus

the Great, alonp \Yith Drarwiana (modern Sci.:;tan), Aria (the rep ion of He rat), Arachosia (dw 0 b ' 0

region of Kandahar), ;-l:i \Yell as thc territories brthcr ea:;t, as f<1r JS Gandhara (hg. 4. "] L

Nc1.'erthclcss archaeological documentation from AFghan territor:.-, concerning tlw

Achacmenian period, is so scarce tha.t the most usvful. eYidcnce for tln.t period in /1±~~hanistan is yiclde,d by excavation:; and finds ':n Iwighbouring umntrics, princip<lll;· han, but also th>::

So\-iet Union and Pakistan. Three areas may be distinguished, each \Yith its (YWn char;-JCtcri.c;t ic features.

.Hrst, the Bactri;m area, vvhi.ch cover:; p-wts of Uzbeki.stan and Tajikistan {among the most

rt'ct..'nt contribution:-,, see Pidacv, 1974-) and th-e northern part of Afghanistan between the

Arnu -darya and the Hindu Kush. Remain.:~ of the /-\ chaernenian period \\Tre rccentl y lo<:ated in

this area hy the A(ghan-Soviet Archaeological Mission: among tlwrn., ''a tcnn1 of '>\hich the

fortifications and a citadel arc clearly rccognizah.le' (KruglikoYa and Sarianidi, 1971: 20).

The researches of tlw Afl;han-Sovjct lVlission are only beginning; but the~- ma;' be cxpcctL'd to

thro\Y light on the Achaemenian pcriucl in Al-ghanistan, a ]Wri.od in \vhich the contacts

between Bactria a.nd lhc empire of the (;reat King also irn·olyed a C;rt'Pk component

(Kuz'mina, 1974,l. The,'>c links bet\\C'l'n the Grt'l~'k \Yorld and Bactria were later U) lK' much strengthened, as \\T shall :;cc.

ScnTte precise data haYc alread; been acquired thanks to the cxcaYcttions at Till:ro.--tcpc,

vdwrc the upper layers wl1ich are as late a.s SOO B.C., haYc ;·ielck .. d ''/\chacnH::'ni,tn'' potte-r;· and shcnY connections also lYith I\ad-i Ali II (Sarianidi, 1972). Achacmcnian la;.-ers \I"(_Tt' aho rt:Togni?.l'cl at Bal.kh !Gardin, 19S7ct: 93J.

More intt'rcsting from the point Dl' Yinl- ni' rnonumC"ntal. architecture is dw Bactl'i;m .'-.itc oi'

4. EARLY· PERIOD. ACHAE.i'V1ENIJ)S AND GREEKS 215

I ' . [9~;],' l I l Mission has been 'vYor ung ~mcc ·

-\ltm-10, >\htJe the ,6dghano-So\lct .\lc lJco ogu.:a .. c ..• '--1 ... ,·-1 ·h-' ' lL'dfhll\'S ll1cn' J.[)peal to be of tlH::' greatest importam_T ancl shl\~ lm-.s \\ltl1 -.l ~~ t\\ 0 1

' :::-.' · ! · 1 l 1 - --. ·tcnwulJr ' surrnncr pct Jl c . -hjtc(·ture of Dahan-i Ghulaman (lor w 1lC l sec it' ()\\ r -a t ( ( •·. b . .· . ., j ,, - .· L.

J.I~ 1 ·,,C' X -5rn \hvidcdintotwo''pa!accs'' \Yithafourtcen-pdlarportKooneHLl stc,'-­(NO.J),o' ~ _) , ·r ·[j· ·N- f'IJ )6 >(36m withroomsarran~cdrounclacentr::d IF'' ~t !_)) ancla~quare !UICJng( ·O.,l,, / ' '- .

1 .. \ .· ·f

1::,.· ·--~ '. .l. ' l, .... ~,-, · .. t,·,d hy a. cnrrdor nJnnim~ on thn·c stc cs (. ,H!J.nlll, courtY,'\rci +rom""" llCn t.lL! al\ .·LfJclla ~ -- -. . '-

l '.l'l,· 3K-+0J (hvs 4.23, 4.24). .. ... ,(1- !.' .tl I'J o

_} · c · · ,. 1 () · · tlhlt·m !'·; J' >-lrnc · · ~6<:1 ), \ \' v cannot con'iidcr the cc lehratcd 1 rc,tsun:' or L1c _xus ' · ' '· , .. · · ' . -... _ ·, ·

,. ' r· 1 .' 't._ f n··l "l)(lt thouuh lll1( ll tdL1, is m.o:-.:t . ..1.1", B,·;tish J\-1nsc1un .. a~; an /Jugnan llF,, smcT Ls 1 ~- .. - ' · c:·

1 .

110\\" 11\ u >.. '1~. - . . T ~·~ 1\'l'k . I !) . ' ·wrth or the }\mu-C<.lTYZl, lll . l 1·1,- to be loczttcd ncar l'-...oba\..ltlll (lv· l ·op.na_J,l.( , 1.( ., ! - , l f. ..-

pto )J '·· · - i' .-1- ··1 · (f'·- ·tt 196S· r) n 1· · 1 1 · l the SoYict Rcpnh!ic 01 <l.)ll'~tstan )cl.llH' ) -- ( · · · · '

territor;- no\Y ,w_cmgmg 0

·- ·- .~ ·· / . ... _, ,·, -.,]- · 1 -.. ·ontu.;:t of the trade • I ·. ·'-· ICJ(~X· ss-- rg) Thz.'in.'<tSll!.TOithci.JXUSJ:>tobt \1(\\\, llltJH ( .

Be cnJt'>kl, J. · ·'-- • c ' · . I · ·\ 1-J .. ; ....... ..,. -.i · .. thouuh H.Ktrn ' B · 'l"'h.1·, .. \YJ.S ,1_ source oi !}Ol( fort w Cl "'"u t ,nl_,.l t, ::_ ... -adiYi\ \ that LTO')SCU actn,L · · \ . (

]'l '"'; _, .. ttnll·,- produce anY t.Told. BJ.(_'tria.n gold ~:-etmc mainl;.- from Si.hcria anc. kac:tr:a. ~~etc' ~):~h:·-~·~- ,~~-:'nt,n.:i:mt; thi:; tran~'ii~ tra!lic apparently ceased in' the Cr<l.CC~)-~3a.ctria.n pcrwzi ( arn,

" .. · · 1')_ .. , . J" "I· !l"·tl"tl !968: +' .u.d 51,. 19Sl: 10; If.; :\ar;1111, ':;/: csp. _) .. J, '"" '- , .•. , _ .. _. :. _ .·,,,.,_

'\ second ,1n'a in \Yhich Achat·menian remain'> an_' cxcq~tJO.' .. l~~~.~~· mtp~)l. tan\ tS cllH_L Ll

· · · S ,t-on· h'Tt' Lno ... in s'1)itt· · z,. , l· f' the .1\chaemenids), coJ.-rcsl)omling tu moucrn ~ c1 .. " _' , - .. Dran~:laiB I -"'a,l ... a 0 · · ' ... _. 1 . ·., ., ' . ;J Ccrnun I'v'lls:;tnn on

l'tl :. , .. -,.-cf',t.i <.;1J>YeYs carrit_'cl out in the cmlr::;c of sr--\vra) (arn.pal.::J1 .. n; (. - . ' _ . _ o lt ,,u ·~'·- - .. ---. , .. _I·· 1')..-::a 19~'-1 197)·withc;u·licrhibho2_ra.ptlY),mo~toltllt' l side ot ~c1stan {1"'JSC1l'l, o 7 , 1 · 1 -, ~ .. . .._ . • .. ,

1.

tw , .. , _;. __ .... , l. :,, l('fl;.-. 11 tcrntorY. HuT an h" Jan I I ]l}"t'{)''''P(\1';('')\(](( IL _(<.;Cl n1o!lii\llt'nts.znO\\IlSO aric\-. -....:"' ·- , . 1' 'lL· .... f•j1

, .. -- 1 ' 1· 1 ]'· yntll":J.r0~'·•-llB'l) JUl-L11l'cJ.lOt1lCht,

'\n.:·hau!loricetl Mis::;ion ha~ orougl:t to 1.g lt Cl. lTD lO\ \• ~' ...._alf<,!l - cl .... ·v·,· lt'"OU'" Tho'I(Jh c' I 1 j 'jl ""C(;'-;E'"lll(ICJ.r<::'l\<Yl)Jllllt< _,., L •.. L .... ,

bra.nz IE'S of Lhe l-Ielrnanc ri\Cl' {t\.'.ta, \Yh 1 J !)! - 1 ... - ' ... c ~1. , rl. -- .J . ·1. --- l ' : . j··-,(1

· · 1 . . f .. , ·'ro•·J.'·io1J aw] ,.,_,huildincr this Lnvn \\'JS snort-- l\ 1 .. 'tl JJll P 1 o )J.Dt) LH " there iS C\'H ''ll(l.' u, •t:"iL 'cl ··· · '· ' ' · ~, ·f. -~ _ .. 1 ..... •·thatmodiiicd whc! :t \Yd.'-' llbancloncd b\ its inhJ.bita.nts a:.; a conscCl_UCncc o ~om~. na.tur a .l ~(:n_l ·_ "" .. ,.. .. 'li.,d

. .l ,·.., ·l B(YC' [11 tl1 -e ri \Tr lwd. ExploratJon z;nd cxca\<.ttlUll hct\'" t- 1 (,_,l

the c lYJronmcnt, l11J.) Lll ,. c 12 6 ·· ·' · . . . . ._r, . ..,, -.-· \• _ .. -r lY'in 1 Cl"rtctin h puhlil 1 _,, \-;,._,t('1Kcofpri-,·ettchonsc::;andse\·cnla.rgt'hmldmgs, '"1c, c.t.,u.l '-.. ~ .· ·.- .. 1 I.

t. lt ·- -... . · . . ] .. . I h. ,-.,.1 .. , ... 1 .. ,1 c The hFoe huddmu', tlad pt ob,w ). · 1 •.• 1 1lt-,1 1 -.rla·Jcdtot1''"lXLlto_L,c<..nW\ ... · - -~::- b Ill cn,_!l ,\C1Cl, ,,,_ c 1

t ' '' ' . . . .. . . " 'I'[ . ~. r +I· t•J'"'-'' "l'C' knc'\\'11 J~i · · 1 ·1· •• -. 1 - ·t · s 1e n_llltS o: ~~d::-, - ,,.,_, « - ·' • -· -·1 .,.,·[·Y'J.ni'~tr:ttiYc rclluloU~~ anc Jllldta, \ Tll1J.<.. 10\l. · · . ,

U\l · '-'~ '-' .. _ '- ' ...... . - . . '''f(- \\"'th 1 cunlpklc ··1 1 Daharw-i Chubma.n---\ccrralo, J7J ,, ' -~ Dcd·u.n-1 e.;.tuictmatl lor l\ . tl JPd

maclc of mud bricks and pa,: !~a, ()r prcsscu val:. ·l, , . -bibll!)graphy). Tbc buildings WtTC r __ , _ ... d cu--\cd

I I .,,.,.1-c obtained ln.· rneans or t\\ 0 opposen 1 OV\ s .J · 1 · .

S·!J.ot':.t1,\- l·arina.tc-Yau tc( :;tru.cturcs I I .. l " . . , . t " t ·i th 1·lw lJrinc in c::. u

mucl-Lrick struts. Thi~ is an importc.nt katurc.· t la't st·cm:-, to. cul 1\,l'> -~'"_ -~·-'. lr·,-: ·.~, l-"" . 1 j I "i}~-. .,-",.lCCCJI }J"'1CS•'JciOJtCn )(tTll.bt\ <l.c.

.1\dncrncnia.n architectmT to sue' a c cgrcc L1J.t L iC plt. :--,..._, . - c - l , ~, 1 ·. ,_J,, ·\ ·'-. ... , ·i 1n . ,-1-·te huildinO"S -\-..-hich could ha\'T othcno:isc· been p. ".CC(J. 111 \'•'- "-,c.La_~ 11H r._.c

0.'

ern ;'rion to po~;t •« ,_ " --- ''=-' • .1, 1· 1 ('t ·r . , + 1 g; ~) · 1 ) ,,

f. 1 ... , •• lo.·· ft1-1jc; tcchmque \_{Jct anu .. J.ldlhl( J.,- .... '

l·.c··r.;''~d'l'utscenuYv oro1D(ltXJ.lllp,t.,o '.· ·. '. ··. l .I ·jj· .. , ',, _,u . ' ·.. . l ~-·t- I· ··ftt-'·i·--·n (lr\Yl'rJUltlJlU>all

. : t'IIL''·-Jt"'l'·, ,·,tc-·XI)llcal-J\-.. ; wnon·< ). I Jl\." I) a.n. :-. o tl s, \t_- c 1"'1 l'.i.• ..... rc J.)allan 1 ,_y ~ ,,_ ·0. • . .., - , __ - ~ .. -.'- · l' -- ,.·Cv1by:<J){)'"1ico (\Jl( S10"i\-oJu, '''l(l'\YorthY: theY hJSE' a lan:,e centra.! court, ::,omctuncs c.". c·r.~-.lJ!tl-" . ,. J. ,1_ .' -_ . r· t'l'' '-- ·"· ·" . -· ' ~ · ,, I I , t · ···niT1 n'(Jion:-. n , .

to Joc,d ren,uin_·nH'nt:; ol· architccHtrc rounc_ <l :-.o d1 _1l c,_ - ' ·""-' tJL i"v·h;wmcniat1 cmpirv. . . .l

f. '1. , S .. c'J•.--!-:~,.1·1 ccrlainl\. dcrwndcd on thi~ a.dmin.i:;tratJYi:: to.\Yll (mJ: .. " .. " The Lcrriton· o ,~~ gl1an "'~ l j . l I .. ',.,,.,.,.,,· jnC;Yincial centre of the Adtal'lllCni' .. '' '-no\\ Ill t1w Zen in recorded by Ctl".;ias), t ll' on;·_. _

n~-

Ill Ill Ill Ill

Ill !ill Ill ill Ill ill Ill Ill

.Fig. 4-.12: Altin-10. Phn l.>.'~-~.""'"""'",.."""",J..,.,L.., _____ ~~ 'palace" no. 1.

fig "-2'· '\]t' 1'1. • ·• -J· • 111- , Phn ~- l ·' J· -, · ' or nnlc,mg no.

!Ill

Ill

1!1!1

1111

Ill

Ill

4. EARLY PERIOD. ACHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 217

The nwst interesting results for the Achacmenian period in Afghan Scistan "'vcre ohtaincd

by a French Mission led by]. Hac kin in 1936 and an American l'v1ission led by W. A. l;ai rservis

in 1949--- SO. The former cxecutf'd some smalJ--scalc exca·vJtions at Nad-J Ali, where R.

Ghirshman vvas able to identify t\vo periods, the iater of vvhich (Period!) vvas attributed to the

Achaenv..·ni,m age (Ghirshman, 1939). An important guide-line is provided by the pottery from Nad-i Ali, to which that found there by Fairscrvis is to he added (Fairscr-vis, 1961 );

Scerratn recognized the homogeneity betvd·cn the Achacmenian potter:;: from Afghan Seistan

(not only Nad-i Ali I, but also Nad-1 Ali H) and that of Dahan-i Chulaman. Achcu:mcnian pottery \Vas also collected by a British IYiisslon in 1966 both in Scistan and

further upstream in the Ht'lmand valley, though apparently in extrem_ciy small quantity

(Hammond, 1970). Tht' most important fJ.ct is that analogies (vvhich cannot surprise us "''hen V\-'e consider the

geograr+ijc proximity of tlw two sites) arc found in the most commun vvarcs, from the point of

yjevv or tem.pcr and shape as vvell as of the fe\V decorative patterns. Among the lattn the

prcsenc~,__· of a characteristic i_ncisnl device ln the shape of an inverted trident surmounted by a

circlet is ·worth notice. Thz.' most frequent pottery types at 1\"ad-i Ali arc yelJow or red-cla:v jar:-;, Hat_ ... bottomcd

beaker~; \'Vith incised decoration, small grey-ware pots, bo\vls, a;~d large lids with incised

decorc-:Llon; at Dahan-i Ghulaman vvv find frequent carinated bcnYls, tlJ.t-hottomed UY<:d jars,

cylim]r_\cal--conlcal bt:'akcrs, and a pccuiiar type of large basin vi ith rounded rim and

''trumnet'' base suitable for inserting int-o the QT01Jtld: of" these, the carinated ben'\:]:; and the .1 '-' (_0

huge lnsin~ arc not among the Nad.-i Ali materials published h;' Ghirshman but were collccte(l

from t.hc sanw site bv F:lirscrvis. This Seistan material therefore shovvs a fair homogeneity, and the diflerenct'S may be Juc

to tlw different conditions in \Vhich the material was collected: regular cxca.Yations at Daba.n-·i

GhuLmnn, ~mal1-scalc trial-trenches or surface collection in Afghan Scistan. On the whole,

and F.::r .some particular COl"tTspondcnccs, the Scistan rnatz.Tial CJ.ll he Ultnp<ltTd \\·itb the

Bactrian material of KohadiJ.n! attributed by I)'jakonov to tht' Achanncnian Jge and th<lt of

the cu !Tl'Sflonding lc-,· cis of Balkh, in nortLc rn .-'\ fghattistan, and A frasiJIJ, Sngd iJ.na ( Sccrrat o,

l96b, 26--30, with bibliography; a useful s;-.-noptic ta_l_;}e is in V:)roh'cYa, 19.S9, 7S).

_i-',Tiod li at Nad-i Ali J.1so saw the construction uf a 1Jrick bLlilding, a corner of\\ hich -was

t'XCJ.\Jted b;-· the French [\ilission. It \Y,lS a massin' construction which \-Yas probalJl)' built­

against the na-tural mound in orcin to make J\Jilahlt' a brger axea. Th~__· outer \1.-alls \\-ere ol'

mud bricb; ( 3 S X -) S X 9 em), \Yhilc tht' inner c;tructurc \\·a_c; n1cHk up of alh'nl,tting: unhab'd

and baked bricl('l ( S7 X 28 X 9 em), resting on a_ basement consisting of ten layers of baked

brick.s. fhc /\cht\t'lllCnian pniod is ('\·en ic.'>S documented in the ea_:;tcrn rcgion.':o of Af'ghani.c,Lan.

1--Jc,.,-, \\T !lld)' !Teall the coins found at Charnan-i Hazuri, Kabul: the;-· art· Achacnl.tTliJll, Crt'd~ and local (bcnt-1Jarl coin:;, buri'-'(_l at the hcginning ofthl.' fourth n'ntu•·:: B.(., and C\'ldcnn· of

trccdc in the Ka_hul valley (Schlumhcrgt'r, 1953). Thi." _io.; \Try little inclt-''-'d, if we compare the

much rit._.bcr donmwnt,ltion on tlw Achaeml'nLm period obtained from the sitl.''-. h(_'yond thv

Kh_dwr pas:-;, in Pa.ki,:;tan tcTritcrc;, i.e. ChJrsacb and Tcn~i1J. Ch._lr·;acL \\ .J'; prnhahl;· th~· c..-:\pital of tlw sa. trap;-· of (~(l.wlhara, ;Hldvd to lhl' cmpin_' either b; ru:, him:-;;_·lf l!r in the !lrst

;:•'etr'-. of the reign of l_\;__riuc, l l 96.? ); Tttxila, 1vhich mn_~-~\.·d into the empire at

;:q)proxim._ltcl: dw .'idmc time ~wd lwforc· Darius c·onciucn·d dw !ndi.:tn ·-;atra.p;-, im luding

,, "

218 D. W. MACDOWALL AND M. TADDJ.I

eastern Punjab and Sind, thn'\\- otf Achaenwnicm domination probably in the time of

Artaxcrxcs H {404---3 S9 B.c.). Tb:_' Achacmcnian town of' Taxila may be iclenhf1cd 1\·ith the

earliest lt·\·eL ofthc Bhir Mound cxcaYation (Marshall, 19) 1; Sharif, 1969 ), dated hy lV1an;haH to the sixth to fifth centuries B.C. This \Vas a particular JS}Jl'ct of the t0\\"11, one or its richest

quarters: ncn·rthcless the plan is irregular, the building technicjUC poor, in comparison ·with

the upper, post-Achacmcnian byers. It is to he ohscrYed that ~~oak-\YclJs existed, on(· in almost t'Yery house, from the Acb.at·mr·nian period onl·\anls.

It ,,.-iJl onl_:· be possible through llC\Y excaYations to <lllS\'\Tr the c1ucstion of vd1cthcr the :.;car city of data_ for the A.chaenL·nia.n period in i\fghanistan !:. due to the hck of fidd--rcsc;n-ch or to ,1n actual extraneousn-ess of the region (\vjth the exception of some centre.-; c:onnectcd

\Yith tr.:tdc) with regard tn J:jw cultural trt'lHls and tlw admini;.;tr·atiYe network of the Achacmcnid.-;.

Onh· a fc•s \Tars :1go Alcx,Jndt'r's expedition, tht' Sclt'Ucid domination and the

consecjuent fornH1ion of the Graeco-Bactrian kingdoms appeared to have lr{t \Try fe,Y,

though not l1H.'Ztning!c'"is, traces in Afghanic>L:m. The problt'll1 ofGracco-Bactrian art \\'as J'ch to

Le urgent hecau.'ie it -..\-a~; evident that only vt-ith its solution coulcl the paradox of the ''Graeco­

Budclhist' ., art of Gandhara lx' plac-ed in an exact historical pcrspcctiYt', a paradox that

oh-iously could not be ignored.lfon the one hand it \Yas not possible lo date tht-· birth oftLi:;

art had.:: to the :Tar:J oi' the Jvbccclonjan cow!uc:-;t, on the other hand _no one could really

lwlieH' that the o11ly antecedents VVfTC a fe\-\" toreutic \Yorks {mostly ofnncfTtain cL1te) and the

!wautiful coin''i of the Gracco-Ba.ctrian kings. (fhc most in1porta.nt hook.'i on the history of Bactria arc Tarn, 19;1 and Narain, 19S7.)

Tmla'\.- \'iT cannot really sa.v that manv archaeological data conccTninl~ the period of the

Nlaccdonian cnnc]UI"St and ScJt-.;Jcid -dor:nil~ation are a\~ailabk to u:.:; ne\-crtlJekss some recent

discoveries han· throvn1 an altugethcr fresh light on the history ol' AJghani.stan in the rwriud that inm1r'di;1tclv fo!lm-vs the Sclcucid domination ----the discoYl'tV at Kandahar in 19_;3 of a

hilingua.l {Greek and .~\ramaic l inscription of the Indian emperor Asuka tv1aurya) vd1ich is dealt

~.-vith in another section of this chapter (t\Yo more inscriptions of .. "\soka \Yf-rc later disco\ nvd

at Kandahar and in Laghman), ar;d the even more important discon'r·y of a Greek tmYn at i\i

Khanum: the exca\·ations \n:_"lT ~tartcd b;, thc Fn·nch ArdJaeological Delegation (DAFAJ iL

1 96 5, after 1\.yo season'"i of cardUl ,'iUl"\'f' y, and are still in progrc~s (Bernard, 1 97 2; l 97 3, hi ti: z·arlicr bibliography p. ); 1974-a; 1975; Bcnnrd et of., 1976; BtTn,lrd, 1976).

The Greek Ci of Ai Khanum

Ai Khanum is a site -in the north-t'J.Stern part of l\.t:ghanistan, c!osc to the conf1w:.·ncT or dw

Kokcha and the i-\mu-dar:-a (0xm;. Here a Grct:i~ town hc1s been di.'KO\Trcd, prc:'-turna.bly to

be dated to a period from the end of the fourth ccntur.,·· to c. 100 B.c. (fig. --+ 2S). The

cxca.\·ations haY(' 1TYcakc1 the existence of a fortification system, prh-atc as vvdl a::; public

buildings, ,1nd a nccrnpnlis. Ai Khanum is the Turki_sh name of the near b.\- ,-illagc, meaning ''La.dy l'v1oon' '; the ancient name i.'i unknown, ncYcrtlw!css there is '<-cr.:- good lTJson to

suppo::>e that Ai Khanum is the l1~k'xandria OxianJ ofthe c]a.ssical sources, though this is placed bv others at Tcrnv:z, on the north lJank of th::" ()xus.

in plaLT:i

suited to

~ • • •

e • • 8 • • • • • • • • •

'!i I I

J

-• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

E 0 c

4. EARLY PERIOD. i\CHAEMENIDS AND GREEKS 221

bricks; tbis is an Oriental, rather than Greek, way of building. Also the llat roofs which

covered certain buildings >VE:.-re not in the Greek tradition; nn'erthcless ''for everything else,

the architectural techni(lucs \Vere Greek: stone blocks bid dry "'\vithout mortar, tightly fitted

by anathyroses and fastened together by metal dowels and cramps scaled by molten lead; !lat CorinthiJn tiles ·with covertilcs, and antcfixes at the end of ca>·TS covcr-ti1es'' (Bernard,

1967b: 78 ). Co]umns and some of the thresholds are n1adt' of stone, a linH:.'Stonc quarried 50

km soutlY\'\--est of the silt' . Bernard has hcen able to put together the chronological data deriving from epigraphic,

numisrnatic and architectural evidence in a synoptic table (Bcrnz,nl, 1973: 104), of \vhich

\Ve give here only the succession of periods and subperiods:

Pniod 1: 33(}-303 n.c . Period u- -1: first half of the third century B.C .

Period ll- 2: second half of the third centun' B c . Period Ill- 1: first half or the second centur\ B.C .

Pct"iod HI-- 2: c. 1 SO n.c . Period IV: second half or the second centur\' B.C .

J.estruction by l:]n-·, L". 100 n.c.

T'h: administrahvc quarter (Fig. 4·. 26) is one of the most 1rnportan1 huikhng cump1cxc~ at

Ai Khanum and vvas named ''Palace'' in the earlier reports ·.:Bernard, 1969: 314, n.2;

indicction of the cardinal points in the reports of the DAFA is given in a si.mplihed \Va;·-­

norl-i'l, south, cast and v;,ccst instead of northeast, sonthwt::st, southeast and north\·Vest

respectively- -here we rclcr to the real magnetic orientation). IL is placed in tlw central ,,-ca

of tht' lovvcr tcnvn, its northeastern l_;art being O(T11pied b} a large courtya.rd \vith J pcrisLylc

( l OS·11 X l 3t-r77 m) consisting of 116 stone colur:nn~. These rest on Atti(_~ Asiatic bases,

haw plain shafts made of drums of YaTying heights, ancl support pseudo-Corinthian capitals

vvhich probably originated in Scleucid Syria_. To be more precise, the hascs proper sbnv the

typical profile of the i\ttic bases (i.e. consisting of an upper and lower torw;, with a scotia

bctY,~'{_'n):. the scotiJ.is separated fron1 the lower torus by a Jlllct, from the upper one by an

astrilpal; the Ut')nfT torus is connected to tbc .'Jhah thrcnwh a fiHct and a c~~--;ctto. There arc al:.:o 0 • I 0 ~

variants oi this t)'jW. The court\.card ""''as entered on the northeastern side thro 1Jgh a propyheun< \Yith four

colunms (hg. 4.27). Their capitals arc similar to the capitals ol'tlll' pcrist;.-lc, hut the bases are

completely dilicrcnt, since they arc composed of a three stcppc'd plinth bc·luw and a .. swollen

tonY:' aboH', and haYe thcn{orc a m.arkedly Ori<.·ntal appc,uancc; indt'cd the~/ J.rt_' simibr l~o sornc Acha_emenian bases, especially those of the Treasury at Pcrc;epolis (Schlumbergcr, 1970:

27J The soutbvvcst side of tbc courtyard, v ... hich faces thv propylaeurn, is ob,,·iousl)- the m,:tin

hli>.Flt:' into which opens a pillart'd -v-estihulc (27·67 X 16·44· ml \Vith thn_·e rO\YS of si~·,: Corinthian coiunms (fig. 4-.28) resting on i\Hic --Asiatic b,1scs. The vcstihull· alTcs:, >:o a

br2:r· rectangular room (26·02 X 16-10 m) dccoPtcd with wooden half-columns; lartlwr to tht_' soutlnYcst a block (-omposed of two pairs of twin strucntrc:: s::mnH'tricaily arranged i,,

prubJhly p;tr\ of a. la.ttT extension; the main ro()ms i_n the .c;tructurcc; to thl" ';ll-uthcast ,<_r('

1 '

_'; ~ 0

il 2

"" z

:-;

,:'dl " ~ _j

~

" - 0

0

-:5 ~ " ,_

~

'0

lJ < ~

" ~~ -~ c

8 ~

0

"' ,c

"~

s -)';.

0

~ ;2 <

"' ~! ~

224 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

decorated '\'Vith pilasters surmounted by capitals 1-\'hich seem to be rather poor imitations of

the capitals of the peristyle. Both these rooms (Fig. 4.29) were probably employed for cult or official purposes (audience halls?), as is suggested by the finding of fragments of stucco and clay sculptures.

The two structures to the north-vv·est, which \VCre excavated in the campaigns of 1972 and

1973 (Bernard, 1974a: 289 ff. ), do not shO\-v such large and richly decorated main rooms a::; do

the other two structures: this probably means that they were the seat of the chancellery oH-iccs, while the other tvvo StTved a more official purpose. The residential area of this administrative quarter -.,.vas partially excavated in 1974 and 197.5: the huilding discovered

there shcn-vs many similarities \Vith the large private houses of Ai Khanum (Bernard, 1 '.-f7S;

Bernard et al., 1976: 6---2 5); the complex, or rather this part of the complex, has again he en

styled ''Palace'' in the latest report (Bernard, 1976: 288--293), as a. consequence of these discoveries.

Though the excavation of this functional complex has not yet been compktcd and \ve

cannot altogether understand the fur:ction of each part, Bernard has trie-d to sugge:;t that the

vvholc complex rd1ects the dia.rchical character of the administrative povver fur which it vns

conceived. He further expounds three possibilities for thL~ explanation of the nature of such

povvcr: ( 1) The ''administrati-ve quar-::E'r'' is a Palace, a basifejon, one of those royal residences

the Oriental monarchs had built in various parts of their empires for staying during their

recurrent visits; the t\vin structures Y\'C hav-e described could reflect the association of the

crovYn-princc to the throne {the joint sezerainty of Eucratides and }--I eli odes is a particularly­

reasonable hypothesis, since the datE' of the south-vvestern complex, c. middle of the sccoJ!_d

century B. c., approximately corresponds to the reign of I:ucratides_). (2) The ''administrati \·e guarter

1 1

\Vas the rt-.sidr--ncc of a governor, head of a satrapy, assisted either by a commandant or by an off-lcial of tht: .royai administration (as, for instance, at Susa under the Part.hians). (3) /\

third hypothesis was suggested to Bernard by the suburban villa discovered at Ai Khanurn

during a later season {Bernard, 1974a: 281 -7). YVhen a private house attains the

monumentality of this buildinf! extra moenio 1 Bernard says, one is naturallv led to think that the . '--' ~ .-

t0\\'11 of which its OV\··ner \\:as a cibzcn, could easily aYail itself of enough money for builclin?

such a complex as the ''administrative quarter·'. In a \-vord, Ai Khanum \vas a real polis \-v.ith

large rnunicipal autonomy >Yithin the frame of royal su:t.erainty. In this case, the tvvo tv.,· in units

of Lhe soutlwvestern c:ornplex could bz..' the scat ofthc tv,co supreme tcnvn magistracies. !fthis i~ true, one should also look for the place in \vhich the Council \'l.ras housed (one cannot imagint'

a Greek po.lJs ·vvith no Council or General Assembly): Bernard points to the large room

bctvvecn the pillared Yestihule on tlw southwest .side of the peristyle and the architectural complex vvc have just di.'-;cusscd: its size (27-SO X 17 111) v-,:oulcl suit \Yell for a bouleuLcThm

{Council Hall) The Assembly, on the otl-:wr hand, could be gatlwrcd in the pcristyh" courtyard itself !Bernard, 197-4-a: 289-93).

It is also interesting to note that thl' various parts of the administrative quarter date back

to difTerent periods: the propyLwum and the largest portion of the perist;-·le belong to Period

II 1, vvhile the pillared \'estibule \Vas huilt in Period 1[~ ancl completed during Period IIi

1

; the

supposed houlcutet.ion al-'m belongs to Period I!I1

and the southwestern complex was huil!, as v;,'e ha>.-e already said, in Period IH:J, c. 1 SO B.c.

.·' CHAEMEN!DS AND GREEKS 4. EARLY PERIOD. ' 225

. , ·t, d a funerary chapel (heroon) \Vith four hm~ial_s "\YaS SOir~'-' 4-0 m northeast of the com )<lf "' , . as the tcmenos of Km.eas. • 1- . • t' n discovered in situ was kno\\·n <. , J

found, that accordin_ g to an mscnp 10 • l jJ . -l I probably to the tirne ot ldcxant cr f t ··tion zlates hac c to enm. ' - k K' .

The first phase o cons ruL . d . . tl . t the othcr"\visc un fl(nvn mcas - 7 , . t , whose order Bernar supposes u . - -1~ l hl·mself 1329-32 B.c.), O) - l f' h. '•f nd his descendants the ng,t to >e \ - f bt· ·net or nnse_ a ·

c undcd Ai Khanum. :tk there ore c_' . al . .• . l \vas granted only to the oikistcs !0 l - h . tl c farly Hellenistic p~ noc ~ "' buried Jntra muros, a rig 1t t at m 1 ~ • -

( ''founder of the t0"\\'11''). r . "• .. ]r the SO-Called tcmulc (I rezlans, . . l '11. J -1- Ai Khanum iS nrtam ') --- 1 . .

The most surpnsmg )Ul ( mg a, - -· - ,l . ch \Y{' retain here from Its f r· . (Fiu 4- 10) Its nan1c, '" 11 . l outheast of the ten1enos o '-meas - ·o· .·- ·, I .. ,_ bastion is due to the tnp c-

s - . .·.·" --. .. Tatnanol .. HarsaH_thor <·-- , ' • _ . ..._} ilitar'I-ard·ntectural ml_gu,, Dl'--~ln.mg . _~::-1 c. - . f falst' niches altcrnatmg Vdt l

m ' f . --. f t1~, "'valls· these ceunc a 1 O\\ 0 ·-stepping on tlw outer ac c o ,c '

thrm. . - 9 -- ,.,,,~,j)Oscd r)f an oblong vestibule and a smallt~r d l . k l ·J '· , - 1 m sc1uar e, , ' · · ' ' · 1 1 ] 1t is a rnu - )nc )UJ_,_umg_ L. - 'l I . 1 -th sides of the door wmc l ea( s . . . 1 the vcstt JU , ... on >O~!,, crlla fl::.mkcd by two narrovv sacnstle~. n d .. ] , tl t'- " rmortcd day and stucco stat-ues,

I -d hnck pe esta s .u __ ul, .. . L

into the cella, v•.rere t n_Yc 1nn - - -h . I· rnv fra2ments of stone hclongmg co f 1 , ttcred on L e groun< , a 1 · o fragmcntsofwhich-,vcn· ounc sea .. -_11 '-

the cult statue -.,.ve-re fou_·nd in the ce a: . f. M,. t y•ian l)rototV]JCs but \Vas aLo vvell I h ._1 . 1 ,. de,·nes rom 1 esopo aJ >-< -· _ , I

fkrnard has provcc t at t llS p a.l ,___ _, , . j· k- -. ·t·Jl +o be found. Though so OC'ep )' . . h h the lraman m lS S~l ' , L l

kno>·vn in the Scleuod empire, t oug. I ·l. 't· 1 device of Greek or.iqin seems to JC . l -. t ·(on (the OILV arc utec ura~ - '---' jl . , 1

Orien1_al m plan ana cons rue 1 . - -·_ ., I : --. thor'" \Vas purdy He JCntc' a - ' k d ) this temple housed a cu. t lmagt -'< L • the th r-c('-StelJpen repl omd ' - . . - i~ ~ ~. ·~ t. --- r · ., _[- ,11 the fevv· cxist.mg r.::~m'-.n s. _ \' . _ I f. , vve ca11 1unae 10. - '----' '-' ] j'fi ti,·w st-:.w• ' 1~ east ::..s ar as -£ • o . 1 .. . . f architcctura. r:.1ot! lea d ~- . <•b'" • , , d d-·nvP:nt spvera s~.ag( s o_, -~ . I v The tern ole a re ans un -c - ~- • '" . . . . . I -, -, I h , the temple a rcdons; stages '

' 1· ·t~ v·hH:h Vi··as rep a\ l c -·\ - - - 1 r't:j)rC'I..'nted by an earner construe lon ' 1 ' d, . '''"S ~~n usc as a tem]Jk, while stage

. . ·!. +·'"h t! f' temple are an .. l . ct. •• -· - . • Il l ani H cover the periO{ m vv ,~~.__ ~ 1 · h ., A,·,-·oplina to the num1smattc

_, - f }P} ·Ji· gasastore- ousl. '-'- ' o _ .. ark:~ a late rf'-employmi...~nt o t L mLGm'- l ']·. tl , fi-st haif of the thud ccntm )' m h. 1 . ems to have he en lU! t m 1E '·- 1 . l -data and the pottery' t lS templE's: . - . f' -· --]"' . 1d as the beginning_; of the tnirc o_ r

· r - \; V'm1hl thnc 01t. ), as o. - '--' .... _ (the nre-exjstin;:: ten1ple o, stage " , - . h·j t' , ,,-,,1l-r1C'"'tions it undcnvent m stage ' - '--' h c ) -;,v 1 (_' nt n ~ ' ~· even-the last quarter ofthe fourt. cc·ntury B .. 1 ' ·: ·tD])' -.clotos c. 248--2 3 S B.C. (I1ernanl,

- --·th -Jatc.·r than trw re1gn o H - ~' , j' II an either contemporary 'v\·1 m '"· ... l .. l.l -. 11t"l1-be--- that the usc of pottery o_r

. T - 1 . , , ect one'' 10li t: 1 t r ' ' l' 196q·1?7ff.·1971:414L.).lnt11Srcsp.-, , "Kh becau·eofthchighdegrt'co

• • ·- - ' ,. • ~ c ~ r "'nts i.'-' not eaS)' at Al - anun1, - -< ::, • ~ - . - ,_ ·~- t t ,~ the :.mrposes or datmg tlldJ,u_.ne ·. - : , c_'"ll· 429--)0'). "\j\fe mav pomt oul 1 n, ttl ...

' 1 l·tv•Benrnd 1 7 · · _. ,, 1 stabilit>/ of pottery types am qual ./ \ < l '. .l· --·tl the Hellenistic pottery or LH'

• _. ·- } - ', ~ c}-..;:;;:- IT a110DS up VI- 1 ,1 ~ - } . h l)ottTtV from A! Khanun1 :-_., J.UV\·S G .v, . .._ l' _.- _-_ f both technlguc and shapes, t WLlg

' - l ! from the 'V)Jn· 0 \-H''\'V 0 H '] · '· Gracco-ME'ciitcrrancan ·vvo:r c, . - l, ~, , , ~l- .:, ' fl;]sks',) Arnone the el emsCJc r r to ;ht__, Orient (e.cr. the PH/Pl_,1~- L,_,_ ·- • '-', " bo\-vls an·

SOJT;i_-' types arc pec~.l Ja~ -~ - ~ -_. l 1, .-l'- y'th rin·T-foot, and "1\1cganan "h"' 1'-h·s·' hennspher,\a )()\\S ' 1 b_ .- .

typ-es, .1 . ..,n-cls_ ~- '. -- - 1qT3· 171-SR for a classlfH . .'ai..lon). . l

nc·t''Vi'orthv (Gardin m Bernard, -"' . ,_ '1. ' - . 1c a clet::.i!cd description ol ad t_lw --' - - ~ - .. , i _ k c1 Jes ''f)t al ovv us to go n1 > 1 - '· • c l

Thescol;eoftl"leprcsent,)oo t . '--·'" . - _._ ~ l"•lt ·1t Ai Khanum. We are on Y . 1 c 1,~ --rclwmrfhnn.lt<hiLO .tg1 <. _

1

_

mvnmwnts that \'1ther 1a\-e_ Dl.. en -t:~I a ___ - 1 - c- ~'th _,'-] •-vcr to>;\'il similar in plan to a Partman ahle to list them: a house in the resH!entJa: area Ot • t: o_ ·~· 19hR. ;7? (). 1969: 321- 6; 1970: ·- . h •--.-P,-·viniran(BcrncHc., ,_l.c..-~, -

building at Rha;;ac, t c morH I.n \ay __ ' . - l u ,,.-, --i 1974cj: 28! 7); a Cnnnasiwn m ._ ~- ._ 1_, -1yrcfc-"TC(,tO{u-t,lla1-t, - . 3] G- 6); the vil1a exuo mocnw a n att_. •

226 D. \V. !\lAC DO"\VALL AND 1\L TADDEI

N

/

4. EARLY PERIOD. ACHAFlVlENIDS AND GREEKS 227

several r:nodifications in its structure: a door on one of the longer sides led into a corridor on

either sick of vvhich opened a crypt; both the corridor and the two crypts v1,cen' vaulted, but the ,vhole building probably had a flat roof. The m.ausoleun1 housed t\YO types of burial-­mud-brick sarcophagi for inhumations) and funerary jars in vYbich v'\:·e:rc collected and burit·d the hones taken from earlier graves, \vhen these had to he destroyed or employed for nc''

burials. As Bernard rightly points out, the architectural interest of this mausoleum (\Yith its

connections \Yith the PaTthian necropolis of Assur) is much greater than the importance of the

funeran' rr1atcrlal found in it; nevertl1cless a schist pyxis decorated \Yith inlaid coloured sto11cs

is a Yery important antecedent of some Gandharan relic-caskets, a fragmentary stone reb:.'f

repn',scnting an ephebe raises smnc interesting iconographic problems, and snTnc ink

inscriptions on the funerary jars give us a first hint of the proper names used at Ai Khanum, a field of research of considerable -rt:Jcvancc for knovvledge of the composition of the population

of the to\Yll.

Another vcrv imnortant field of in-vcstiYation, on "\vhich the DAFA is nO\'\' \Yorkinu. deals .' 1 b 0'

with the Llsc of canals in the vicinity of Ai Khannn1: one of the V'l'ater--contro1 ~\·stem:; (]iscu'"::'rcd lx·longs to the period of the Gracco-Bactrian town, and rennincd in usc until the

heginn!ng of the Kushan pcriod (Bernard, 197.5; Ganhn-Gcntcllc, 1976). from the point of Yin\' of the history of .axt, especially sculpture, fztirl:' rich

docurnentation is novv available at Ai Khanmn, as ;,yc lnvc indicated (sec also Bernard, 196Gb;

1970h;. lt clearly :~hnv,·s at least th-ree :st.y·listic trends: (a) a purely Hellenistic clement to he

considered alongside the Gn·ek inscriptions, demonstrating the prcat attachment or the _,.;i Khamun ruling :-:lass Lo the culture of their far--a·vvay fathcrl~,.,d: (1)) a group of ohjccts thJt,

though iacking in hurnogenc1ty, reflect the stylistic trends of the contcmporar;· N(':tr Fast and

Iran: (c'l an clcrncnt of Hellenistic deri.vation that sho\YS the beginning of a dcYz..'lorn1wnt

tov.'a.n1s original solutions, such as those that gave risC to Gandharan art. !'n tr('nd. bdong the fragrru.:'nts of th.z' cult statue (an acrolith) in the cella of the Lt'n<plc

~~ rcduns (Zeus Oromasdes?}, third century 1-LC., (1k-rnard, 1969: 3 38-41, Hgs 1 ';- 16; l 97+,1:

298 ):, .:; hcnn portrn;'ing a bt·arckd old man, frmn the Gyrnna:>ium, probabl;: third ccntlJr)

n.c., (l-kma.rd, 1967a: 3 i 9, :Figs 10-11; 196 7b: 90---91, Pls XIX XX}; a frcuzmcrrtan .c.:tcHlC ~ •· L' •

placp .. lc:' (cl funerary relief) from the nr,cropolis, vvhich portrays a standing youth \H'aring

chbm::s ;md pet as us vvith long rlo\'<.'ing hairj tbrd cc·ntury B.C, {?) (t~ig. 4. j 1) (Bern;<n1, 1972:

hg, i 3 ); and a tencKotta nwn1d fur a bust of\?) Den;cter (Fig. 4. T\\'O ohject~ at lcJst ['all into (b); they aTe: the sjh;tT nwdalllon '\Yitb repre~cl<ltion of thl'

god de"~ CYtwlc on a chariot dra\\·n hY a ]Xtir of lions i'h~T. 4·. 3 3 ), l;rohably ::JTl irnr.)ort from SniJ '- - -' \ '-' . to bt' cb.tt:d to thf' b•.:ginrrlng of the third centur)' B.C, (fkrna.nlj 1970: 3'39--47, }1 ): and

the ].., J!'.i.C n.:prt'Scnting a nude ~~tanding godd('SS that Bernard ( I974a: 302 ·-S ;tnd 1. n. 1 on p. ·305, 1 Sl compares V\'ith the fl.gurlnf's fuund in So·;ict (\•nLr,11 Asict hut \Yhich SV! rns

to b, r,:;tlwr closer to a clc1~s of :-;tatuct.'le~·-; of Mesnpotami;m tradition front Iran, fnHn the

F.hmitc to the Parthiall period ((_'.g., Ghirshm;m, 196·+, c;p. 6; h.l[W ., 19 ~~: )9: pl. 1 1-H·),

The thircl .?J'Ollj! of. scu!ptucc {c) indudc:_;: a hronLT ·c;tatut'tte uf ,~~ h<tJdlt':-:~; 1--lr'l;lkks

huLling J clt_tl) and putting J WJ ,.,-,th (111 }J\s bead, th,1t Bc1·narcl ( 197..'~;.\: j()2

d rustiL/u,:.: J hca.dk:'s linw:.tonc female ::L\HWLtc irum tlw :..:,mctu.:tn

'' ' '

i'

' i

fi2:. ~t.31: Ai Khanum. F' 1· I',, 1 _ :-' , _ ~ , __ . __ . un_erary_ re Je 1rom t w necropolis, ecta~ms ._-t11J. lcug flm'Ymg hall" (th1rd Century R.C.).

representing a youth '-'\·ith chlamys,

Fig. 4.32: Ai Khanum. Ivloulding from a tcrracotta mould rcprcsf'nting a fcrna!t~ bu~t (Demeter?)

(third C(·':ntur:y B.C.).

Fig. 4.B: Ai Khamnn. Silver nwdallion >-"iith C;-hclc on a chariot; probably Jn import from :)yri<l

(thirr1 <J•nturv B.C.).

230 D. Wo MAC DOWAU AKD Mo TADDEI

(I red ems, leaning on a pillar, very close to Hellenistic models from a typological point of view ( Hernard, 1972: hg. 1 5) hut certainly provincial in style ancl pointing tcrwards '' Gandharan'' solutions; t.,vvo heads (a female rnade of unbaked clay, and a male of stucco) from the ·vestibule

of the temple C1 rednns {Bernard, 1969: 344, Figs 19-20), vrhich arc prohahly the most evident link bct\veen the I-Idlenistic products and the later unhaked·-clay sculptures of Kh,llchayan and Gandhara, especially Tapa Sardar and Hadda, which we sh;ll discuss later on. -

In conclusion, Ai Khanum as an art centre appears to be- closel;' linked to Helh_'nistic

culture but not"ahogethr-r excluding the Achaerncnian tradition from its repertoire, chid1y in

architt'cture; at the same time the exca,vations at Ai Khanum bear vvitncss to the f~1ct that

Bactria. \\-as ready to accept the products of the Hcl1enized '\lear East and a.hk to hlcnd the

\-.Jxious traditions into an oril?inal st)dc, the Grpck character of \vhich \'1.-"as its distinp-uishing 0 < C'

trait in relation to the other neighbouring cultures.

Bactrian art is indeed the outcrop of an &lite culture; v+hen the tradition of Greek art finds

its v,.-ay into the everyday figural language of larger groups of population, that will beth'-' birth of Gandharan art.

It is also possible that this transformation of Graeco-Bactrian into Gandharan art cannot

he fully understood in the light ofthf' excavations at Ai Khanum alone, and that othe-r sites in

Afghanistan preserve to\'Vns still J\Yaiting excavation that f1ouri:-:hcd frorn the Graeco-Bactrian

period Lhnmgh the Indo-S(·;--thian ,md lndo-Parthian, and \\-ell into the Ku0hcm period. Such seems to he the case at Emshi-tepf' (only 4 km northeast of Shibarghan, north

A (ghanistan}, a site already \-isited by Barger and Vlright ( 1941: _;4) where the Afghan-SoYict

lViis . .,ion f(_'Centiy hnHlght to the light a 'UJ\\'D, round in plan, whose hfe prohabl;' hegan in the

Craeco-l3actrian period and continued untd the fourth tn fifth cenHny A.D {Kruglikov;-t and SJri<lnidi_, 1971: 20 26; Kruglibwa, 1973).

The h·ench '.:'XCa\·ation~ at Ba!kh in 1914---2 S -,verc certainly disappointing; the trial­trenches of 1947 prt'5cnt u0 with flrmer ground for the ::>tud;.- of the pottery in thi~ period {Gardin, 19 S7a; ;;ee also Young, 19 SS, on the Pennsylvania Uni>.·-crsity vvork at Balkh in 19 )3 ).

[n this connection one nmst al::;o mention the excavation of Begrarn, the ancient Kapi:-:.i of

\'i'hich rnore will be said in the next chaptcr 1 ,,,..here the earliest period (Regrant Il hac; hcen

datt'd to the second centurv n.c.,..-·'sf'cond centur_v A.D. {Ghirshrnan, 1946). The pnttcr;' frnm

this eCtrly period inc·ludc:-; a grryware vvhich, according to F.R ... ~lkhin <pcT~-c~_nal cornmunic1tion}, seems to have its clearest parallels from the lo\vc0t leYe!s of Shaikhan Dlwri,

Charsada, mainly in the Greek and Scytho-Parthianlevels (Dani, 1965---66: l 36fT. l; and some

large bowls of unpolished tf'(hvare .. \Ylth everted rims, that find parallels from Sirkap (Taxi la.)

lwtheen _;o n.c. and :\.D. SO, Tcpe Zarg<trcm (Balkh) immediately before and after the end of

the Gr::wco-Bactria_n kingdom, and Kobadian, in So",.;iet Tajikistan, het\Yecn the tbird and J-irst u_·ntury H. c., thu." fHOYiding .links to other sites (hstributcd over the vdwle <"In: a affected h 1·

the di1Tu<Jion of Grat'co-Bactrian influence (for tbcst;: parallel:-:, the pottery from Balkh, :?~ml a

di.';cu~sion of the aforcmcntimwd datingo; proposed for BegranJ, Sirkap and Kobadian, sec

Gardin. 19S7a.: .2), SS and the bibliography (jUOted therein).

The cxca.Ya.tions recently started b;- a Briti:;h fv1ission at Shahr-i !\ohna, K;mdaha.r ;;;ccm to

hznT been SUCCt':-;::,f'u] from tJw OUUct; their publit·ation lH,c; oppcaJTd in the journal of the SocietY ht· :,cudi(_·~; (\-Vhih\Jou:-;e, 19"70: lvic'\:_i,_-oll, 197';!,),

231 4 PERIOD. ACHAEMENIDS ,~_ND GREEKS

0 EARLY 0 0 1 ·,. - 11 .. l . ll1j1Jrt arc l)ossib]y pre-.'-- ll' ·, tl c• f ct that the ongma ClL)' \\a a.m lJ. ·,

l'v1.ost ren1a1 K<l. J.l 1:--. ,lt: a . . -] .__ -, .. r ., Mundiv.ak haY\' shovi'Tl, ~..-hdc no . -1 F 4 34- " ·ornpanson:-; \Vlt 1 pottu \ rL,m ~ ~_..., .

Achacmcmc ( lg. . ), a._ c l , l ( --itiYch- id'-'ntlfied· nor has anYthmg been 1 . '\chaemenid deposits _1aYC a:; yet wen pJ:-:. . -- .· '-- : - : _. :, -,-- qyp1l

pure)' . , .. l ·, .. 0·.1· .-.-·] ll-' to an Alexandrine toundJtwn. Ho\\C,·Cl,, '-··· l ofi ·1 WllJCh lS ( C 1l!HtC \ a.':iU l 1a) \:' ~ iucnti t:C ' .-

' , IJr , 'llll"l rue t irm. plLlSV.; _ . ~

232 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

rubble-built wall' footings, the remains of \vhat appears to be a working--class residential areq

of town, are datable on the ground of numismatic evidence ''to the late Mau:ryan period and to the Horuit of Indo-Greek povvcr' ', i.e. 2 50.---150 B.c. (A. McNicol]: typnvritten preliminary reports, 1975).

Other sites are promising but have either not been thoroughly investigated or onl~y their existence has been recorded. Such is the case, for instance, of Shahr-i Banu, near Tashkhurgan, where in 1938-- 39 some French excavations shuvvcd the superposition of several :::uvvns,

yielding Kushan coins from the upper layers and coins of Euthyclemus and Hdiocles from the lov,'t:T (Carl, 19S9a); and of a town in the Wardak district, betvvcen Kabul and Chazni, 'Shere surface shcrd collection points to the Kushan age hut the plan sHggests the existence of analogies \Vitb Ai Khanum (Fussman, 1974-b).

Lastly vve must mention the hypothesis, that Bactrian art vvas well accepted outside Bactria, at the Parthian court of Nisa, where the famous rhyta found by the S<lviet

archaeologists (l\1asson and Pur:rachcnkova, 19 56 -S9) mav be rebaarded as the richest t'TOUjl of '- c:::> .J D

Bactrian art objects C'ler found, as bas been cautiously suggested by Bernard ( 1971: 43 '3; but also Barnett, 1968).

5 The Pre-Muslim Period

D. W. Moe Dowoll und JJ. Taddei

Historical Background

Empi1T.

234 D. \V. MAC DO\~lALI_ AND lVI. T/iDDEI

patronage of the Great Ku:.;h.:ms, Buddhism spread _{-lrst \Yest\YJ.nls into .-1\fghcmi.~t,\n and theh

across Centr.1l A~ia to Chilla. leading to the cstabli.:dmwnt of monasteries at o.t:-:t's nn the trade route.

The Later Kushans and Kushano·Sasanians

The history of the later Ku.~hJ.n empire remain." ohsctJn'. It camt' into cunrlit·t \Yith the

po'-\-'(_Tful Sasanian hnpirc of lran, which \\-JS csL,1hlishcd early in tht' third lTntury !\.D. and

·\-vhich seems to hi1\C conqu~Tccl .~onw \\TStt'rn Kushan pnnincc~'· There is !att· v1·idcncc in

Tahari f(_n· an (_'ostcrn nmpcl.i~n by tlw Sa.sani;m kin,g ,'-\nlc:ihir [ (211---241 J; thv trilinuual ,__ '- ' b

inscription of the Sa.;,anian e,·nperor Shapnr! at \:clCish-i-_Rus1crm dated 1o "~6~ Li~:t> p .. :lrt of the

Kusbcm empire c1mong the (\lStcrn SasanLm proYincc~;; and Shapur Il campaigul'· i ,1gain;;t tlw Cuseni il.e. Kushans) in 356_.:'7. Then:· Clrt' COl1SCl11Jcn-tly diYcrgJ.'nt Yic\\-." ,1hPut th,_· political

status of the Ktl:~han kings {<the ffmrth century A .. D.- -pclrticulad;· those IY]w Sasanian

narnr-s or \\Tar S;:t;.;anian type head-dreSS(.\'i. They maY be SasanLtn ·viceroYs in tlw old Kushan

empire, or simply Yiccroys of some of its \Vest ern pnwinc·es lost to Sasanian control; or they

may be independent Kushan sm·creigns, nlling a mncl1 diminisl-lecl territor; ·d]ucnccd b~­Sasanian art and cultnrt" anc: linked at hnws b,- marriage Jllianccs \Yith the >ias,mians.

,"'-,_ king YYith Kushan 1·oy<1l titles is mentif;ncd in t'--hc inscription of SrnTu'dr,1gupta (c.

_)15 3SO) from A!lahahad in India; and the Chinr-se annals indicate that during 1hc period of

the Vv' ei dynast;· ( 386-- 5 )6) power in Kahul and Gandhara '-'as cxcn:iscd by a dyncu;ty founded

by Ch:i-to-1o, prince of tlw (~reat Yueh-chi, vvho built up the Kingdom of tlw li-u-lc Yueh-chi \Yith its capital ,1t Pec.;hawJr.

The Hephthalites

In the bttcr part of the f{mrth century ,-'\.D. a .'illC'Ct'-"Si.on or Hunnk tribes inq(); d Bactria and

t'stablishcd control o..-cr the country north of tlw I---Iindu Kush mountains. The i-1Tst of the new

inYadcn-; \Yf'rC the Akhunu (probah1y red l{uns) v,·ho St.Tm to have lwen !JML of a larger

grouping of }-[un.'>. After defeating the Sa!;anians and killing their l--·:mperor hnu in 4N4, the

I--Icphthalite~ estahlislwd ,1 major empirl' ·which extendt>d from central A.sL1 to the Indus

\·alley. The Chinese annah oLht' period assert that the Hcphthalites belong to tb. Yueh-chi or

Kushans, and it sen:ns clc~tr that they did mix \-n:dl vvith the local Iranian popubt_(on of Bact ria

from vdwm the-y ado•1)t:ed the use of Bactrian scrint. Their enmi.re did not hcnYc\ c-r last for ' ' '

''Cry long. In India YasoYarrnan, King of Maho:;-1, led a confederacy to defeat the l i1..mas in S28

ancl obliged them to \·':ithdrcm- to K~:shmir; and in the mid 'lixth ~-entury the 0:\_us empire of the Hunas \'\·as OHTthn_)\Yll ln· the Turkls all·icd to the Sa.sanians.

·----,---,, ll" c lf "

111e t'rogress 01 Jslam

The Ar.1h armies fulloi-ving tlw banner of Islam defeated the Sasanians in /LD. 6--1-2. During the

latter half of the seYcnth century they ilrst raided the \-Ve:;tern Afglun prnYincc.~- ;:/ ScislaJ; and

5. THF PRE-MUSUIVI PERIOD 235

. - "' --· \t.T],cn subsenuenth-' the pcrwer of the ] l -'t} I ·lan''C' uo\·einms ... , . -J - " ·j . d then controlle< t 1cm \-\-1 I s' d :::,. - -. l , . t1"' centun~- -the- SaHanr s m

f--leratan -l _. _.], . H 1w to pov.-e1 m t1c mn , , .

l. l te declined, loca.lls an.nc IU <.r.s (ell l. . • u lkh DurinrJ these cr-ntuncs the ca 1p Ia . . ! . f'. ·t · Bokhara ano lateJ m ua -· E- • • • -·• ·. and the SanHl1llS at HS m__ . i ,. - h··"' Pakistan a j)O\\.-erhll non-lslamll :,eistan . . . ,, 1. h ··t·::m torrned \VJ'l.l J,dit en, · · -f crtstc-ru r1. g am., ' - ' ountams o '. '-- . l ,., l . 111 r l- • Tln-ki and Hmc u ."'!Da11S. K'jnuclom o t H_ - .

~

Turki and Hindu Shahis . T - ' f -30 thcr<.' '-Ycrc a series of " _I -' :<- r t1 J Chinese pilurim }-l!Lll'Jl Scmg in )_ , ' ' ll I I

;\t the time of t!W '>i~i~ o H.: . . ::::,1 - l ·l l ccome tributarY and (;anc nra 1ac a ' ,_. .. - ( BegrJ.m) I ag lman 1a~ ) . z 1 1 1 t ·t t"S dcj)Cndcnt on .i\.aplsa '- c • ·I, 1 '. -~l·t,.· .I -ld become dejJCmhnt on __ .a )U, ou s a "- . -- r. -·. , B - 710 the w 1o " ioc '-dl •• 1.: - . . . l . 1 .. +. ·cJtnrnanclant frow t.di;1SJ. ) , ' - .·l'!lcTlcrs of cast ;\tgbamstan. T1( l,\, 1

' · 1· ,.1 1 ·-became 'nc 1)0\\·eJ L 1 ·- - '-1 . ' ' tlv tbe Kzil"JH.l .) ta ll'i ( - L r •• • -,1 I i Kl 'n'il The kings were

SU)S(tlU(l1 .· - - ·~- k' 'v--abitiuin [JCTJll Sn1, anc 11 _). ~ .. dvn.1stv numhciTll Gtn.nng il:-, mgs J ~ ·~~- t'~:· '-· :I Dun'. a. Wt'rt' \\'urshipped. Pd.buum .· ) r _ l., , , 1- '-"·/Jt'cJa n -'1"" a,]( - -::-- , .- . tc\ Buddhists hut th(.' 1- .l:!(h .•. i.~~)llS, '---!_. •j 't 0 r TibcL:m oricJi:1 tracing thcu- de.s.cent ll.l ' '

--,. -·i-- wl•o \-Yr-re ~,cue to )l: o · -- - o . . 1,, 1 .1 . tY

!escribesthcm as . .\:.L,.._:-- , !. I .. i· t·pft_h(::oldTurklor 'usn,m";na.s .·· '· · K ·1 ·· Kanishka)anc socc.scem __ tns · 1 tl •rnwrations from c\nl<\. (l.C. , .. - . c l, I, .. K ]l~ ·the BPhman minister \Yho un.·rt llT\\· 1l' c . ! ··l 1 · w."'~ !ounc cc b, ' J .eel - ·- _ ;· I·l . y (luh

The Hmc u S.:1dd1 • . , . . , ... 11. . ··tl the "i,slnu J)tYWt.T or "a.n. a . -·Jl·il···mcmtocon!cl'<'l'l- 1 - c-- . ]I·'·

l ·t Turki Shahl. h•cl-·1ta) _\' .. lc; (a - . ·;,-,., l tl _, city but transferre< LlU! as , . c;:··:n T' " Shabi~ :"ubsl'(p.lcnth- rcco\. llC lt . , 1 l) L .. ~

eJ[)tured Kabul m '-'I"'. 'n, ,_ . L , l I. J' km a hove .r\ ttock ln rnoucrn 31"-L'-'t,dl. - I H -1 .... )\Yn fm ·ht ,ncus _) - -- ll' ·I I' "!''·tal at this 'tX'r!O( tn' Ul.ll '.au.. . · ' -. .. .. l·l

1-, ..

1dcrs hccJlYI.C c:--ta' 1S H'( ll1 c" ' . , , , . -.. ,. , 1 1 , , •• iute ot .-;trong :, an1 J -- · •

The jJOsition ol the ·~,lvriJc, \\or . ..,( t1U \\ nu. "~ - . -, _-, r tl -, ~-ort there in 962. Hts general . - ., - -k' ·h ·l-vc 1wc.Jm:..· mJstu ,)J ,1( . - . . ,

Ghazni, after AlpL"fH;, J. ll;l L.iS s d , ,- '( ' ·1 :, 9''7 lPd rt'jWJtcdh raith-d the tcrntm: 1977 -997) ;111lll'Xt'd l 3tili t,J I ' " . ·-, - .· l-· ,· _ .. ·J.

and successor. . . : I 11 ttl • 11

O·l 1. l .1uJ-Fr>an in 990 Sehllktegm < ( llSJH. ) . l 'j I.'. ]"• __ ]]__in l l)ltC 1t'( ),1_ ,c lc- -' b • ' ' 't . r

of Jaypal t w S 1a. 11 Kmg. nn,u1) . , I. ,. J '- 1·1 -- l 11 he remJining Ah~hJn tern one;; o . - I J . I ' l '-'''d t1Je ]Jru\ lt'!C\.' or (lid a ),:1(t JJ1( ·-- - '--ddcatel ,l)pa d_,1U ;u.l;l~ ,,, ,

the Shahis.

Epigraphy

The Surkh

The Greut lnscriptjon

~d into the' cncl<J'-UIT w~d1, Llw

CXCJ.\·ators cl i~u JYl'lT•.l k; F_- l 11\;'f .·,,,1 jl)._l~~: al \ur n l\_ot<L ·'"J.l_ - , -

236 D. V\l. MAC DO\VAlL AND I\L TADDEI

fig. 5, l: Sur-kh Kota l. S(_Tipt ,1nd the Ir<u1i;m

The great inscription L1nguagc ol. R:1ctri.J.

145 440; l:lcmcnl't'· 1961. 1 1 + 117 , l ,. . · ·· · 'a1matla 1964 173 +71 F c CUl1(;ltwn vvritten in n1p;:,T' 1 j.·. . . '.. - l ( 1l.!: !.l f .. It i:-; in cxceJ!cnt U f' ... r ufCl:'t<-: crtcrs :-;imihr trJ 'l. .. . l . ,

n ortunately the \Yonls of dJ, t, -t - .. , ~ 1US'-..' user on tlw coins of Kanishlct 1 ·I

1 ... l ' .. L tx. ate nwra,cd cont:nw ·i-· ·j l , ·

p nw,ogHa problcrns and disr.Jut·'. ..1 . : . . _, .H.ls,_, ant. t ltTt' 11;1H" ln'('.11. :o.erit!l!'> · .... · . . . . . ·· t s il )Olll 1ts mteriJrct; t.. 1 ·. .. , msuJptwn, vd1Jch VJSltors \Y") 1 lj . . . l ron. It lS 110\\ clear that 1h' , .. , _ .. .. . , , ' \ UHJ "lil\t' ::-.ecn ;1t the rnain cnt- · t· Ll , . · ". . .. .. '-·.~lllLtnal"\- a.s the t~ .. <wi_shkl f) . 1 I''] .. I) _o L 1< 'itancctsc, dcscnbcs tlw K . ]] ·,. .. · c ' anJJF 0 ( ~~ "-c1LOrJ c;anctuctn: 1' l ... , 1 · __ ,

i.lll1Sl((l;;name .. Soona..!"tcritc; .. 1, .. ·] · < -' ,) \\ .. l!Cl1 tw lord king u;·n<.' ! "' . . .. 1 --· , l omp t tiOll l w ,'Janc1.uarY h _, .. , . -1· ., '- ,':-> ),(d.l!W (J.esolatc. 1 hen NokuT;--,1-'l '-1 , '·....... . _. tcarnt \\atcJ \'Sc;, aJHJ the buildil:P

surrom1(kd "\Yith a. \\-all ha. I '-"--,1~'-,: t_v dlc-,lnct_ . .,upcrintcndent in year 31 had the huildir~ .. .· . ' .. (J a "\\t .. dut;, and tl."')IJOlntcd a , , .. ·' .... , • S I . . ·::-..

\Vl"S10l1S u/ the tn.J.in tc>.:t \"l. .. tT(· !"(_'COY ,~~." J r· .. l I 1-J.. . . ll ,) .. t l Sl cr ... l.l lSccpcntJy 1.\Yo ftntlwr - j1 · ·1. tl\C. Jum_i\\-thrccl)l J, ~--.. !" .

\\ e J or bm t mto th.t' w;:tJls o·r "] ., ·t ' .. j. j· - , ,CJ(_ '-s u :--,tonvs .ound m Lhe lan·''' \", • .. ·L -,·-~l1(SJ.ll.'-,('c1(JD[~tOit. 0

--r .. ' (~1. )1 u! dw Kanisl1ka lTd .b!h in dw rci;JJJ pf ; .-.,, ·' .. \\ hd(' lt l.'i clr .. '/tr that the huilcliwr. " .. , .. ,· ... . .:::,. .. Hu\ ,:iLL1, tnc succcs:;or oi Ka.nishka

1., 1 --!...,lLSulf!llOll J"t''·rr-ds111 _, ....... : · 1. · .

\Yl11C!1madr·itnos<;ihlt·i·c .,."tl""··l "lj· ,' l .... c!tj)J.O>J::-iHJno thcsu_lliC\\cllzi::-;uplll: , ·J ,_, l _, .. I .' '. ·.. .. ' > v-,t -1z .JUJ c mg unocr Htn ishka in 1 t ~ 'l /\ .. 1, t H l 1. w sln.mc "\\ J'' built lw K ,; ·l,k L. . . 'I > , Jt , UllJ!l's '"'ndlJ"llllU,

.. .. cll,S l cl (() l"OlllJlH.'l110rJtt-· a \le\Or.\" '-;OOfl ,•_f.( ('< .. I. 0 " • fll.', <tCCC~.'-iOn

J. THl' PRE-MUSLIM PERIOD 237

and ·was restored \Yith a secure \Vater supply thirty years later, or whether it was built about

the time of Kanishka's death and the well and enclosure wall \\TlT simply added a fc\Y years

later to provide the \Yater supply necessary for its usc'.

The Monumental ~Voll Inscription (Curiel, 19)4: 189 91; Marice], 1958: 414-6; llcnn·niste, 1961: 1+1-50)

Can:cd on a series of blocks that seem originally to haH' hcen in a line along the scc-cn1<l terrace

as one cLmhs the great staircase, \YJS a monumental ·waU inslTiption o!" ,,..~,-htch l\\'ch-c

fragments .,-,ere n·coYtTcd, some still in situ. lt had large letters, bet\\·ccn 5 ancl 7 · 5 em high,

indicating its importance. It seems to han: been the foundation inscription of the sanctuary,

whereas other inscriptions refer to later ~>tages of construction. Then .. ' arc not enough vvonl

fragment:; to reconstruct it \Sith any C\.'rtainty, hut it docs contain a date including the

Bactrian numeral f{").r one, ! .. <.::. y~:...'ar 1, 11 , 2 1, 31 or some larger num1.K'r.. It probah1 y contained a traditional formula. corresponding to the framC\York of Lhc Crcat Inscription

(Harm,1tL1., 1965: 19S-20S).

The l'clomeclcs lnsaiption ' (Curiel, ·19;4: 194--7; l'v'L:n·icq, 1950:430 l; BenYcnic;tv, 1961: 1;0 2; Harmatta, 1965:

!49 lh·l!

A furJ.hvr l"rclgnwntar;- in:;cr.iption contains t\YO dear "\Yonb that leave us in little douht about

it.s contenL'-' .. Ht'n.ning (1966: 1"36--7) rccogni.zcd nne as the Sogdian ByS'n'k-··tcmplc, altar,

s<.mctuc-·.1"} that still. surYi\·cs as the modern p.latT name Raghlan for this locality. The second is

the Greek nan1t' Pabmc<h's in the genitive. It presumahly referred to the nmstruction of the

sandUM\ 'througb Palanwdcs'' the Crc('k >sho was clthcT iLs architec-t, agent or clerk of

works.

The Unfinished lnscrivtjon c? I

(Cur!t'i, 19S+: !93- 4; Maricq, l.9SS: ')45-,+4·0)

h]uttll>- puzzling is the other in:-;t-ription which has a datl' --Uw ,'>tone slah on which the cu1tr'l ..

has sk,,tdwd in the lll"st lint' of an inSL'riptio.n but onl; vngr~."\.Td full;- i.n its tln,1l form the

first <x knc~rs '·'in the yca.r 2 Different lTadings haH' lwen gin'n for the la.st

l.\H1 d uf tl.11..· number 1HTJ1.JS(' the;· arc .sirnply skctcht'd in ruughl;· on the .stun c. RcadinL~ thv t.i in I digit a': cr.u 1\"1arjt C[ g.J.\"C .2 0 5. HarnL"ttta { 196 5: 164 19 S) reading them as and

rhcrci l''-: .l99. If as ~;ecm.'; rnor1~' likelY theY Jre 11Hliuon cmd 1hcro the zbtc is \Tell" 279. BiYar

(196): --i-9~-·50.2) hac., Jrgucd that clll c<lflit.T tT<l, the Old S,\k(l era, is U'-'l'd lwca.u:-c \\"ht·n tll('

tmlin\-.,)v.·d in_..;t-ripti(Hl \\"cl.'- cut in }79th(" l1C\\ era. of Kani~:,hb_ had no"l \ .. Ct been introt.hnTd,

l.c. \i.."d!" 2/'9 mu.-;t conw imnlt:'diatdY b:..,hrc \Tor 1 of Kanishk1. Fus:~rn,1n ( i 974-,-=~: .. 39 +Ol

238 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

when the level of the cella \Vas raised and had no integral part in the later building. Harmatta (1965: 164--195) has tried to reconstruct the scratched-in text and reads a series of Kushan royal titles. The interpretation of these must hcnvever now he rcvicvved in the lighl of the nndy disco-vered inscription from Da::~ht-i-Ncnvar ivith the .same date of 279.

The Inscription at Dasht-i-Nawar

The Greek and Kharoshthi Inscriptions

In 1967 a French geologist hrst drev,- attf'ntion to a series of five inscriptions cut on a rock of

vokanic origin at an altitude of 4"-320 m on the \\'est side of the Dasht-i-I\a\\'ar about "-V0 km '''est of Ghazni (Fussman, 1974a: 8-22). One of the larger inscriptions (l:-;ig. 5.2) uses the monumental G reck script of the early Kushan period that \YC' knov'l-" from the momtmentai ·vvall

inscription at Surkh Kotal ancl is in the Bactrian language. It has a date in the month of

Gorpiaios of year 279 and includes the name of a King Ooemo. To the right is a I'v1idd!e Indian

inscrjption in Kharoshthi script \Yhich also begins v.,-ith a date 279 in the rnonth of Corpiz1ios

folluwcd bv the kirw's nanw RaJ·atiraJ·asa '/hamakusasa There \\"tTe clearly 1\'1;o - 0 -

·versions of the same text----one in Bactrian the other in Middle Indian-- -mentioning the name and titles of the great Kushan king Vima Ka.dphiscs.

The inscription in an Unknown LcmHuage

The third inscription, the best pre.'::>er\-cd of the

Kharoshthi, similar to tht~ Kha:-ushthi of the Kushan is \Yritten in a script derived from

coins, bllt it is in an unknov\.-n lo;_·al Iranian language anJ remains undecipherccl (Fuss man, 1974<1: 22-31). The script reads from

right to left, and has diacritical marks similar to those on a painted gr-affito fragnw~1t discovered at Surkh Kotal (l'Vlariq, 1958: 417; and a potsherd from Khalchay?,n

(Pugachcnkova, 1966: 59). The series at Dasht-i--Nav\·ax is completed by t\YO further

inscriptions in poor condition-- one in Greek anci one in Kharnshthi script. The location of

these f-ive inscriptions is particularl:- remote and must ha-ve been C'-]Ually so in antiq-uity. l.ih~ the introduction of a roval pole coinar-'c, the usc of rock cut trilingual inscri1.)tions in d.n

_- L' 0 (._ .

inaccessible place seem~: Lob:: part or the deliberate .!ra.nlsm_ of the early Kushan,-; \Yho .seem tq

hn-c consciouslY adontcd !Jractices associated \'vith the .. '\chaemenid great king -;vhust' • I L c succesE-.or theY claimed to he.

Chronoloi]icol Sign!ficance

The special interest of the Dasht-i-Na\Yar in.'icriptiuns lies in their chronology. \\.re nO\Y ha\c

dates for the Kushan king \lima Kadphisc.s in t\vo numerical sequcncc.s-- -the higher one 279

used hen' and _in the unf-i{J_isbcd B2ct1~ian inscription at Surkh Kota.l- --the lower ~nc of J 84 or

187 found in the Kharoshthi inscription ofVimu at Khalatse, a \-il!agc in Ladakh 80 km belen\

THE PRE-i\1USLL'v1 PERIOD :>. 239

FI·g. !},2; Da.shL-i-\ra\\·,lr. The l3actri;m in~cription. , j· l

rt ,,,. c''tt' sequences that \';C hw 111 t,lf' · 1 · fl "t · -t-} c Tlltt'fll 01 \, ' tcc ' • I ch { l((llWW' 19 29: 79-- 8l). T nts rE'- t> :-; .' 1 l- ( f'L.. l ~ t~, te of Az~·s ll, In the higher scnes - . . - -f ·thcrn Pakistan <l~LU t H L< ,. .. K d l-..;,~.

Kharu:.hthi inscnpttons u not ·. ·- .· . 'I 1 • .__, . ]Jicd in turn. bv Kujula. a pu,sts, • 1 ., •. t·nrscnnvAzt:sl arH~aJ'-co- . l] 1971· Jihonika_ the satrap, '-NHOS( COl!1 ) f •• - r -" . ]"' _., 1979· 8 '! -8 3 · JvlacDcnva,_, _,__ ·

• 1-· -·1 ,''TrduCJ(YaSC('•JHl0\\1 ---. ' --has·-:d-'t1cofn--arlcJ".\ontne ztxlasll\, l !'!'. l· Kaclp'c~ise'; (;ondo]Jhare~;,Abdagases

c' c. • - - r . t' "'" ·u A 0 '-U]U ,1 ' ' -·' - . ? 1 • 1 1!")) ~ d::~te that uivcs 90 ·vea.rs m lh

1 ' , -. ,. Vinn In tflf, lower sencs ... )--_ '_" '·, ··,.~ -. ··lv'· c·b·forcycar279intncrngnor - '· ..... ,, ··'!

and dw Nameless Kmg Sotd .1 lZ:gh~ t - -· -"] .. , . va'"'I'la COfJY the com types of' ,zes l ' , ,,.{-',. •, dra-varrna ar"' nspa c _,_ .. "' _ • , _ :

1, .

Gondopharcs, -.,vhose 1:-re~L '". ,_ sso~s u ,-- " c I 9. 57 62 ) and the l\ anw less Kmg Sot cr 1\. ( ~~~.s ha::; CJ dating of l 03 at 1 aknt-J-Bahl (Kono,,' I 1i .. , ·, ~1· \.Yal1 co'J';cr plate and 136 on the 1-axJ!a

'·'·'··l·tP" of 122 on the Panjtar stone, 134 on t H J:'.-.a.d , . i l has . __ ,

' ' i:'-·'

240 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

silver scroll to give some 80 vears in all before the Vima dating of 186 from Khalats·· '---' _. .__ ,e (MacDo1eval1, 1968c: 1· 2'1). Virna's ahsolutc date turns on the eras to \-vhich t1w.sc sequences

arc attributed. Fussman links 279 to the Graeco-Bactrian era of independence from the

Seleucids in 247 B.C. to give a date of A.D. 32 for Vima. Bivar explains 279 by the 1ndo-Grcek

era of Menander vvhcn the Bactrian Greeks conquered the Indus provinces and the 184 or 187

ofKhalatsc to the Vikrama or Azes era of 58 B. c.----to give a date oL-\.D. 124· for Virna. Their

interpretations are understandably influenced by their differing Yiews on the era of Kanishka, V\·-ho V\'as Vima's direct successor.

Other Kharoshthi Inscriptions

The Ew of' Kanishka

From the various provinces of the Kushan empire come an important series of inscriptions

dated in the era of Kanishka. Those in Brahmi from Mathura and the upper Garq:,z-', vallcv are

dated bct>veen years 2 and 98, and there is a second series with later dates F;orn 1 t{; 57. Among the Bactrian inscriptions from Surkh Kotai, the (~reat Inscription, discu:~:--:cd abcwe,

has a date of 31 in the era of Kanishka. Iv1ost of the Kharoshthi inscriptions <lssociatcd \vith this

era. come from the Indus Yallcy---in particular the northern pro-\'inces of Paki."tan and the

\\'estern pro...-incc of /tfghanistan. Recorded dates rangl' from )Tar 2 to year .S9 and this giYes a

f-inn relative chronology. Unfortunately there is a continuing dispute about the ini Lia1 vcar to vvh:ich Kanishka's era should be referred (lLtshdm, 1965; Gafuro\·, 197+). fv'lc!ll\" Indian

::.cholars continue to assert that it is identical '-'Vith the Saka era of the \Yestcrn in A.D.

78. Most \Yestern scholar.'l nov,-- support a (late in the early second century A.D. l>eL\·cen t\.D.

120and H+ while Giibl (19M: 137 I 51 1 argues!(Jr ,, . D. 230 and Ze;mal ( 1 974: .''c) 2 3011 for A.D. 278.

Afahan Inscriptions Connected with the Kanishlw f.ra

The Afghan Kharoshtbi inscr-iptions dated in Kanishka 'sera arc associated \vith Buddhist stupa

deposits. Arnong the anti<pities sent from Kabul to the East India Company b;: Cktrlcs Masson

\VJ.S a brass casket \·d'lich hJd an inscription on its lid -''in vear! 8. . the Cota.rna 's relic was

enshrined '' (Konov·;, 1929: 1 51 1 52). Frorn <'! stupa at Hadda, 8 km from JalaL:bi>d, ivhsson

recovered a jar- w-hich cont;Jined a Kharoshthi inscription '' nTittcn with a. pen but \Try

cCtreicsslv''. Jt '"-'as oublished b,. Tlwrna.s from a co•1)\' he found among Ma~son 's Dc\_nns at the - -' - - '---' ' j

India Off1cc in London (Konow, 1929: 1S7--15.SJ. He rc(ld "in year 28 ,, relic \VJS

deposited in the king's grove in a stupa b;- the architect Samghamitra.'' Fi·om ,, stupa ncar

\Vanlak, SO km \Yest of Kabul, M<tsson rt'Covcrcd a bronze Yast' some .2 5 em high and 14 em

broad, ncnv in the Hriti.sh l\,1u:,n_:_m, l.ondon (KorlO\Y, 1929: l6S--170). The '.·a:ol' has a long inscription in four linr·s ronnel its shouldlT and t ircumL_'n·ncc. lt i.s dJted in \'t'<lr S 1 and

rvconls tlw establishment of the relic by Vagranurcga in a stupa for tlw Tv1a.hardj~,l 1-hJYi'-'hka, and for the honom· of the dvclica.tor's rvlativcs, friends and a'isociates.

5. THE PRE-MUSLIM PERIOD 241

Undated Kharoshthi Inscriptions

l ,. ,- ]·• L,[abad comes a srnall stone relief of t\YO vvrcstlers no.\v in. the PcshaY'/a.r L' La pura n,_a, '--· c ' r • •

trmn -.h k "' .. '46· l7-l9) It ]Jas a short Kharoshthi legend in later kushan scr.tpt:. 1 (S a -ur 1:; ' . ·- ~ · - · ' • L •

M .. uscurr . l . \.. ', --, -·k 'lan1c Menandcr. Also of Kushan date in the second or thtrd ccntu.ry f . drasa t lt ;1 t t , , - . . 'l ·l l .

J w~ml ' cJf it··· letter forms and the l)ot on \'\·hich it vvas vv:·rt.tcn, 1s the K 1.aro" 1t n. o wcause ' · · 19(9· 5· 1'\ Th · A. . . . f" s··t··;·--vh from Hadda no\'\.' in the Kab1J1 Museum (hlssman, )_. - 7,. c

· ·cnpt1on ° · 1 ).,,::-;,'' ' · · 1 - · - -· 1 ·· l ms . . -. ,,. 1. 1-~,-,, 1 ~ ;!'ink on the shoulder of a vase ·vvhich \YJS tound m a argcr p1 \\ rL1 ea1 t 1 . scnptionis ., cc~--', . . , h -- -n ~- ,., ·--'­tn. . It sc· '111'. in h··,ve been a funcrarv jar and in~;cnptwn. Three o.t t c sm,l - ttl ra..._ OLLd.

1dbones. · '-- '·"· c, •· ,._ - 1 · 1. ac . l l _ . ·tt-'., t thin the \valls of their yesscls that were mscoverec J.n t H "mpkments USCt •>:- eu E1 S O - c • • r _ • _ 1 . _ . , · l '-' 1

-. . tinP" h::JYt: Kharoshthi inscriptions ot the Kushan pcnou--a naml:': lTl t h Begra1n exc<na , .. ::> • '- - - •• ). 13 llh"t

'-- .. '· - ,-('h-,--. 197{'·43-55) Onco:tthcmrccrstoJLLHC IS ucnitivc inchcatmg tnc1r O\\ nu . ussrnan, - '· - . · -b 1' l s l" "j , '}10 is pro t-eeter_, [)'\" t lC , amg lJ.. ·. -

''N~\ _ JS ,1. 1 .. ,.(~~ 'Yi.th in'-'cri)Jtions in Klnroshthi ."nd B1.·ahmi have been dJscov.crcd at Ul11t'J0l. d> .. • • ·- . . ,

H ll in the CXCJ\·a.tions of Dr IViustJrnandi and Dr Tarzi. The h-cnch_ excavatwns at tne

B:~:l:l~ist monastcnc of Guldara 1 5 km southeast of Kabul between 1963 and 1~6 5. prodnc.~d . f . t ·.· J-<1-.--,,---"-;11 1-~,i inscrij;tions h'I/O 1ragnwnta.r-v mscnptwns m (U.SJ.\t Bact!.lcd1

Dllll' ragnH n a1 :- · -· ",, ·,,, __ , ·' - - ' '--- . .- : ,__ . , 1 ,I , 1 I c 1 . 1 , ·-- K1mbnji found on shenls from vases tlJat had emu )t ongec to

anc one t lat ma; H Ill ( - , . , -. - - ' - ---, 197t. 9J--9-i Other the Buddhist mon.::r~rt_TY in Kushan tnnes \_fussman and LC Belie, - '· - ·· · ) .. -

frao-mentarv Kharoshthi inscription<; on sherds han' been disU)\TrC'd at Basavv-al (IVl!zu:10,

1971- 41) ~·nd in solJthcrn Ba.ctricl. These slwnl inscriptions in ink un Ya~s:·s tha: hclc~nge<~ to · · i g 'Jh· · "t · 1 · 'akh' 1 !l;h; Pahtu monastic communiti('S 2rc- known -fron1 a series o. ud J~t Sl :.s sue l d_s • .' .L~ - '--•--,, ~ ~~.-

Dhcri and Shahr-i--t},h_ln_l _in Pakistan, Ctnd Kara Tr·pt' hy Old [ vnncz 1!1 USSR on tht 0.-~ds

fn;nticr.

Later Inscriptions

The Use of Bactri~~n.l _1

t P k' L,

1 l hcler

Bactrian rer~aincd in ,-,:'~'~"for, verv 'lonlr time in Afphanistan anu nm"lt1ern a JSUL '-~ '- 1 -

Kanishka the Kushan ;~1 hstitt;tctf'Bactrian fm~-'Greek legem\ and discontinuul the usc

of Kharoshthi at it': Inint> .. In roval tltula.ture Basikus Basil con v~·as repLlL·cd bv Sh.atma_no Sha<"~ ( Gi:ibl, 1960a: 94--96) and the n~mes of di·vinitics such as Hdios and Selene became _M!Or:> ::m~1 Mao. Under the C~n_:·,_;.,t K;1_:~h;>,n:, the sc~·ipt remains largely tlw monhnwntal script o} tl-~e Sur~n " · · · ' · 1 · . K" ·1, . s . · - 13· ·t ,·,n cursiYe \-vas employed on U1e Kotal tnscnptJOns: !--rut \'-TLl tht' _ us lnll(r. asarnans, - J.( J k - · - .• " . .

1

coins (Hivar, 19)6; l 'j --l)·!. Its use I.Yas continued -under succe<.;siH· ruler~ ol tlle llu~1:11.'Sh am~ ·r k" 1 · d 1 ' 19'" --o '9. -rf _, .. -·1· ·t c.·'c·1't1c· coins in the hrst issw· oi SpalafMtJ ur--IS1 peno s (Hurn ta_cn, oo:) _;----o ). 1t ,_al_Ies ,J '-' - _ _ _ .

Deva st;lll-nve a ,-.u,.,.:,-,_ F;-,,·1-ri::n'l leucnd on the n'H'l"SC transliterating the Sharada legend of • ' ' < ~- ,,_'i_,, -~-~"':~ '-..• t;' .. - d' .r. --· ,f("'.,. J-:-.; "1 ,1--teris.'-:uc-;.l'viost

the obverse, hut the u:·,z: ot kactnan IS ahandune 111 1a\Oul c "':>na~<K" 1~1 LH~ d . 1

_,_ "

r · · --- -. ~ · · 1 f'- n l-',t· · 1,cl -~--,, i"l Tn(han scn1·)ts DUL che 01 the u1scnptions ot t:'c,,,_- Sh,~hl peno( come rum 1 aKIS and,_ ,.r, ' ~.-- ' . ~,-1

._.

I · · · '· 1 • · · , -r · - d , Toe hi vallcv m north\\TSt I)a_<'.lSU.n ate use of Bactnan 1s J.ttc:;tco m tne mscnpt!Ons .!l o,n - 1t - . -

I · t 2'' 1 (j'- -J 't B"ctrl-ul c•·a {Humbach 1966·10·:.; '7;. T'-voofthc.sch.;p,:e{atcsmyca_rs,)JLanc,_' JL_,._ '"- ·'- •. c,

I I '1 '.I . ·1·. · v -k ·t 1 ·" 1 .... ~--:,.,. fcrrcnch tCJ the mid--ninth centurv an< can w < atca Y\" t 'it' ,H·compan:nng ."~J.llS rr aiH1 .'1 ,.,, -E~ -· ,_ .

.-'l..n.-- -tlw latest attest. usc-· of Bactrian.

Fig. 5.4: ]agatu, Chazni province. The BCJ_ctrian lnscripbon.

S. THE PRE~MUSL!M PERIOD 243

Fig. 5.5: Uruzgan. fhl' first Bactrian instTiption.

Tbe jagatu !mer

Two later Bactrian n::o,nlptions haYe been di.'iCOV\.Tcd at Jagatu, 20 km from Ghazni on the uxid plateau crossed h> an anc1cnt caraYan track from Ghazni tcnvards Kabul (Scerrato, 1967:

11----24; Humbach, 1967. 2 5--26). The f-irst inscription (Fig. S. :3 l i.H_.arvcd on the flat surface of a granite boulder hy '->c:ratching on the thin dark surface of the stone leaving the jm;cription

standing out. It contain.', the Buddhist trirauw formula i. c. lTYCJTnce to the Buddha, to the

Dharma and to the S,1ngha. The second inscription (Fig. _S .4) is on a large rock at the side of

llw caravan track, .::tr·;d U:'J('d the same technique. But it js poorly pn:.'it.TH .. 'd and difficult to

interpret. Humhach ·it contains a reference to Tigin Shah and uses ulu __ y, a \Yorn

Fig. 5.6: llruzgan. T'hv <,ccond Bactrian insniption ..

244 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

borruvvf'd from Turki. Both inscriptions probably belong to the seventh or eighth ccn_turies

A.D. in the Turkish period.

The Inscription ~f Uruzgan

There are t\YO other Bactrian im.criptions oF this period at Uruzgan (Figs 5. 5 and S.6) some

280 kin north--vvest of Kandahar on an ancient caravan route to the north. T11C' inscriptions are

C~lrved on a bouldf'r by scntching \vith a pointed punch, as at Jagatu {Bivar, 1954: 112- -118). Thi...' second inscription (Fig. 5.6) al:m rock~cut, t\vo milf"s to the north of the first, is mure or

Jess the same but has a division of vvords not found in the first. Bivar intf'rprets both

inscriptions as ''the divine and glorious King ofZahul Mihira'' and connects tlwrn \vith the

Hcphthalitc dvnastv ofT ora mana and Mihirakula in the sixth Cf'ntun A. u. Hum bach ( 1966:

103-104) off~rs a ~lifferent transliteration ancl sees in both inscriptions a reference t~_-_, the

Tegin and his sun and moon radizmce. The letter forms seem to be some>vhat later than those

of the Jagatu inscriptions and this makes a date during the seventh or eighth century A. n. in

the Turkish pE'riod likely for the Uruzgan inscriptions also.

Indian Inscriptions in Shorada Script

The usc of Brahmi during the Hephthalite period is vYcll attested in Ganclhara both from coins

and ±l-onl inscriptions such as the VVartir image (Shakur, 1946: 45) and the Wano stone inscriptions {Shakur, 1946: 42) both from the mnth of modern Pakistan. The subsequent

development ofRral11ni into early Sharada script is seen in tvv"o inscriptions from A(ghanistJ.n.

The inscription from Gardcz, nmv in Kabul, is engraved in t\YO lines on the base of a marhle

image of the Hindu god Gancsa (Tucci, 1958: 327; Sircar, 196'3: 44-46; Dhavalika.r, 19'/1:

'332). 1t refers to a Maharajadhira_ja Sahi Khingala and dates to his sixth )"E'<l.r. Fron1 its e<J.rly

letter forms Tucci suggested a date in th(' sixth or early seventh century A.D. The second is the

inscription of the pedestal of the Uma Mahcsvara image discovered in the Japanese

excavations at Tapa Skandar (Kuv . .rayama, 1972a: 8--12; Yamada, 1970: 1 S--22). The statut·

portrays I'viahrsYara, his f:onsort Uma and the child Skanda. The inscription refers to the

Hindu Triad, Brahman the creator, Siva the destroyer and Visnu the preserY(:T. "Yamada, l>y analysing the di±Tcrcnccs bet\veen the letter form;;; hen_' and in scripts in ordinary acutt' angkd

Brahmi from India, has shovvn that both the Skandar and Ganesa inscriptions represent

transition scripts------probably in the eighth century /\.l).

The decline in the use of Bactrian scr.ipt in the Shahl period seem.'i to be related to t}y·

gnJ\-V_ing loss of territory in Bactria_ and \/V' estern Afghanistan to the a.d-..:cmcc of Islam, vvhich

brought "'I'Yith it the use of Arabic. The (."orrespclnding grovlith in the use of Indian script ir:

rastern A(ghanistan--Proto-Sharada being derived from Brah1ni and Gupta script----was the

natural consequence. The Sha.his looked increasingly to Gandhara, Kashrnir and the Punjab,

The clf'ax eYidf'nce of the ir:1portant role of this script in Afghanistan during the eighth and ninth centuries comes from the long series of Shahi co inc, frorn the later cigth centur:,

A,D., in \Yh-tch both obverse legends and mint control marks ust_' Sharada, \-vhik the Bactrian

le~•end that had been found on th~-. flrsl issue of StJabpati is com1·)letelv oust-ed from the coinage 0 ' / '--

S. THE PRE--MUSUM PFRIOD 245

Numismatics

The Kushan Coinages

fl.' g. 5 .. 7: Coppe.r didrachm of Nameless Kin~ "Soter Mcoas '' with th, . , 11 1 f' ,1. 1 ., ... , . , f·l 1_. . '-. , ::::,' ' t raycc 1cac 0 1<- 1twaJ.nd ·(

1 0 \ t'l st t; pc o l 1e <...Jng mounted on horseback {late first centtti't' \ JJ ) u. · . t II .· , 'I ue · 'j · ] • . 1 · · .ill\<1 t' CO CC(\011 (-"l.l C " . m ttJs caaptcr arc rcprodun·d actual size.) "' · · oms

f( ~g .. 5.8!: ~u:-.h~n gold din~u- of .Kanis:1ka '"-"ith the king standing at an altar and the ITYfTsc t VjJC oF!\'ana secom ctntmy .-\.D.). l<....abul Museum. -

,,,, ·;-·:

fig. 5.9: Kushan copper tetr:::rdr,<,chm of Kanishka, with the rt'vcrsc tviJc of [\ilion (~!'tl . . 1· , Kabul Museum. " · · · - l L 1 lLl) Ja\.latc.

fig. 5.!0: Kush,ln Fn!d dinal" l'fl ·I I I ,_~ ,'~ o ·.u>i!S1Z<l(.J.1esccondccntl'n''D)wi'ftl · ' Kabul ~Auseurn. '- - ·' ,· ... ,. ·, ~ 1 1C l C\ crsc ty_pc o! NctLU.

5,1]: Kushan coppn tetradrachm of the J-cduccd standard ,,.f' f.·l<.P.,._,[1k,'. I I

J • -' .. l :Jio\Ying dw kin,!! rid it!.~.' on an c ep 1ant, J.nd a tigurc of Siva.. Kabul l'Vluseum. ' - -· -

5. Tl-IE PRE-IviUSLI.i\! Pl".RIOD 247

crude in ~tyle, supplied this need, and arc well represented in the local museum collection at

Kandahar and among Afghan finds in tbc Kabul Iv1uscum.

Foreign Influence

In these nHmCLlry IT forms and expcrinwnb \H' sec foreign prttctices adaptt•d to local Kushan

needs. The I\cnnc!ess King's standard coinage in copper followed the Chitwse prin<:iple of a.

base mct;tl standard; and it certainly succeeded in creating J cutTenc;: that \Ya~ not liabk to

fraud through debased imitalion~. Vima's introduction of the gold dinar \Ya;; prohJhl; inspired b.lth h;· the Achat:'mcnid pn'lcdcnt and the current RonL.l.ll aun.'l.!C'. The usc of n.'H.T:'il'

types deriYcd from Gracco~Roma.n pattern hooks ( GCibl, 1960b: 75·--9) ), the adoption of an

1:[ficina s: c;tcm \Yith <list inctiYe n.'V\'rsc types to mark the prolluct of each t?Jflcina, (MacDo\Y,Jll, 197S: 1++-·-148), and the attempt to make the coppt-r coinage token on ilw RomJn r~;~itcrn reflects standard Graccu-Roman mint. practice of the earlY cmpln .. ',

Coins in Buddhist Stupa Deposits

A large nuTnbcr of Buddhist stu pas in AfiJ,hanistan wert' ext~mined. h;· IVLJssnn and Honig.lwrgcr

in th1...· ninett•cnth centun ( \Vilson, 1 841 : S S·-1. ·1 g). TheY uft n1 fom1(l arnong the

treasure· depo~itcd in the relic chamber coin:, or thv r-wriod in \\ hich the relics ~\"ere depnsit,·d and the stupa \\·as built. '\t. the Bimaran stupa, from \Yhich the BimJrJn rclic1uar~v

was rcc',)\·cred, there Wt'lT four biilon coins \\"lth the tarngha of Kujula. ln Tope 3 tJt BimcU"an

there "\Y('J"C 27 coins oftlw T\anwless Ki.ng. 1n Tope+ a_t Chahar Bagh there were 2S copp\~r

coins of l(anishkJ.. Particular interest Jttachc:, to the ;;tup;t dq)osit.~ that JLc.:o Ul!JtJincd F~oman

coins. h .. om the Ahin Posh Tope nt'<H Jalalahaci, three Rornan ;Hlrel of Dornitian, Tra.jc:tn ?nd

Sabin,t, t-1-H~ wife of Hadrian (A. u. 119-1 3S) \Yt-re found \\ ith ten guld dina.rs <lf Yima, six ()f

KanishkJ. and one of HuYishk.a {Simpson, 1079: 77 79; Hocrnk, 1879: 1"1.2···· 1.3~: CunniJ.;ghaJTl 1 1079: 10':l··.?i1); ctnd gold coin:' of \"inn ;md Kcu1ishka •,:<.·Tn' found \-\·ith an

aureuc; of ·rraj;m (.'\.D. 98--119) at SheYaki nt.',tr Kabul. Thc:-:c c1s~;ocid'tl"il Kuc;haJ1 and Ronun finds t'O\ i(k important prim.l faci.c c>·idcnn" for the context and (Lltt' of K,:mishka

(J\-1acDcn\all, 1960b: 1.'34 1A·9),

Other Hocuds and Site Finds

Because there \Vas no KushJn silnT currency, mo~t. suhst;mt.icd pa)'"rnvnt.s had to he made in

coppt.:r coinage ::mel this cxpbins the c.onununrwss of Kush;m copper coin:; in .-\fghani~LH1. ExcaYctt.ion." at ~;ites of Kushan date such a,s Bcgram, Sul"k.h Kotal and Ba.lkh, han· pro\'!ded

suh.c.:tc:;iJtial numher:~. P,:Tt.icu!a.r1;: impnrtan.t fol" the intcrprdatiun of the later unna.gc arc the

hoanh of bte KushaJ.1 copper co.in:"i in the Kabul IVhLc;cmn.

The Leiter Kushan Coina8cs

In tl t· later i'I~Ut'\ of the gold coin:-: lwcJxing Lhl' title" uf 1/<e:-:lHlcY.:t, \\T ~cc the cnttTg\'!H e of

two ,,,_,qut'llct"\ (Hoscnheld, 1967: 106 l.?OJ. The nor-thvrn :·wri~~·~, nhich rdai11~ dw Si\·J <1lld

248 D. W. MAC DOWAU. AND M. TADDEI

the bull rcwrsc, evolves into the distinctive seyphate or saucn-shaped gold dinars on which

evcntuall)· we find cmsi;c Bactrian inscriptions and kings like Hormizd and Vahran with a

Sasanicm headdress. The southern series introduces Brahmi letters in the field, eventually

changes to the reve-rse type of an enthroned goddess f\rdochsho and is copied bv the loc;l chiefs of the Punjab and the Gupta.s.

Parallel to the gold i"ues there is a.n extensive coinage of the later Kushans in copper.

These arc often crudely struck with part ofthe tvpe offflan and rarclr l1avc any legible legend.

The earlier coppers of Vasudeva have a hroad flan and falwic similar to the coins of Hmishka (_Fip S.l2 J. AmoJW the lat<:r isst.H.'.'I \\'C can distlntruish three maior scric:-.:

L' C:' ~~ )

1. dlll11pv Siva ,md the bull coppers, sometimes with a :'-landipada symbol, struck to,, "''ight standard of 7-9 g (Hg. ).13);

1. dumpv Anlochslw coppers \\'ith an increasingly arched termination of the King's dn_'S:," -from ;--8 g (hg. ).14);

3. crude Sin and the bull coppers with rery crude i(Jrm lor the king- from 3-6 g thg. s. 1 5 ).

Some oft he bter series are cast local copies and moulds for their manuf1eturc hare been hund in Pakistan.

Although some Ardochslw coppers haYc traces of a Brahmi letter in the field and\\ ere probably issued in the n1int responsible for the Ardochsho gold, all the three lattT Kushan copper series are represented :n quantity at late Kushan sites across Af-ghanistan from the

Oxus to the Indus. They seem to represent three successive ~tagcs of the stawbrd

denomination of the late Kushan empire, after its currency ITs-crted to a full saluc copper coinag1...·. They arc represented in a series of OYtTlapping hoards in llw Kabul1V!u::;eum which

contain coins of sucn·"in' issues and reinforce the evidence of metrology, type development

and stratigraph_v for the 'Wt]UFnce. Particuhrly intcrcsti11g are the coins in the 1946 ho,:\nl

from the llcgram excasations which contain coins of the cadic1· Siva tvpe ddiherately cut at

the edge to reclucc the amount uf copper to assimilate the coins to the lown vwight of the next group.

Sasanian Influences

1he KushL1no-Sasanian Coinages

Whatncr may ha1e he en the political status of the later Kushan empire, there'""'' certainh ,J

.-,harp grrnYt.h in Sasanian influence v1.·hidJ is :'il'Cn most clc<JrJy iil the so-.ca.ll.cd Kushano­

Sasanian coinag;· (Bivar, i9\6: ll +2) !Fig. S. 16) The KushanoSasaniaJJ gold sc_rphatcs have

been lcnmd OJJ the Oxus, at Qundm, in llaclakshan and in hoards from C'harikar and Kabul

(Curiel, .!.953: 126 -127). Kushano-Sasanian copper· coins ha.Yc a more 1oca1i~cd di:-;tribution.

The :;mall st-rics \Yith neat Bactrie;n Jcgends arr· \\·ell represented from tlw Balkh cxcaqtirm:.

{hg. S.l7) and in the Ivlazar I1l1..Et'l..Jln-· -and ma;- hrlH' he en jntcndcd to rn·m·i(l(' fradional

denominations for the later Kusha1 mppcr cunene.'. The larger series with a dumpy fire altaJ·

begim in the Indus Vaiiec· with an issue or Shapur !I A.LJ. l6i. Coins deriwd li'Olll this

) \\"ith the king standing . 'K•islrnl Kinu \':t:-;1.\dc;a (third ccntur:· \.D. · I' ·I 11 111

, 0 I1I"T cou1 01 c · ' c-. I . K 1 1 Pte. Collection. f' J 5 12: JnlcH "· , '· . l } ·, j ll Boug lt 1!1 am · tg. ·1- - -. ,,1 thl' n~Yerse t\'pc ol Sna ,'Inc ns .1U '--at an a tal cd,,_, . .. . • .

Fig. 5. j 3: C'nppcr . ,. 1 ,.; . Pte Culkction.

I tv_·jlf'S hut dumpwr raj), .L. . Kuc-han Lnin \Yit 1 sanw

cnthnllwd. l..atn Kusha11 coin \\ ilh the copper

Pte. ("ollcc t.ion.

5ol6: K I ·· u.s Emo-~a.sanian gold sc_, 1')hJte coin \Yith t-lw H"H'rse tYflC nf ~-.. fl·. ' " · ·112 · · (rat 1duscum.

f'ig· 5 I'· c J ..._. - . , . .opper :\.ush,mo :Jasani<m en in \vith l-ing ·t· -L I bull. Pte. Co1lvctil>.l

1. '-'-~ ,_ s ,ml mg at a tar and r"Y(-'J·s,-, .._ .• c c· , '- - ' L) f-H 01 ,llY(l cllld his

fig. 5.18: Kushano S · · <l.S~Ullan copper coi'J \\·it j . J Pte. Collection. . < • ..1 c1 ( umpy fire alta.r· deriYed from the i'i.SUC'i of ShajXI , . . II.

5. THE PRE-IV1l1SLIM PERIOD 2 )1

coinage proYided the later copper currency at Bcgram and Hadda and constitute a further

stagl' in the dcYcloprnent of the standard denomination (hg. S. "J 8).

The Tepc ;I;Jaran;an Hoard and Other Sasanian Finds

The hoard from T epc Maran jan near Kabul (Curiel, i 9 S 3: 101 13 I) containing 368 SJsanian silver drachrn"'~--- 326 oF Sbapur II, 28 of A rdc:-;hir 11 and 14· of Shapur HI (A .D. 38 5--388) \\·ith 12

gold Kushano-Sasanian scvphatcs, provides important cYi(]cncc for the prn:ious metal

~:urrenl"Y of eastern Afpha;1isLm, the dolinu of the Kushano-Sasanian po1cl coin,1Qt' anc1 the " c b 0 '--'

chronolog_:: of Kidara \-\'ho became king of the southern Kushan provinces. Sasan !:u1 sih-er coins frorn Shapur H onwards arc l·ommon l y found in i\fghanistan. They

\\TIT reponed from Seistan (Rapson, 1904a: 671---680; Codrington, 191 i: 779 784). Hac kin

(193): .2S7--292) notes that they arc common at Hcrat, MaitnaJlJ. t1ncl Sh~thr-i-Banu ncar T(lsh

Kuroan; and they arc frccluenth- Cound in the ncig,hbourhood of Kabul. l'vL:tsson t'ncountercd b - - '-

them at r;,,gram am] they were well represented among thL· sihtT l~oins fouml in stupas ncar

Hadda. In the abscncT of an indigenous silYcr coinage SasJ.nian silnT ohvionsly 1iilcd the gap,

even in \:erritoriv;.; he:'t_mcl the Sasanian t'11li)iTc.

Coinage elf the Hcphthalites

The car:!iest coins of the llC\\' l-lcpbthalik kingdom in BzH . .-tria coD:'i"itcd of siher dra_chm.'-' of

Sa.sanl~m type \Yith the usu,ll obYer~v of Shapur n (309--379) hut -~tnll-k from dit':s \Yhich had

been nu·ant to replace Shapur\; narnc wilh th-t• llephthalitc title _lfchono (C(-Jhl, 1967, I: )4).

In the folicnving ccntur;-- \\T sec the dc·Yc1opmcnt of the I-lcpbthalit~' cunem_·;· of sih·cr

dracl11ns based on the S,tsanian denorn.iniltion retaining ,1 fin' etltar on the reverse but with a

distinct iYc Celli ral Asian hu_st, the Hcphtha lite lamgba and Bactri;-tn legends. ( (~iibL 1967, l: 44-91 L Other cnins \vith the same types have Brahrni legends, but thc,,c .':l'\..'ll1 tu haH· lwcn

struck for circuLtbun in the Indus yalJcv and Kctshrnir. The 1-lt•phthalit\.' coins of this pL-rlod

from Tope 10 c1t Hadda, found \Yith 11\T Roman [old c,olidl of Thvodmiu~, 1\·Lu-ci,tn ;md L_'(_)

(A.D. +S7-474) :-;cern to han· bcvn mo:,tly llcphthalitc coin:-; with l1,1ctrian legynd". ScY\..TJl oF

the btcr ~ilnT drachms of Sa~,tnian kings found in ..'\J,ghanistan, ha\e Hcphthalitc

count( rmarks and ~CtTn to ha-,T been coins paid in tribute b;.- tlw Scts;mian:.; after lhcir dcCcaU

nndcJ" Firuz, counttT!Tlarked to St'nc a:, I-~kphtL1litc cutT\TIC)" (hg. c; .1 91.

In the sllLTCt'ding; eJrs siln_T druchrns ( hg. ; . 20) with dw legend \'c~ph Jfo/1 h, and thv ( (lppn ' ' J } 1 . . ,. (T l . ' - 1 ·- ' I '

cknominJtim<'.; dDt accompaniz·c t lt'lll pro\'jtlcd 'lh-t· cur-rcnL·y or h-:uul, inc t\_Ol1t ~m,tn ci!H\

Kobi::tan districts (li~ckin, 1935: 2'67 292l { S.21J. Th\.' C(lp]_Wr coins an' C(lnmwn ,Jt

1-k_l._l,i',lnl: and a nolf.'\\ ordtY hoard or ",ih;er l'Oin:; ol' thic, t'YIH' \-\as discoY\_Tt'd at Canlcz in l C):;; (S(:·,·l-rctt(l, 1967: .?3). Th(~' \-ariet:· (!f;.,tyk.'; Jnd -;z ripl-" u:._,;,d in thi:; coin,\~Y dut tht'i.,

nD\ \lJ\-l' lwnJ ,1 rnnnhvr llf.ic,'>llC." bY ditTtTcnl killV'> ()\\'1" ;, b1·oad :-;nrc,,.d uftimc'; but then: i-; . - - - -- . - . - . - - . 0 . - ' -

5.20: Sih-u· drachm of l\' 1 atteJ1c1'_,,

1ts·. Pt•·. ap ,j Malik 1Y)JC vvith th, S· - · '- Coll<•.·c·'cl.llll. · t "<iSantan !TYf'rS ~ c I' :c l YJW OJ 1rc , har I

-· " < an< two

I~ng. 5.2!: Coppn coin of Napki IVlalik \'\-itll the same ohn:TSt' and reverse types. Pte. Collection. ~--

fig> 5 ''l· I I ... • · .L. • ~da 11 s1h:cr coin f S n:cun

1hz-·- ~ l ,[] .,

0 · amanta DcY~t from

- llL ,)L.. ".nd a hunwrna11. l)t•-'. c· 1, ,,_ ·o !t'ction.

'] . 19711 'l L H.' • - S W\Pki hoard 'Sith the types of a

), THF P!U-MUSL!M Pl'RIOD 2S)

serious disagreen1cnt about their attribution. Earlier scholan associated them with the

Hephthalites, but there is much to commend the view that they are coins in the Hcphthalitc

tradition hut of the Turki period of the later ::-;ixth and car1Y seYcnlh ccntnrle:; A.D.

The Issues ~f Vrohitigin

!)emonstrahlv htcr, lwcausc they arc sunwtinws owrstruck on the drachms ol Napki Mzclb,

are the sih·cr drachms nl' V rahitigin. (Giibl, 1967, l: I +2 -I +S), Thee have C\ bust three­

quarters frontal of the kin~ with legends in both R1ctrian and Proto-shC~racla, C~nd tlw being hcC~rl of a divinity crowned h thnws vv;th a Pahlavi !cgr·nrl on the n'\Tl"l', The· king's croW!~ has a

wolf's head design-- -the "\Yolf being the lcgt·ndary ancestor of the Turkl race. The deity is

copied from the t r ["' on coins of Khusru Il ( .'\. D, \91 · 62 8). V rohi tigin 's co ins hoYT bec·n found

in the Indus valh':,· cwd from. the stupa J.t Manikyala in nurtlwrn Pakistan; Lord acc1uircd ~1-0 specimens from north of the! !indu Kush mount« ins ,u1d Cunningham rcccivcrl about lO from

Kabul. These r,ln-' cu\ns ,c;cern to be isslH_'S of the Turki Sha.his oft he later scYcnth centurY _.;,D.

From this period is the smaH group of coins, buried in,, cinerar) urn \"'low the primdv couple in Niche.! at hmdukistan. It includes cmmtcrmarkcrl coins of Sri Sahi and trvo siher

drachms of Khu:-;ru iL One of these \Yas struck in year ·n, 1.e. A.D. 6S7 but the t\Yo

countermarks e'en be dated to ,\.D. 6?)2 and 6S9 (Gi.ibl, 1967: ll, 3t3- 314).

Gadhaiya

The base sih·er cuncncy or kajputana and Guj<lrat (from the eighth ccntu.r;· /\.D.)

(Smith, 1906: 2~1-0i deri-ved ultirnatcly from a Sa~anian protnt;pc, is ;;ometimcs fom1d ln

Afghan collect-ion:', and J. hoard disccn·ered ncar KandahJr '\YilS offered for saJc in the ba::r;:Jar at

Kabul during .1973 ti-;ig. 5.22 ).

Problem of Shahi Coinage L

The Pattern the Coinage

Bct\-veen A. u. 7 SO :111d l 000 the nJrtTncv ol' c;-lstern Afghanistan and Ca.lvHura \Yas pnn idcd bY th, t 1 1 · . ,, 1 ·' : r 1 · 1 · ' 1 _.- <.: i.:'X em_,('U J:-i:-;w-:~ u; tnc sHYl.'r cOil1J£l' 01 t.w Shrt,1is- -a1. hr:--1 the !-;.ings uf K,1otli ;mel

suhscqucntiv the rukc·., nf Obind (Smitl~, 1906: 24-"3-9; Jv'i;·,d)ow-all., "!968: 18'1- 2:~4-), Throughout thv ,-.,1,ok of this pcriud the ~\hahi':i used .':>Lmdard ob·'-:vrv• type of a n:clnnlwn\ Indian humped "hull \\"ith dw rt'Yt'r:;t• type or a hor::,ernan. lvlost of the l.'Oill':i h.an· <HL ol-l\Tf'':i('

legend in Sl~ctr,t(L, · ,·ither \n DcrcJ or Sn Sumumu D~-\ u, but these <1rc title" not

personal n,lmf'.'< being a Sanskriti7cd \Trsion of a Persian title for con1ma.ndn in chief and Samanta ~.(nne sil::nitica.nu· in Sanskrit. Bull ;_md horscrn;m colns of thi~; ':i\'rlt•;; in

both siln:-r and bilbn arc ctll--nf ap\)ro-:-::imat~·l:· tb\' sarnc \n·ight and \\TlT ,_.iv,Hh intc·rdcd Lo

p.:tss as the :-,anH_· ch·notYJ.in'-ttion. \-VL' (J.n ho,'<'n(:T di...;tinpul"h tlw suc(·e-;c,\\t.' t~.,-;w_·~, ()r dw ,,

254 D W . . MAC D0\'\1'/\LI_ AND lVl. TADDEI

coinauc bv th . 1 t l e:.- -· <..: - c ters an(_ other symbol. ~- .· . the · h ~ - s su Hng as j11TV · k · , m mto t cir chronolouical ~CCJUCnc-, l - - cl. , j I_nar s m the re"\'Crsc f-ield ancl

fro tl , II 0 · e ,)y a stuc v of tl ., 1., 1 . - ' can pt t ' .m. lc sma but progressive recluction.in tl. '. l .. ;' c eve opmg changes in the tvpe ~·

tnt. vveJght standard to \Yhich success\·~,-. H Ita S1 H.'r content of the denominat·I .. an . • \ l issues V'>Tre struck. ' on and

Silver Coins r:f Spalopoti Dem

The earliest srroul) of the SL l . ··I . )··-·. --=- .ua11 Sl vcr coms ·s ]·--· ---} . . ''.Spalapati i!CJ·o. Coins with this lc<>cncl "-~' ustmgu~> led by lis obverse legend--the . umlorm content ol' 7Cfl ·].,- c. . c~ c struck between 3·! cmd 3.\ a ,· '·. titles

. o SL\t l. In the hr"t issue -f ! . - - - -- b VI ItL a_ ronark1hl cursJn, Bactrian script the Shand F~ 1.. lo t ns group the n_'n>rse levend r "' c _Y misunderstood . l ' ~ - < a o_. t 1t> o wersc Ths i.;; . . - b epeats Ill

. tL sun.'lcqucnt _issues 1\t , . . . .· '_· . c_opwd hut. ]>roan:·.· . I substit·t·! I ]'. ·-·' un(_stagemtlws'---~-- I' I . b ssnev

·- U{c) mtt11Smtun11

·s.1111

·,_- l l c ... tlh:sa ::~ra.Jnll1eue 1 ·rl 111 f·n ' · k . · -nllH e rc;t·)o - 1 l :::- J., • ' cl 11 cr -, mista.-cn lor an J"\rabic date In issei' t] _· _'_ .( anc .wcornes_· a decorative scroll 1-1-pt l . I LIJs 1,1- -.-] 1 · - "- t .lneisaser·,. -f 1· ·'-" 1as }CCn )C O\'i '1f' wrscman on the rcYt'rse , ·- It'S o sma I letters SfT'iinu a!; I_Jrivv· k . __ . o . · mar ·s

Si/For('a·, rc · '~, , LJs C: .wnwnta Dn·a

The second l11_ajor or 1 - f 1 . .

g·ood r , -l - ~ b oup o t ns coma.ge has th£' obverse ]P l''-' ~ 1 ...

_ncta , ln!t 110\'1' ·with a wider , .. ~ .·. t"·- . ., . -6d'O Sn Samonta Dc~-·-L I'- is st'll . stru -k +- J· J _, - ·ul !a lUll '11 SllVf' ., l ~ · l Jn , c ,o a sng1tly lo\\'LT wei[!l t .. -,' . . . r c,__mtent }(_'t\'>'cen 60 and 70); I . scriec, d' ·-.-. , - ul langt. Of'tvveen 1·9 and 3·9 (f , • - ,o anc IS

, , Issues by the llSf' cf Sl l . - ~:--· Agam vve c·m rii,·tin . h chronologically witL tl .. ' . . ' .. Jarac a letters and other. coc~trol . :,, . ·' ., gUJs a D,- ·- . '-- .· _1J.'i f,Hhlp arc tvvo comparativ .] ... , . - Illal_,..,_~. As::;octated

".a slluck to the distinc11,· I , -. . . l l, )' I aJ c Jssucs--- one Vi'ith Sr,· k-] I . k . . - - : o ,, <'I 'ACl'' ,1 ·t- l· -l ,, ·- "- 1uc a\-aya ·a ~u~r\JW)' mtroch:._ced by 'Ah;l al-Malik, l~';;;;,tn;.dllc _, ot the Arabic: dirhcm of tlw refor~1e:l ~ a,~u In A.D. 8 ;() -the other JYith Sri llh;" .' ,o .'.' assouatcd with the Muslim caJturc of ms,__ nptiOn:; to ha>/f' lwt'D the ·I, . ,ua .. Jnd perhaps the Kinu Bhim lr-~,- I_ f'

n:, fr m Hund about A.D. 9;0 b "L-__,-v~.n rom

The 51 h C ' la .l AJpper Denominat.ions

}'he copper issues constituted a cow·11 ~ ~ " . - . wr t!~, B II . ] r -J_lt mulLdl-, denou1Jn;lt·, , - . ,( )u <11H dor.c;emrl sil·-·,. 'I'] , . - ----- un tllJ1 prondcd 1lw ]] I ha\'t' Jr· .- ... -. - ~l ·- •ll. , ley too suffered a J- cr·o.--··,, , - -' srna cunge

r -]\) mark:-;) sometl.llh'S cchnitw t1 . , .I . I l OcJ t._o;sn_c rcouctwn in 'Yciuht and chronol< ·- 1 -- - .--. wsc on t F' sdyer tl 1 1 1 t:-- )gJca sequence. The Bull CJ.r ~!I . , ) 1cL f'lldtJlCS us to '-'st,<~J;sh the·· Lim• a-ld H. I -·' lL -- orsernan COjJ]Jt>rs r S l . ~·- ,_,.u, II

-· ( < ~ '- p Dnt coppers of Vakka and fir ll, ] . _, o_. pa apatl, are SUCTCf·(kd by the dOt ;, t 1e Lwn and El . 1- f • - • · - z:p lJ.lh <_·oppers d Samanta.

The Billon Cunencr· /

5. THE l)RF-i\lUSUM PERIOD 2 55

of a!-Panjshir which seem to haH· passed permanently under Muslim control hv the middle of

the tenth ccntun .s. n. This was the hi lion currency that was copied C"(\ensin-ly bv the Islamic

rulers of Ghazni. and by the dvnasties of Kanauj, t\jmir and Delhi .

Hoards ond Site Finds

The principal ccirkncc for the distribution ofShahi coins in Afghanistan has so far been drawn from collcctionc mccdc in Kabul and its locality. The' arrange·nwnt set out aboYe has m·ccssarih

been based on internal numismatic analysis; hut the sequence of the copp(~r issues has now

been tested and conf-irmed hy the stratihcd bnds From the excavations at Damkot ncar

Chakdara in Pakistan (Rahman, !969: 143 ]';0). A hoard of 199 copper Shahi coins, all of Vakka DeY a found in Jab1ahDd in 1971, a si]\'cr hoard all of the last silver issue of SarnJ.nta Dv\-a

discovered at She'<\'aki in l g70 , a sil vcr hoard of unkm_n·vn but Afghan provcnanct' ( Hg. S, 2. 3)

containing. three y,orn coins ofSpalapati and three issues ofSamanta, ofkrcd for sale in Kahul

bazaar in 1972, cmt1 a ,'Silver hoard of some '10 coins of Samanta Dcva from Qnndu7 offered fnr

sale in Kabul b,y;;Ltr in 1976 ,vilJ prodncC' importJnt nnv material for study.

Settlement, Material Culture, Architecture

and Art The archaeology nl' /\.fghanistCUl for the pn·iod foilo"\'\'ing t11l' c;racco-Bactrians :mel pn_·ct·ding

the Ivluslim conqut:':-.l suffers frorn the fJ.ct that mo::t of the held rt'"'-''-lichzTs Y\.-ho haYc worked

in the arf'a ha\'e bt·cn morl:' intere:--ted jn the di~co\-cr;' of mon1.Hncntc-d architcctl1H' and c>bjcc't' d"(m than in the F'L·on::-;tn_lction of even·dav life and mrtt\_Tial culture. This attitude has

brought about a :.orn_t·how rnish·ctding pic tun' of /\.fghanistan in the KushZln and post-Kush,m

period as one of -in1~cnse n::li1:.J)ous and artistic , btl t often ('Scapc~; our etlorLc; to

understand the ccon.mnic and social background of that actiYiL Y. S·.Jch dforts an: indt·cd based chid1y on epigraph:;, (yhen c_. ) ;_m(i literary. sources; on\y to a rnuch lesser

degree are theY h,~~,(·d on th;;:· result:; of dir,oilw jn habitation areas. '- , · - 'ob c:- · · /\ctuallv thi:; kind of cxca•;cttlon, diupinF out a tm\Tl 1Sith aLl its succ-vssivc huihhmr

•· ::::-'---~ 0 '~ horizons ancl its ,·xtcn_c;im> nYlT a la.rgc area, c,-,lls for a greatct' f-inancial dTort and often appc;1rs

less rewarding to tbe of the pul'lic, than docs the; more certain success of the cxca,vation

of a repe conc_Ta1ln.~-: 1:hc renlctin::< of,'\ stupa, v;ith rich am1 attracti-ve sculptur,ll decoration.

UnfortunateJv even the understanding of the idcologic.J.l lc'-;'l'l is dd11cuh if not impu:;s]\.;lc

\Yhilc the so~·io- -r·,momic lcYcl of a '--(_'iYillzation rer~~ains nnkno\Yn. Thi,c; is '.dr< the manY

Buddhist an·hitC('tur;o_l compicxTs that halF a et'lYlurY of archat'oL:Jcical cxcaYat1ons hcnc

brought to light '"' mute v,-hen \\T tr; to unrlentond ;vhich soual gn;~cp ind them built, for whose use thev \YUT intt·mkd_, who \\.-as .:tctualh- cmoln\'Cd in tlwir constnJction, \\ lnt social

rank or status .\Va,c; b;- tho..,c v,-ho plam;ed tl~en~ and those \'\-ho ckcoratcd them \\ ith

sculptures am1 who \\-a~; entitled to accept a pro jed 01Vl ch(_,o:;c tlw subjects to lw

represented on ,1 or in ;:-1 thapcl, etc.

:r:i 1 5 74· T 1 B - ' g. ·- .. ne egram 1 reasure: pla.-tcr emblem a of an Ephcbe.

5, THE PRE-1\lUSLUvl PERIOD 2 57

Among the fe\Y to·wn sites identified and partially explored Bcgrarn f-irst demands

attention. This site, \vhich is about 4 5 km north of Kabul, was noticed in 18_) 3 and then made

knov-m to scholars b;.-- Charles Masson (\iVilson, 1841 ); A. Foucher idcnti.fled it with Kapisa,

the capital tov.-n of .several Indo-Greek SO\Treigns and summer rc~idcnce of the Kushan.s

(Foucher, 1942--47). The Di\FA carried out ~cYtTallimitcd excaYations from 19'-)6 to 1946,

:overina onlY a \Try small portion of the lown a.rcet: trenches \\·ere laid clo\Hl in the Bazaar \._ . b -(Carl, 1959b) or the ''Royal City'', \Yith a gateway {I'vlcLmil-, 1959b) and <1. L/olo (lVleunie,

i959a: 103 -5) almost certainly belonging to a period \Yhcn the to\Yn had lo~t ntost of ib

Yitality, in the wt·"~tern section of the tO\Ytl {Ghirshman, 194(>), a.nd c.\Iru muros (Meuni(',

1959a.: 105 -6). The fame of Be gram nf'\Trthelcss rests on the dist.J>\Try oft \YO rooms (nos. 10

and [3) of vvhat appe·axc; to be the ''palace'' which \H'tT found to hzn t._' been hUed with objects

of enormous value frorn the point of Yicw of art history, including plaster models cmd gla,ss and

bronze objects of\\..-' estern (Hellenistic) origin, Indian inlries ;md Chinc,e lacquers (I--lackin,

!9]9; !914: Figs\ J+ S 3!). A detailed dcscriptiOll of the objc·cts found in these ''store-rooms'· i:-- ccrtainh- bt .. ·;·ond

the scope of lhi•:, boo_k; !1C'\Trt1wkss \\'l' deal \vith this exct·ptional cisco\t'l')' lwcau~:,c of it'>

importance in tmdcrc;ta_nding the nature of the traff-ic \\·-hich \'I"JS carried on, in or through

Kapisa, even if thc· Br·g,r0.m find can only prrwidc information concerning a h1xury le\Tl o!'

tr.1dc. It is notevvorthy th,.1t at least one of the doors Jcading to the two room.s had hel.'l1 blocked

up <tnciently and tlut the v·varc;-; found are far from being hnm(lgenl.'OU:-i, not only wltb regard

to the origin of the qriuns objed~ (from Alcxcmdria to !ndiJ a.nd China, ;-ls \\C ha,·c su·n) h1t

aiso of their hmction·~ ;md therefore the n:a:->ons that ,;_pp<HTJltl:- kd -:_o their lwing stored or

hidden. There arc -.;onw objects that must have had great commercial \·alue such ,1~ the Indian

iYories or the Mcd!tt•rrancan glassl.':, and may therefore have been put in a safe pl.tcT to

preserve them l'rorn the· hand<s of enemies, as Chirshm,tn suggc~:ted; hut other:;--- t'~pcciall:- dw

plaster modds-----iv\"C' no intrin:--ic Yalue c1nd it isn'T~,- diff-icult to imagine that lhe:- V>"E'lT kept

as precious thing:; in ,'t p,<lacc, or thal an inYading arm;· could Jook on tht.'nla~; a des_ir,-.,_bk· ho()t:· (GuHini, 1961 ). OthtTS think that tht· t\Yo rooms \·\.-ere' 'a Custom;.; dcf)Ot for the receipt of

dues in kind col!n kd b.,- the kings or of Kapisa from the c,\l"Cl',·an'· \Yhich t!·a\ (:'rscd tlh'

J.djaccnt higlnY(l_\' in the lu:.-..:urv lraH-ic of Ori-c·nt and ou .. idt'nt'' ( \\llH:·clcr' 19 s 5: 19+). But

this explan;tion .too doc:-; not h!ld support in the peculiar nature of tLc object:.: prirH_.ipall:· ln

the bck of intrin.'lit y;J!U(' in the case of tlw plaster models, \V l' mJ;· pcrb,tp:-: :~u_!_\ c the problem if \-\T think nf some pa.rtintLlr purpo.;,e in ~_·olkcting ~;u

many and so 1wculi,n a_ct comwctcd -,-;;ith the !1ruduction ni' <Ahcr nhjct_-t:.;, Tlw t\Yo

rooms at Pegram p-rolnhl;- containnl -vYa.JTS taken from the 'palacz:· in a moment of <bn;_::cr together \Yith tc; to a roval cncJjcJ-: tht· rnodds for ~·.ih, r \\-<liT and pos.-.;ibh ,tbo

for StUCCO c\ecorat[on:-;, C\Cll ifmMk of\\Orthlcss pla~lt:'r, \\TlT lTr1ain1; prn_.ioU.'- fur ,1Jl ,1rt

\Yorkshop. Both the t-lclL·ni.~.t;( ami the Oricnt,ll objt·cts -ha\t' nol hccTJ Ull~tnimou:-,h- ,:-t11.riLutcd h\

~cholars to a cldinltc··

.'\driJni, 19 S S, l CJ:)l)

Indian i\orics (SLvm.

DifL_Tcnccs concern holh the Ht'llcn::o;tic \\",liT.'; (Kurz, 19~4~ .dlini, 1961: c(),Jrclli I 196 l' 196.~' l CJ6) ~ 1-<,()\YLwd' 1961_)) Mid the

Hg. 5,26: (left} The Bcgram Treasure: paintt:'d glass vase, probably Alcx:mdrian, showing J::uropa and the huLl. Hg. 5,27; (right) The Begram Treasure: Scrapis-Herndcs in bronze.

Fig. 5.28: Thz.: Bcgram Treasure: Harpucratcs in bronze, prohabl;-- Alexandrian.

F. - ?o Tl p c1·c11• 1· I·c·IJ."'I' n.l.lndian workrrn.n..;hin,. tg. ~·--': 1c n'gra.r-c1 i rcasurc: , ' ·

262 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDFl

span \Vithin \Yhich the Yarious components of the whole hoard have been placed is from the

first century B.c., to the beginning of the third century A.D., the Indian ivoric.c; being

apparently the earlif'st (David:son, 1972). The date of concealment is also pu>-":zling) since the

stratigraphic data are vague and indirect.

G hirsh;nan ( 1 946) tried to estah 1ish a strati graphic succession, inc! uding three ph<t.~es: the

Drst Indo-Greek, the second corresponding to the Great Kushan, the third foHmYing a

·violent destruction--to the pc:-iod of the K~shano-Sasanians, up to the Hcphtha1itc invasion

that caused the tovm to he <Uandoned. The building structure.s found b~v Hackin \Votdd

belong, according to Ghirshman, to the second and third phases; the ''palace'' would have

been destroyed in about the middle of the third century, when the Sasanian e1nperor Shea pur I

conquered the Kush,1ns.

"~l•lc must c·onfcss that the vl'110lt· picture _is not altogether clear and seYeral inconsi:~tencics

have been pointed out {e.g. Ku\vayama, 1974a). Even if it is indisputable that thL· Hegram

hoard is a proof of thi..' cosmopnlitani:-:;m of the Kushan .sovereigns to be ranked along v;ith the

documents of local artistic activity vvhich vvill be discussed in the l'ollc:n,Ying pages, Eegram

itselC, in the \'~/ords of Sir Iviorbnwr \\/heeler (1955: 195), ''\i\lht're so little >York has :-.:ct he en

done though \Yith such dramatic result:;, remains a challenge to the explorer'',

/\n urban site the exploration of which '•Nill he certainh,.c JY\Yarding is the ancicJlt town

lShahr-i Ko1wa) ofKandafnr, ·where a British l'viission is cuJTf'-ntly cxcavJ~ing. The i mportancc

of the site "l.va:-, crr1phasize(I a:-; a consequence of the discover;· uf A~okan inscriptions and sc\·cral

contTi.butions dealing v;ith the identification of Kandahar \'\ ith the mctropohs Arocho,-ios of

lsidorus of Cha.r;:>.x as ·well as with thf' ancif'nt topography of Aracho,;ia, han· added rnuch to

our kJ.lU\\lcdgc (Fische:r, 195Sa; Scerrato, 1964; Fussman, 1966; Fi~;chcr, 1967; Ecrnarcl,

1974-h).

\A/hat is Yisible on the surfau' is subject to natural erosion but from tlw ;1_crial

l)hoto~Jraj}hs, one can still rcco~~nize scYeral elements of the ·,·)IT-Islamic town: ( 1) the 0 0

impressively thick fortification.~ huih \'1-·ith mud hricks of 40 X 4-0 X 10 em (such brgc bricks

are not known from the !\-1uslim period), t'ncon1passed by a large ditch and dominated by a

c.iLtdd; {2) tvv·o extensions, to the north d.nd south, probaJJly suburbs; ()) a I3udrlhist

rnona,-;t~:_'r)' --;,vith a stupa {Fussman, 1966) (Fig. S.32_).

The zlivginp::. at Sha.hr-i Kohna of Kandahar arc nov\· pruvidinr sorncthirw rnore nrecise '-..,. ·' ~') ' 0 (_-o 1

( hg. _S. '3 3). "On the evidence of the 197 5 excavations, the Kushan occupation appears to be

the mo~;t cxtensin·, apart, pe;·hap.s, frmn the late Islamic occupation. . The archilf'ctun' of

this period differs frorn trench to trench, although the large so-called Kushan brick,

n1t'ctsuring up to 4.5 X 4-:; X S em is found in all sites {/\. Mc\hcoll: typewriti:<.'n

pn:liminary report, 1. 97S ), \V t· shoul,-_l hen· recall that Fussman has rcconkd the sizt' of 40 X

40 X 10 em for bricks in the fortif-ication V'+,1lb and add that IVk:\:ico!l himself, in an earlier

report of 1975, referred to bricks 43 X 43 >< 10 em in size. ·rhis means that at Kandal1ar

then' ;,u·ms to be t1w same of scllElrc bricks the Italian drchacologists lnYe noticed at

·rap,l Sardar, Ghazni, hctv·:ccn tlw Kushan and the Shah! period, the succession being+ 3 X 4 _3 X

9 l() (cc1r-lyL 46 X 47 >< 9 c. (middle), 40 X 40 X 10 or even 1S X 38 X 10 (late!. The L·harat·tcristic potter~.- of the Kusba.no-Sasanian period at Kandahc1r i<> the stlTak­

patt' rn burnishccl WClrf' i)Vlc!\ilcoll's ''spiral-hurni'-ihcd \\JIT,, and ''rvd patkrn burnished

5, THF PRF-i\HtSUl\1 PERIOD 26)

"-

" \ ~"-

'1..... ' 1'-------y -......_./ \ ' --" <::.. ·--.._,~,·-~ "--; ' -._/' ----...... ---..~ ~

Necropolis

0 500 1000 ~~ =i"""VWW RWT i

ITle\i>;;::;,

OLD KAI'DAHAR EXCAVATIONS 1976 GENERAL SITE PLAN

based on air photographs ministry of mines '1958 130,000 [23130 -75f'l

C EXCAVATIONS 1974

D- H EXCA\11\ilONS 1975

CD .lll'IEA Q TRS l.lUlUV

@ AREA C TF<S !Jl,l!I

G) i'HEA SE TRS Lll

Q,) i'HEA NE TF<S UL!JUV,V,\1 Yil @ ARE,t\ NE TR \'111

So S2: KantbhM: pLm of the uld city, after Helms.

-'!;

/1 J.IIRii STRUCTURES ON SlH'J\CE

l - - -EXISTING ClTCHES

I::~ DEPRESSGNS !SOil ROBBING)

l:i''-3 QAITUl !BARE ROCK I

t_::;;;;q MODERN CANAl

1:---"~::; MODERN TRACK

266 D. W. ,,lAC DOWAU AND M. TADDEI

massive, to\vcrs or hastion.'1: l.g. at Ai Khanum (Bernard, 1970: 1171 Balkh (Le Bcrre and

Schlumbcrger, 1964-), Shahr-i Banu (Cari, 1959a), DaHwrjin Kazan Tt·pe (Kruglikova and Sarianidi, 1971: 27-- 42, plan Fig. 1 0; Kruglikova, 197t:k Ch. III, Figs 32 34 and plan hg. 1)

and in 11orthcrn Bactria. SoutTl of the fiindu Kush, th_is techni~HH:' is kno\Y11 at lh.~ran1, , b (Ghirshman, 194-6: 16 --17J and Sirkap (_Marshall, 19) 1: 1, 114; Dar, 197): S7 72 ). 'fhesc

SCjll<ire tovvers continued to he in usc in the Kushan period, c\·Tn \Yhcn the c,tructurcs

undcr\vcnt \Vorlzs of enlargement or modihcation. At Snrkh Kotal, built umlt-r Kani~;hka, the

outer temple \Vall and the tOVi/fl ·walls L::n:c onl~y S(jUJ.rc to\-YCrt-: (Scb1umhergcr, 1964: plan

p. 326; 1969, plan Fig . .26). The same is true of the Ga.ndharan rcl.icLc, that r\'producc

fortification \<valb, most ol"·w-h!ch arc to be dated in the Kushan p.;·riod. T"hat is \vhy, Fussrnan

says) Schluml.wrgcr thought that Sirsukh (T<lxila) \Yith its :wmi-circu!ar towers (!v"Ltrshall,

19S 1; Dar, 1973: S7 72) 1.-vas not a foundation ofVitTla Kadphiscs or Kani .... hkZ<, ZL'! 1\tlar~:hall <mel Ghirshman ( 1946: 39) believed, but belonged to the post-Kusban pcrio1.L Since thl:' n:dusin:."

use of round to\vcrs in a complex system offortiilca.tions is not known .in Par(hia.n lLin .J.ncl tirst

appears prohahly under Shapur 1 (1(:n alleged Sasanian influence in Afghan fort architecture,

see also Ta.r-o-Sar: Hackin, 1959c;, Schlnmbcrger thought that Sir~ukh could not he earlier

than A.D. 260. If the fir.'it year of Kanishka is to he placed hct\\"een ;\.D. 78 cmd 1~H, both

Sirsukh and the tovn1 in the \Vardak vallc·v arc nect'ssarily much later than Kanishlz;J .. :m<l his

sucn,ssor I·hn·ishka. Nevertheless, as vvc have already mentioned, tlw potter; shcnls

collected by Fussman in th{:' tovv·.n of VVan1a.k are all Kushan, v .. ·hich agai11 makes pbusiblc the

dating of Marshall J.nd Ghirshma11. Jt seems therefore that northwest lndia and Atghani.'>tan in

the second century A.D., cmployt>d semi-circular and probably also round towers in their fortifications (Fussman, 197L1-b: 91-2).

This subj~ct is dcah V\'ith also h-v Ku\\-'d\'arna ( 1974a), \\'ho hecTins hY -;tatino th.;rt the bastions in the /\mu-darya valley an_·-traditio-~1ally square, con:Ting ~he ti;nt..' .'ipal~:::-fronl the

rwriocl of the GruJ.::: rulers to thJ.t of the Sasanian lwg~..·monv. Accordinr.: to him, the round

bastion Clt Kohna Masjid, ncar Surkh Kutal (Bernard, 1964), .which is a l;tc addition (the site

being contcrnporary vvith the Sas;o.nian::; and lalcr than the Great KushaJJS), is' 'an cxcvp!.ional

intrusion and repercussion from the neighbouring countries''. He ;1lso adds tha.t thL' hmncbnd

oF this kind of ba:stion is presumabl_v the rt'gion south of the Hindu Kush.

KuwJyama also Sllggests that there is a close inter .. relation bctwc\'n the !"Olmd b,tsl"ion:; clnd

tht· usc of pottery with a stamped nwdallion decoration, peculiar to the regions south iJJ-' the

Hindu Kush. H(' rr·caJls that this kind of putter\' \-Vas renwnizecl as <1 ne\\' deYice in Bcuram HI ~ -· 0 b

by Ghirshman ( 19·4-6: 69) and v·;'as found at the Bcgrarn Bazaar\ Jvlcunit·, 19 59Cl: 1 OL~ J, th1..· ~aka fort {Carl, 'j 9S9c), Tapa Maran jan (Fig. '). 34) (l'Vlcunit'--, 1942), all ~;itcs where round b,1~o,tions a.rc alsu found.

In his attcrnpt at t·stahlishing a date for Hegram m, Ku"\YayamJ. gives grcc.d imporLHHT to

''the simultaneous cxistcnn' of both cultural cL'.mcnts, the ronnel hast. ions and the q_<1mp

decorations of the medallion types, at Kohna Masjid''- a simultam:·ity y;:hich is ·'again."-t tlw tradition of the reg.ion' '. This ''slwuld be a rd'lcction of tlw phenomena'· th<tt occmTcri on

tlw south side of the Hindu Ku~h after t.hc fifth n_·nturY /\.D. The existence of 1·ouncl hast ion<;

and ol"that particular type of potter;: o.n hoth si.des oft he I-lindu Ku~h ''should nol hv rcganL:d as a chance L'Yt'nt''. Therefore, Kolma Ma::.jid is takvn b;· Km\'Clyama as ''a cuuntnpolr( of thl'

5. THE PRF-IV!USUM PERIOD 267

l ,. l H. 1 K ·h'' thrtt can (TiY<:' Beuram lli (vdlCn round bastions make lODlUTlents SOUt l 01 t.lC 1ll1C U US ' b 10 , .. ·'

n . ·_I t, 1 •. t]1,n the one suu_gTcsted nv Chusnman. their [JV~etrance) a' at aLcr w. c -· l ll· l 1 ~" ~;l '~ t 'ultural relationship betwccn the round hast ions and the mer a llOI~-,;~:;nl~'l\

! . , "", t. fipd further Sllp')Ort ch:evvhcre. hJr msL'.ncc, hJssmJJl ( ·. pottery u~cs llc: s'-_(n~ _o_ -: j· . - t_[-',. ,,-,,·ient to"\Vn of the \Vardak Yallc; .. has S_"_·cn k. t' at h1s SPJTlC'-' ~hen 1nn n, 1 <-• '-

rcmar ~ . n, . ·. , c 'f .... k. 1 -r "' ttery He thinks that the medallion-stamped potter;· !Jractical!.y no spccmwn o Lin L 111(- [_o, l,ol < - ·1-· \' "SlllleyCJ i c ten> a.nh the end of the

1irnc a tc-r t 1e lTJ''l1 o ·cc. , , , · ., 1etkes jts appearance some L , - s ]1 c (~ • l' 19S~il'· 17)

n, - . . . ! (. l-' ch1c '-'11Ci1F'c;t<'{ ,1\ .._rJtc.,n, .-.- . ••• [ 1 .. thciJc,rinninr,ofthcthl!·c. i..Til.1.ury:\.D., sanl ·'·- ···c::_,'·. · -· . , _ .. l sccoTt1ll o_ . -I"Jtc· ;'-' ~~-,,],::>1"'11· -;-,,he attributed t.o the rninitlturc !ortrc:.s "\\"l.tll stru_aTc, J.OUlll

'I;:' S"'l1"1(' l L '·1 J' . <-<•' ' ,, • l ''l .. , :c.- . . . . -. ; ·- .. [·· ,.] ·, t'lc Buddhist CO!llj.Jkx of T.:lpa Saruar ncar \.i 1J/.Jll

nd scm 1 octJ<.'tmal hasLous, ,>un,, u .J. _ _ -r· II · I''(;:.:. a .. c . I . j I [I· s'·::Jnll"'l'c] ['OH'''"Y ( J( ll't,. '~'--·, 1. l.l · )Z.Y'7~ __ )_ ,--1 1ic·!1 is ... ]so conrwctt·L \\ !l1 H1CL,l .. 1011 · lc. .f • .._ ',. ( ac { ct, J 1 -'" , •\' · >- .. u • ·

67-70). ,. . .. ' ' ' u·,--l[oh"Jl')ih!:;sman, 1Sl+7b: I ., r 11·.1.1 .',l.~c) round at Culd,1L1 lll Lut."i , · :':-· \ The ·;e1nlc -:..inu n, pottcr:r ~ . .

91, f.n. +). Jct,~~a.tu-! \\i,,nbk ( S. 16) {ScCl1"cl'lo, 1967. Figs A-t-J--:~·9l,jL~~~:~.; .. J1',: .. \i .. J'~·_;))n,,\~'; · I 1 ·r·· ' .. ':v\i;:unu. ,. _, Gardc:;(hsc·lwr .. ]96'1: 3+l,pl.l+i l."Jaq,JdCj t'pt',1lCc1l" ·

the lali· tlw

ba::we1 : -, i!.

the C Jn~:' f'], ur,.t]

in

~.he .· 1 ·, t •.. ,, c;,1,,di . .Jt·:m :·:li.l!l'' fri···· !"I1~T't l t··, (Ji· '· .ltl<.'1' lll '! :tUI Ll(!i I,

c1 .., t.T\ hadh

c h

" "-0

;; ;.;:; c " c

~,

0

-"

"' ~

-J;

I"~

·- --!--.... -

-<::

-~~ ,_

"'

5. THF PRE~MUSUM PERIOD 27!

common v;,-ith either Classical or Indian costume, and is rather Iranian or' 'nmnadic' ')but also

for stylistic and technical reasons: chidly hccause they do not reproduce the '..-olurnes of

human figures hut are rather slahs on ,,_-hich folds and ornarnents arc supcdlcial1y carYcd.

From the point or Yiew of religious architecture, the archaeology of Afghanistan of this

period sho,\·s us a picture that at f-irst appears alrnost ex1usiYcly Buddhist. Apart from Surkh

Kotal there arc some interesting exceptiow~ that \Yill be dlscusseJ \'l'hcn Yve deal \Yith the

artistic products o!'Tapa Skandar (KuvFayama, l972a, 1974b; Ku·.-vayam.a-IV1omono, 1976) and Khair Khana (Hackin, 19'36), both ncar Kahul, and Chigha SJrai in the Kunar Vallc:·­

(Lohuizcn, ]9_S9).

Afghanistan is very rich in monumental Buddhist st11pas huilt of stonc 1 chicfiy prt'StTH'd

in the Kahn] 'v'allt-y and Kapisa. The~:>c arc usually attributed to the Kushan period, though a

chronological scctucnce is sti11 to he establidv.'d, and cllT ccmsidered in G. Fussman's vvork on

the JloJlluncnts howidh1qucs de fo r~'8ion de Coboul, of \Yhich the first volurnc has recently he en

published hy the DAFA (Fussman-Lc Bern.·, 1976).

For the tlntc being ·yvc may list the groups of Jalalabad and Kabul (Vv'i_l.c_;on, 1fl4! ),

surveyed hy the Japancs(_' Mission (Mi:t.uno, 1971, for the stupas of Guldara, Shcva.ki and

Topdara, sec al.so Carl, l9S9c; Lt?.inc, 1964 for the stup:1 of Guidara, Fussman-Lc Bcrrc,

1976, is now exhaustive), the group of'lv'ardak (Fussn:.cw, l974b) 1 tht· stupas oF Tapa Sardar

(Tacldei, 1968), that of Khcun--i Largar (Mu::;tamandi, 1968 ), and that of KancLthar (Fus.-;m;tn,

!966: 37---9). Another t;·pica-i monument of B-uddhist Afghanistan is the ca.n' mmBStl'f)'. It is hardly

nccessarv to recall here tlw '\Yorld famous caves of Bamh-"an with their colossal Buddhas and

''Indo-! r.'\nian'' painting~; ( Codanl, 19 28; Hack in .. 'J 9:1 J, 19 59 h), to vvhich othcn; hzn c been

J-ccent!:v- added in the Fnladi ,,-allc;- (Scerrato, 1960; Dagen~ u ul., 1964). fur n_wst people

BamiYan (figs S. 38, S.39) is sornchov<,_c sYnonymous '\\·-ith Afgh;mistan, such is the

imprcs:.;in-•ness of its rock-cut monastic· c·an·s and the tYvo bugc Buddhas ·w-hich ar·ouscd tlw admirJtion of the Chinese pilgrim Hiuf'n-Tsang {SCH'nth cen"lllr}_J. Hr· \\TOt\.' ahoul the bigger

{and btc r) of the t \\·o, S _3 m high (fig. ) .+0): ''On the dedi vit ;-of Llw hill to the northeast of

the capital. Vi"ZL" a standing image ufBuddh.a made ofstmw, .14-0 Ol" 150 feet high, of a brilliant

golden '~·olmrr and rcsplt'mlcnt \Yith orn~unu1tation of precious suhsLmcTs'' ('Lra.nslatlo:n of

V-/att(_T< 1'104 OS). Both tbc Buddhas and the caH'S W\TC hni,;hed and coated h;: nwans of

stucco ,tnd da\ plaster: for in:c;tJncc tht' folds oF the bigger Buddha· s cloth \H'ft' obtained h'"l

rnodcll!ng the l,}bc,tcr on con·.c., of" rorws '.vhid1 '\HTC nailed to the ima~~c ( i.v. to the rock) ~ ' ~

'\\"Oockn lwg.s. This gn.'atcr Buddha .seems to be assignable to the hfth to :,ixth CTnturles on

account of both the pain Lings jw_,j(]c the niche, \-\Lich rcf1cct thc1~ws from tLc /\jant<l

and it:, u\\·n slyle -...-d1ich S{.Tn1S rather to be rcminisct'nt ol"tlw (;upta ::.culpturcs cJf!v1athun. A. cliscu_'-.c;iun {Jf the stYk and chronulog_,- of the Bami)-.1tl p;lintings \.\"ollld take us lw~vond our

present :·iUJ[X' {fig. S.+'i ). 1n.Hucncc:; fn:nTl sc\"t'nl regions ha'>T !wen pointed out, Iranian

(S;Jc.,ani.:tn)., C,lnclhc1.rc1n and !ncbm. Ti-wsc prm-idc a general pitturc ol" the art cTntrt· vdti(_h

clt·arl} points tzn-Yards Central ,-\sian solution:, (1\owland-ConmaLlS\·'-.-amy, JCJ)H; Bu_c,~·>agli.,

1963; i iallMk, 196S; Hu>;\ land, 1970): ,, recent attempt at a clossil-ication into four h<1..'· hct'i1 r:nd,, h_1· a1ccnn from K;otu UniHT-,it: (~/L:-Jji, 197(,). TLcrc ,1n.' JTL1lcd L",l\T glullp'·· in

tlw B.,un i \ illl an·<>, inclu.ding dwSL· a.t Kakrak -\Yith the· \\·all painting of the '' hunt'-T king·· { l

...... , .• ~,, . .,..,,, !<, ','''''''<,, ···· .. _

~

(/ _j

.!1(/ .,-····.... " .. ,>''\/. i. ,~~\\......._,....-- ---/ z, '. · //-----::1 1

;( \ ;-, .\ ·:· /J\ ',' '. -~~ I' >"-'\:'B ' ' ,' 1/ ') ' .. s~~~~~~. "' .. ,~~-:.·}··· .· f··.~·~,~- ... · , .•.. ,":, ~~~.;#·J· ~ .:5\l.,_.J~~, (' > ; . · ·z~; I·,,_ !'iif ~ I (!!() c- ·iJV< .. ·· . ' .. ·.·~ .... , ... i ••. ii'f;"" ... . ·.-.· 'f·. '"/ 1//)' /J.. , __ ,,. .• '"· v ...

~. Jl/ ,/K~:;Jc(\.. '*~l; \~1 . j :1!1 ~:...::W I . '"\ I r \ ~I ...-- !·ii;?;f \'------_ ,1_ (.'~'

I \~~.I\ ·, I. j ;(/l)-·~; . ~!.·~ I , '\ 1 !•./)}!' 1·~ \ . ' "'' ,C '2 0 I 'l' f \\ / .. ~;/_,, \ ;:r~p-l_ \\

!!l~!i~~~Jjl~\~.\v/·)·'!'?~·~1\ .,.,,~~ ::::'.. ..J' ~~~\~-~~- .:,.· / ~<1> ' r::., \ tlb-~~ \ _-· '-, ( r- _,-., _.,

f' O::. ..'.tL0~"it~ .• '.,'·· .. ·.\ ... · .. ~.~ ..

1

... '\ <i,2>·:1T'f2)\ \- .·· J\;y, ,,., \1

d Jr.., . . .iL u--. ·.\

IY:w J "' '·... . . './ -1<\.1: ~~: \.·.~. Jl!JI IJ! . ,---- I \\ '\'.,\,\\ ~\

r/1 jf7r; ~~~rlj.'~.~\r: .· -~:-. ~~~.~.~)(.~> '\ ~c::' IJI !),)J.>. \ ..._~y ··.. , n-"•~ \\

. 'l' fIt'~\'~ ··. I" '\~···· \ '\. i. . . .f \l\, <~l.\ .. 1.~ ..

4 / ·' ~ . ) ·. i I I 1\\ .. :::::--- J_.· _. '~,, \\ i _:'/._:::::::]1 \' \

\rl- / .. / "7 .. ·~~1 1 l;c\\ .. ,· . . . •, I 11 .. "· ,.· '. ·' ·. I I I · J '(JI-\<. '· \ '1l /I \1

' -~ \· .. I /i \) , __ "-"'-·" -- --~·'' ·, !: //" \ l~;~-j j . ··- !J

Fig. 5.41: (right) Bamiydn: 'vvail painting in the crown of the niche of the lesser Buddha figure.

2 II fo~mq doors

A

f ' (j 86

and sel'tion of tht' uctJ.f!ona! room in .~.anctu,;_r' ,-\., t.·aye nwnJ_stcrv

hgo S,,:u: ~C-d<-ia.k: w,d] of the ''Hunter Sth 7th l'\_·ntury.

278 D. VV. l\-1AC DOV\'ALL AND M. TADDEI

).41) (Hackin and Carl, 1933; Ghirshman, 1948), datable to the sixth to SC\Tnth centuries The brick fortress of Shahr-i Zohak nearby vvas probably constructed in the same period. though renovated in Muslim times (Codrington, 1944: 888) {Figs ;A4, 5.45). '

Other ca\'l' comj)lexcs are knovn1 but they shvvv neither the cornj)lcxitv cJ' j·,'"t''l·,. • - -- · _ 1 " '"' :an nor i_ts richm·ss i.n sculpture and painting (_kcorations: VvT may recall that of I--iaihak, cl(.lSC to a

f_<unous rock-cut stupa (Mizuno, 1962), that of Hazar Sum, near Haihak, the date and even

lunclion of _v·>hich arc still son1r.:what obscure (Puglisi, 'j 96 3; Mizuno, 196 7), thv Buddhist

cctYcs oi' hl Khana ncar Jalalahad (Mizuno 1 1967) tho:-:c of Bascrvval, het -vvevn Jala!ahad <lnd the

Kh:-hcr Pass (Mizuno, 1971) and those n ... 'cently discoYcrcd at Humay Qala ncar C)ctr<lb<l'-rh--i Ghazni (Fig. SA-7) (\leranh, 1977) and others in the same zone of the Ghazni pnrYit~·c discoYCH'd in 1976 hY the Italian Mission. · '

The prohlems concerning sculptural and pictorial \·Yorb of ad arc also n:Bn\: an_d lllJJlY­

~;_idcd. Vv'c have cdrcculy brief1y dealt w·ith the ''dynastic'' itna_gcs of Surkh~ Kot.}I; tllc

b·agmcnts of unbaked-clay sculptures arc totally different front the ~JOint of vie\\- or ;.;tde and

shuw clear influence of the Hellenistic tradition (Schlumhergcr, !960: 142-53; 19()1: 90· 1 'J"/'0: 61 -6). \V e can also recc•gnize a sirniL-11 inlltH_'Dl'C in thc'--unbakcd-cla'l scnlpturcs fron~ Khakha\'<tn, Transoxiana, that Pu2.·achenkoYa ( 196 S 19'~6 1 971 [, 1 c ,,,-'"~1. 1 ],, 1.,- _, ,,,,,, . ,. tl

,· ~-, - - , '- ' A- ' "'' - .~ '- ~"" ()j lC

caxlicst expn.·ssions of art {'On1missioncd by the Kushan:-; (first centur-v B.('.) and of the ~ri.'<ltcst

importance for the understanding of latf'r de'\it''loprncnts (Pug;tcht:nk(na, 1969). ,

-'0/e arc in a phase of transition from the Greek art of Bactria to (;amlharan art the

documents of >vhich axe neither so numerous nor so \Yt'Il-kncrwn as those of GJ.m!l1 ar~. NeYt.TLildess, t'xcavations arc 110\V giving an increasingly clear definition to this tra\lition

vvhich :flourished in a period ,,-hen Afghanistan V;'as not )/f't culturally Indianised. At tlll' :;a me

tirrw an artistic output of Classical tradition js kno'/\"1; aiso From the North \Vest Frontier

Provillcc of Pakistan: hf'rf' the cxcavation.'i of the UniYersity of Pcshzrvrar (Dan!, 196) 66)

have sho\\,-n that, w·ith very fc;v exceptions, this rct;ion had no Hcllenised products in the tirne , I - ~ ,

oft W Gracco-Bactlian kingdoms but only a traditional terracotta art n .. '_pre~cntcd bv the so-

caHt"d "Baroque Ladies" {for this class of objects, see VVhcclcr, 1962: 104 IT.) a;H.l other

mainly female figurines of a very simplified shape. It is only durinu the foHov-::!lU 'v·;·lr•dc: ,p_J"S ·l 1~- 1· ·'' - __ ,:.,. ' . ~:- ,, :::-!'"'·' --,

ca_1ec .. cyt1o--,_ art ll<m and b1.rly Kushana" by Dani that a Hellen ising tcl~ste sDn-''<1Cb onT this area. ' " '--- l

Here then is documented a Hellenizing artistif' phase that pn:ccdcs Gamlharan ,1rt and

differentiates jtsclf from it hy the absence ofindian clements. It can \·vell be considered a.--; the

c~pressinn of social strata broader than those that -comn1issioncd the purely Greek art of Ai

Khanum and obviously also broader than the groups, closd;' connected \Vitl; the d-ynastY. that

c1used the unbaked-clay scuip;.ures to be made in the oHlcial building of Khalcl;ll\.-an -a;Kl in the sJ.nctuary of Surkh Kntal, '-- .·

The ha1ian excavations in the car her la)'CTS of Tapa Sanhr are now thn_nving sornc fresh

light on this period (f-~ig. S.46j. These layers are simply a thick filling that dcri~cs fruru the

destruction of a rich decorative complt'x Iltadc of unlx;kcd-clay scuh;ture:-. (Fi,crs S ,4R ) . ·;o l (mosl of them accidentally burnt by the t-ire that dt'Strov'd thl; sa;lctuarv) tlJJt Zlrc- t(J he

connected ~-tratigraphicall~'/ \Yith stupas similar in techniztu;, ( Fiu. ').51) to tl~osc of dw K.Jbul­

K.1pL1a and ja_b1abad arca.c; {Taddei, !971zt: S53------+; 1972h). 1::--

5. THJ:<·. PRE-MUSLIM PERIOD 279

The clay sculpture of tb:.· earlier phase at Tapa Sardar, in its manifold aspects, is

undoubtt·dly to be included in the tradition of Bactrian Hellenism and sho\YS aff1nitit'S \\~ith the

claY image; from Surkh Kotal, with those from Tapa Maranian, near Kahul, a Budclhi:-.t san-ctuar~~ of uncertain elate (Carl and Hac kin, 19S9; hut \Try htc according to Fu:;sman-l c

J-krre, -i 976: 95--9: sixth to seventh centuries A.D.), and also \Yith the sculpture oi'

Transoxiana, bter than KhJkhayan, found at Dallwrjin Tcpc, attributed by Pugaclwnkm·a (197la, l97lh) to the ,-:ccond ccntur;' A.D., as \Yell as \Yith G~mdhar,1n art.

it is thcn_:·fore eYidc·nt that when Ganl]haran art Vi' as flourishing in nort!wrn Pakist;m a:nll in

the ea~;tcrn n_'p-icm of Af~hanistan, tlw other parts of this countn h,td a cot.:natc thm::~~h diffcrcllt art o(~Hellcni.sti.c tradition -,,-hic·h is ncvertlwless doc<JTnl:ntcd also i~1 the castc~n reaion itself, at Hadda (her. 5.52) as the recent Afg-han cxcaYa1ions Mt' shu\Ying. Another

b b 0 L

promising site from this point of vic\\' i.e.; 1-b.sa\-val (Mizuno, 1971: pl. .:2.1 ). l~\'l'l'- Gandharan art pn)pcr Ccllh fol" a thorough re-examination or its /\fghan product.-:..

This is -usualh- considered as characttT.i·;cd h'\'- the ,J.1most total a:JSt'lH.T of schist relic{" and b\

the prcdomi1~ancc of stucco in an outpnt \\·hi-chi~ placed 1wtwccn the thinl and hfth Ct'llt\n-ics

,\.D. The onlv \H'll-kno\'\:n Gandhar.m schist relief~; hum Afghanistan an• those front Paita\a,

ShotorJk, an~l B\'graTn (Kapisa) (hg. 5. 53), a.nd arc closely linked to a dynastic cJnironmcni

(Hackln, 1925---26; Mcunil', 194:2; Soper, 1949 50; Bussagli, 1YS6-S7: 19R 205; Roscnhcld,

1967: -~00 1; Taddei, 1974a). Actuallv the fact that the schist reliefs from !-Ltdda Wt.Tc

publisht·d only a fe\\' year:--; ha_ck (l)agcns, 1964) (Fig. S. S4-) is due to t.lw curiou~ choice made

hY Hanhoux (19<.0: 193-)) in publishing his exca\·ations. ~""-''--' C;utdhJnn _c:chlst m<1tcrial has'--lwen found Jt KhaJll·-i Largar (Mustama.ndi 1 1'168).

Other., ':till little known, '-ityl-istic trends in the G::lndhZlrcm frorn AfglMnistan h,wc hecn

loc<tlt'd in the n'uion of Bao-llbrL \\ hich Yields t\-[)icct1 limr_'::,tor~c reliefs (Fi~. S. S ·:; _) (FisdFT, 0 ~ ' -· ' '-

!9S8l); :vii;r.1..uw, 1962: hg:c-: 96--104, 122 61. The Afghan exc::tv<ttlons aL Tapa Shotor., J-ladcb. (Hg. ). ')6) arc HT~> promising: they ht~\'c

re\Taic·\! tl'l. ')I c,u,, ,' m tfg '-ic'"ll( (and contenmor,\rih- in usc if not contcrnpor;;rY ·(n I l . ' .

execution) of purely G0.ndhJrz:tn :-:tucco :-:culptut"C'~ (!'or man;- other ('Xample:s in the area (h~:­S. )7): EJ_rthun-:-.:, 1 g 10, '!9 <,-}; ,\1lizuno, 196R) and of unhCJ.k.cd-\.l'1)" q_-tllpturc~ th,lt r<1thcr reczdl

tho~c nl'Tap,t Sanbr, Tarn :\thr0.nj;.m ,tnd Surkh Kota1 (rvlu::-.Ltma:-Jdi, -:969, 1971, 197 3, 1 97+1. An ex,1mination of the st:rt~tl2ranhic and structural connections hct\.YCUl the :;tupas dt:TOL-th'd

'- J ·'

with .c:tucco ima.ges and the niches contil!ning unbaked-clay sculpttJrc~ (_:;onw of them in th(_'

round, ,Jc, in the C.:lSC of the so-called ·'aquatic niche'') is still to be carried out; 1KU1.YilYMna,

1973J; !'or tht.' tinw hcin.~ we mn_,;t content ouTsel-.-c:o \Yitb the group of much \\-orn :~asc1ni,--,_n bron;r( coin.c; found in m;e of the latt·st stupa';, that ~l'Cl1l to h;_,long to Shapur Jll ( )83 )00

A.D.), cmd with the pos:;ilJlc comparisons \Yith other scu1plura1 complexes in tlw <HTa. h L" . ' ' ' . ' ! ' l I I 1·1- 'l t I · t ' . I i t (_pJltl' prutHDlc that Lnc un )<1Ki:'{ -c ,ly ~;cu_,pturc:--: o apa ... ) lO or co no cov(_T a snon pt:'noc .nt

arc the result of additions uYtT a considerable spt~n of tinw; this >Yould cxpbin tlw dillt'lT'-lCl.'S between ,c;ornc of the mo•;t _l-kllcnising im<12;t'-", su_ch as the Hcraklcs-Vajr;tpani

(!vlus1 ,mnndi, 1974 J, and the '' ac1uatic niche· ( _:'\.-{ustan;Jml.i, 1969) that l'\'t'n recall" .1 '- Ia\

relict' from Pcndzhikcnt (Bdenitski, 19)9, pL XXVtl -XXLX, XXXl--XXXl1; T;Hidt.'i, 1972 . .1:

S.S61. lllil"(lrtun,:ti.t'h- HT\ iitth' ur nothing i_c, kno\-1 n of pict()rial art in A(2_hanic;tan during thv

z 0

"' <! ,w ·2 ~ :::?::;: I-·

<r ::>

; c c

0

~ ~

~ _,

:::c

i:-'

~

~ ~

0 .::: :::':":~

.;ii

....:::: ·­,. ;:;; tr'

"/:

282 D. \V, MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

Ego 5.50: Tapa Sardar: remain.~ of,, nn\' uf standing Kushan donors in shrine 6 3, belonging to ;_·,,din

period, partially t'O\Trcd by the Parininana Buddha of the latn period (on the right). Unba.h·cl clav ">vith trace<; of burnish.

Kushan period, hut "\H' cJn casih imagine that the Candharan school of' sculptun· !1,~d its

coLmtt'rpJrt in painting, just a::, it had in c·cntral Asia, for instance at Kara Tep(', ncar TtTmez

{St,hi.<-1:ij, 1972: pis 1\'--V) cmd t'H'fl at IV1iran, in Chinese Turkestan (Bussagli, 1963. :?l--)7). Only a ft'\Y remains sun in_· fnrm Hadda. that ma;· be roughly attributt·d to the Kush<ln pt·~·iod (BGrthoux, 193'): 162 4; 1'v1nst~mB.ndi, '!969: 22 )); actuarly tlH~ inrportancc of /\(ghani:-.1an

from the p(Jint of vif'\Y of tht· history of painting resteJ entirely on the later Buddhist \\all

decoration~ l'rurn Bamivan ancl the_, ncarbv e<l>:e complexes of Kakrak ancl 1-:dadi (u:~ually attributed t() the fifth to sc;entl:, centuries A D.) and a 1't-·-vy otht•r examples from Dcddlt<·Jr--i­

::\oshin·an (Rovdand, 19-t6, 1970), 'Fondnkistan (l·L1ckin) 1959a), Tapa Sardar (unpuhlisht:d)

,md Ba.s.,l\Ydl (]vUzuno, 1971: plans 1 S -16) .. dateable to the sc>:cnth to eighth centuries \D.

The north oF the counu·y, '"'here ~~omc very recent cxcan.tions are morli(ving this picturl' is

THE PRE·-MUSLlM PERIOD 283

dormm.c thr-'

c 1ragnwnt

Fig. 5.55: <)undu/; frdgmcnt limestone, 20 x 21 0~1 -

of rt'lief in (;andharan st\·le, lnesumahl,- r'-,-,,,,, ') I - _, , \.,._ uncuz region;

Hoddo TopoShotor excavatiOnS 1965-66-67-68 Dy Afghan archaeological miSSion, drawn by S AZIITI Ret>o 1968

Fig. 5"56: Hadda: pla.n of the cxcaYations <Jt Tapa SllOto-r. 1961--67.

5.57: ifa.dcb: c;tucul :ocniptun_· of \\·nrshippcr.

5,.58: Dalbc.·r·,·,·.n , .. - _,, r-._azan 1 ep·c: Kruglikova). - wall painting in the temfJic l · t. r;;;

c epic mg ,_iva and Panati (after

Fig. 5.59: Gardcz: Dm-rY;< t[ I b .... il lisuslno·-mordmi, marble, St' 1-ent·.ll t<·< ,.,·,,Itt!·.

b . centun

5. THE PRE-MUSLIM PERIOD 289

repreSt'nting the Dioskouri vvith their horses, vvhile another painting on a later 1-vall of the

same temple depicts Siva and Parvati seated on Siva's vahana, the bull, bctvvcen devotees

(Kruglikova, 1974, Ch. II). Kruglikuva does not commit herself on the chronology of this Siva painting, nor docs she propose any definitive chronology for the other paintings of Dalbcrjin Kazan. Iconography docs not seem to be very useful in the dating of the Siva panel, especially because the tYvo deities' heads arc lost; rnoreover \YC have to rely chiefly on linc-dravvings and

water.-colours (vvhich, C'\'Cn v1rhcn accuratr, are obviously interpretations) since neithtT

colour nor black-ancl-\vhih:' photographs have been published as yet. \V c ma.y only point out

that th'-· devotee standing on Uma-rnahcsvara' s left sick 1vear.s a long kaftan, bound at the \VJ.ist,

that looks n1uch more like sonw figures in the \vall-paintings from Balalyk Tepe or Panclzhikcnt (the most recent hook on Pandzhikcnt is Be!cnitski) 19T3) than any kmnvn representations of the Kushan period.

Ti-le fifth century A.D. is indeed a crucial point for the I:Jorth VV est of lndja and Afghanistan and it is to this century that the marble image of Surya frorn Khair Khana was first

attributed (Hackin, 1936). Scholars are noy,c Tather inclined to date this and the other marble sculptures of Hindu subjects from north Paldstan and {'ast _Afj~hanistan (Fig. 5. 59) to the

period of the Shahi dynasties (furki Shahis and Hindu Shahis; only Turki Shahis according to Kuwayama, 1972b) 1 usually hctv,:cen the seventh and the tenth C{'nturies (Barrett, 19 57; for

other bibliographical references, Ku'<va}·z-nna, 1972b; Taddei, 1973a, b). I\feverthelcs~ \vc must -('onfess that V\_'f)' little stratigraphic e-;;idencc is a>/ai:lable and that :the soundest data arc

provided by comparisons -.,vith the bronze~, rnainly Buddhist) produced in S-vvat and Kashmir

bet\v(__·cn the eighth and the tenth centuries A.D., (Barrett, 1962; Pal., J 973 ., 1973-74, 197 S). Though thrsc 1nonzes do not appear to have cnjoycd a \vide diffusion in Atghanist,'tn., -'-i01YH' of

them are reported to have he en bought there and unc was ccrta:nly found in f-hzarajat, central

Afghani0tan, but \Vas later lost (reproduced on the ~..~over of ;y}Jhanistun (19S5) 10 no. 4).

:\or cio we get much help from ;J.nothcr almo~_;t contemporary non-Buddhist religious

monurncnt, that anyho\oY deserves a special mention because 11 appears to he cpJite unil1ue in

the territor\' uf Afghanistan, thmwh it is reasonable to think that further cxca-.,'a.tions and J '·- •::::0

sur-vE·;:s Yvill provide paraUcls: the site i.'i Chigha Sarai in the Kunar , \vherc some ancient

fragrnents incorporated in the tombs of a IV1uslim cemetery "\Vere noticed hy n1embers of a

Dani;;h expedition hct\vccn :194 7 a.nd :\9 54 (EdelberiJ, 19 57: 1960). Professor ·van Lohuizcn-"" de L:'t:'U vv· ( 19 S9) put them in the right historical perspectin' stating that the fragnwnts

fron1 Chigha. Sara1 (a fc-.,:v arc DO\V housed in the I>Jationzd Iv1useum of A(ghmisian, Kabul)

indicate the existence at that site ''of d h'Inple belonging to the middle phase of the m-t'diaeY<tl

archi':<:'(;ture or North Vv' est India of about the eip-hth or the ninth century'', that possihlv the .... -. . . ...

shrirw \Vas de{"licatcd to the linga cult, an_d that' 'the stone::; in (_1uestion prove for the first timl'

that t_he North Vv"cst Indian style of mc·dic>'al architcct!Jr!_' extended as far a~ Lastcrn

Afgh.a.nist~i.n, a fact \Yhlch th\:" previous finds of irnagcs he longing to the contemporaneous scho>Jl of sculpture had already rnadc highly prohabk''.

The J.:tpanesc excavations at Tapa Skandar have prO",'ickd very gooci chronological data f()r

the ''Shahi'' marhlc sculptures: a grcrup of Siva and Parvati ({.lna-r:nahcsvaraJ w·as found there

that cannot be assh:ned to a DtTioc1 before rhe seventh to the ci~~hth centurv or c':cn later) on '-' _,_ ,_, .

groun_ds of both palaeographica! and archaeological cvidnKc ( hg. S 60) ( Ku\'.:ayama., l '/72a).

Fig. S.60: 'Tcpc Sbndar: Uma-malws,·ara, sculptun' in marhlt', sc\-cntllt(' vig:hth ccJdur_\-. (Courtcs;;:

K;·oto Uni>cr.'iitY.)

fig. 5.61: Fondukbtan: the royal couplt', in painted cia\·

fig. 5.62: Tap,L s,,,·(l.:;_c: r!l\\ or ( h\ stupa:' cLr\d thrulH'S on tlw t',ht,,_Tn '-idt· ()f ::\w nu:n ''l'Jj),1; il(_'t

period, c. ci_§:hth U'nl!lrY.

292 D. W. MAC DOWALL AND M. TADDEI

5.63~ Tapa Sarrlar: /\detail of thr unbaked clay sculpture in chapel 37: left hand naHo; later period, c. eighth century.

Both the.se classes of objects, Hindu marble .sculptures and bronze imagcs1

ax{' to be considered) along vvith the temple of Chigha Sand and ~~omc at least of the paintings of Bamiyanj as documentating a vvidcsprcad Indianization. This phenomenon is to be unclcn:tood in terms of at least t\vo Indian trends, one being northvvestcrn {temple of Chiqha Sarai and

Buddhist bronzes), the other rather Gupta in tradition (especially the "h·-Hhan-style'' paintings of Barni;"an).

"'Vi/ e may recall another class of objects, small fn size) made of a verv compact ''schist''

stone (casket lids, portable sanctuaries! small in1ages, ete,) that were p;obabl), produced in

the n~)rthvvcst of india at the sarne time as the bronze images and -;;vere certainly also introduced into Afghanistan, though then: is no C"~lidence that they v:ere also rnadc th,;.Te;

these objects arc characterized a pecu.liar tcchniguc of Yery Hat relief and a vtTV c1car

''Sasan:ian" infhJCnce , Pal, 1973 Francfort, 197S).

Fig. 5-tA: Tapa Sarda.r: /",detail uf the unbaked

eighth century.

5, THF PRE,MUSUM PERIOD

Parinirvetna Buddha in shriliC

293

"' U't!V ,-.01ll1E'Ctr·d_ \'Vilh all_ these Cl<tSSt'S of SCLllptUH.'S dl"C the unbakcd-l'Ja)'

Fondul.zJ.: tan .,__(1-·:ig. ;_61 ), a sanctuary exca-vated hy the DAFl\. and attributed to

h·orr1

the se-,:cnth

• ---- · " A. 1- ;;;:: · · - (C'1 -"-· ·\11112. l 1948· /8 9; l--Iackin, centurY on the groun.d m son1c ;~:ra,.lo-..,asan1an co1ns .<rdllo ·- ,r, ·- ·· ·-· 1959a) .. , and tho.'-i~' from the later phase of Tapa Saniar (hg. S.62-- ·;_t:A), prcsurnably to hv

'- - -1 _-- 19(8 "! q•-•·') dated tu the seventh to eighth and e-ven into the ninth century iLU. (Taodei, '- ' ; "'/La,

558-(iC)i. These t\YO site.'-' )1avc provided ck_)cumcnts of exceptional vahw from the point of , " , ' ' 1 J'''",'']'''jti·J"'JCVE'Jkcl vicv; of both icono.2:raphy and style, such as UJc · roy a,_ c·oup e ( ng . ., . n -, 1 d!.{ ,_.1t _k . , -·- -"

I3udc}h;l (Ro\YL:md,~J961) from Fonduki:.;tan, the- tV•iO Nagas supporting ti!.c stun oi a lotm on

which the Buddha , .. li;:ts scatetL a subject found buth at Fondukistan and Tapa Sanbr, the

colos~cJl uarininonu Buddha at Tapa Sanlar S.6L~) (f'addei, !974b) that firFL a precis,_' ' . I \! l. r,., (',.Cllltlll'!Ti TaJ"lkisL:ml.. J site ihat is countl·rpa.rt in the purinin-uno o: f.c '/1JnJ J vpe .

l I -~ t · ·1 · ·t t,,,"c',!-L',"cc.)ff\,fubaxli'-itJn(.litYil"l:)kiand scu ptur,'l anu arCilitcctu:rcd mcltenJ -...--cry S11THlar- , "" ·'='

). THE PR1>I\YLISUM PEIUOD 295

197la, h) another Central Asian Buddhist sitc c1uitc clusc tu tlw sanctuaries of f\fglnnista.n \;:;

KuYa, in an~.:ient I-;crghana (Bubto\-,1, 1972). for the histon of religion, the nwst int!..Tcsting hnd ic; ccrLainh thL· imJgc ol'

ivlahjsh,lsUram,H"dini (a fonn of the HindLl god(lcss l )urga.) found al Tctpa s~tnbr (Tacldl'i, \973a, pL 1 )·5). This i~ the tirst instance of a Hindu deity placed in an othcnYisc purcl:

Buddhist contc:xt ln Arghan istcm. It hot" been ohsvr,Td (faddd, l 97.-:J.-b: "11 ) ) that the s;mct u._u;

of TalH Sanbr jlrohabh- !wiunr:cd to lhe un1wr cLlSSI..'~;: we h,t\'l._' but scant\· cYidcw:.T, fur J - • <._" l

instann,) of those' 'popuL:n-'' cult objects such as minic1turc ;,tupas and inscribed tablets o!" d,l)

(ho·. ·:;_{)6) that han· been found in num.hcrs at othn sitvs ncar ChJ.'/ni ,1nd belong tu the· :~c\1!_1c b '--

late period (f',tddci, 1970). Also the intrucluction ofct Hindu image intP th£..' s,-,_nctu,<r:-- ~teems to support thi~ YiC\Y, since tlw m_arble sculptun·~; of tlw ''ShJhi ·'period, \Yhich \\TlT cerl;1inl;·

proch.H.'t'd fo.r the upptT clas:oc~; and the courl las it is sl.lo\vn h;- ti_H_·ir ~;mall numhcr

comJHL1tiYl'l;- pn.'YiOl.l'; rncdium), almost cxdusiYcl:' n.:•pn·scnt 1 liru]u clcilic..,_

Thi;-: is therefore unc mon' point that arckwulogy i'; ,thlc to make ckM in the r\.'li~iuus histon· of nrc-Muslim /\_f~rl-lJ.ni.'it<m, "- . ..,uhj.ed tha.t alrcadv O\"d.'S lTlllch to field rc~carch

• J '-'

( Pugachcnko"l·a, 1974-). Nc\ertlw.lcss \·\C do not h:nc sufficient CYidencc to place tlwsZ:' ·~·tdturcll data in <l mon:'

precise historical contc:xt, such <ts \\T do havt.· in c·cntral /\sia, ,d-.crc the farm-pa.ian' of

Balal;-1..:. Tepc (Al'baum, 1960), for instance, tel.ls u:~ :oo much rlbout the S(ICial and economic · · ' l r I' ' I 1· 11 i . I i . . l ' ' 1· organuatlon ann t1crc,orc a !0"\Y:i us to LllHlcrstanc more u :; t_ll.' H co og1cJI ;acr:::groLJ.nd o·

the pctintingc; found tlwrc and, to :--:ornt· cxtt·nt, dc;cwlwrc in Central Asic'L M.O')l of th,tt \\T c,_u1

surriJ.j:-.v for Al'ghanistan and Centi·J.l Asia, thnngll historic;:d-reli.glou:; da.t<1 often poinl to

different directions (\'or Ct'n1 red _i\._c;ia_, sec Bclcnit,ski and tv"t:tr:'hak, \971 ) . Luc;ti;·, \-\T ca.nnot disregard the impurtZJ.HU' nf digg·ing in tlrt' fc\Y gran·y,Hds to he found

fron1 pre--Muslin> Af,ghanisL:m. One of the"''-", at Said Q<Jla Tqw, ,1bout _2; k.m \\-c·~;t (If Kandahar, has ;·lcldcd Ycr;.: fc\\- fum·r,ll offerings 1mt th~: stud;· of tht skeletons could k,1d to

probai-,h- "lo lw {Dupree, 19SS).

The cxplurz!1.ion of thl' bttt"l c;_itc anu. mun· n"( l'lltl \ ol

north Al:~r_hJ.ni_c,t,1n) llc-1~~ led Dupre·<:' to [)oint m1t dv\

u;\:cl.r.:\i pc1tltTn:, .. CLc rn ,d,·nl tiJnt"i 1 tlH·

the· ( ;tYl'.o

either

The L·,nc of Sh,1mshir Char (l )uprcc,

Ku'.J:Jn<J ~J'<tniJn ohkct.•.;: lnd<1 S,1:1aniZln

1n n Jnd bronze lwr',t

.\9)S ),

"'' '"'"'\ t.\'lll[l(\1',1( \" { ,\·.; ill

:~l'l1il nurn._lri·.;, <1r ·;t•nJ: -'''~'!]r_-·ntc"l.r\ '-~i''llip·-:

Red StiTa.k-Pa.tt,_-rn

it·uLn\'; tlh· tril<JbJ·: t: P''

Fllg. 5.67: }\cl Kuprnk: ohject~ from early period: pottery, cla.y spindle •shor-i~, canwi-ian bead, hnmzc projectile point::;. Fig. S.fA~: Aq Kupruk: objects fr m1 latn period.

fig. 5.fJ9: {upper} Aq Kupruk: graw potter;·, _iug of Aq Kupr-uk IV tYJW. Height i 3 em.

fig. 5"70: Oo\\Tr left) Ag Kupruk: gra\-e pottery, t\vo-hanclkd jar ci !\q Kupruk I\i t_vp(', Height 26,·m. -

_fig. 5.71: {h)\n_T right) Aq Kupruk: graYc pottery, bottle of /',_zl Kupruk J\' ty·pc. Height 12 tT~l.

5. THF PRF·MUSL!M PERIOD 299

Two rock shelters at Aq Kupruk (Dupree, 1972) yielded specimens of peasant-tribal art and utilitari.m objects of the period under discussion. The excavators uncovered t>:vo leYcls Jt

Aq Kupruk ! (Snake Can'), with the following ranges in C-14 dates: Farly period, a. d.

200 450; I ,1ler period, a. d. 45(}-600. ImporL1nt f-inch of the former included (hg. S.67): flint and bone imptentcnts; many

unidcntihcd iron fragnH'nts; seYeral bronzf' trilobate projectile points, socketed projectile

points, bracelets, etc.; glass, terracotta, carne!i;ln lwads. An cxlcnsin:• pa.intcd pvLter:· series

was found, including hlack on hull surface, but r('d on bui:T domiratcd. Designs included: free­

flowing, repeated spirals; v,-,1\')' !ines; chnjucr motif~'i; natur?,:i:.:tic am1 .sty1i~:vd faunal <md

noral etc. Undecorated red and bull utilitarian \\ZIH'S (lCCUrrcd i.n gn•ctt profusion.

faunal n:'nnins haYT been ickntificd J.S domesticated sheep, goat, cattle J!ld hor:-;c.

Thv btcr period finds in Ac1 Kupruk l included <t series o•· livt'stock-rvtaining \YJll" of

pakhso ;md ~un--drit'rl hricks and scn'ral large storJgc jar~. A series of fragmented, \lcfacczl

Buddhi~.-i. paintings OlTWTCcl in an 1.1ppcr cham her. The potterY consic;t-cd of Heel Stn',tk­

Pattern Burnished \'1--JJTS, a Yariety of painted \\·are'! (red or hlack em buff :-~urfacc hcing

clominanl; repeated spir,tls tbv dominant motif') plus a buff\-\ arc 11·-ith \.YZl"\ ;--, comb-marked

striatiuns, punctation anc1app!lqucd slwcp_·goat horn~; (hg. S 681. Aq Kupruk !Y (Skull CaH') contctin<_'d ,ln imcnsiYv buried arc;1 ( 10--l l human skeleton;;)

and prnbahly datnl from the iiftb tu ;;ixth ccnturic,c., :\,D. Cr-;:n-c fl_trnitutT (richer tkm that found clt Said Q~1la Tqw) included: i:\YU compl.t'te R('d Stre,J,,;-Pattcrn Burnished plate:,; tt

potter:· lamp, a cup ,md ,tn unguent ( ?1 ja1·; Cl bron:t.(_' mirror anc other hr()!l£L' orrJarncnt~ and

project ,l_t' pnint~; [ron \\Tapon:-. cmd hor:;c t rapp.lng;.;; a -"ll\ cr \Yith a lapi::.. :.cHing; carnelian

,md Lvu1i head:~. ; 69---5.71 :;hm\ potttTY <JfJ\l' \C'·::ch ofthi:, pt'riod., all cham('

finds. A H thcr site of the period, Tqw Shahidcm, jw;l c,Jst of Khulm ('-;c\mangcnl Pro\·[ncc,

nortlwrn Afghanic;tan), has yielded an important (Tra.mic ."-vquemT (JHJI.Y ht·ing studi('d h: C. \Vhitt'i ''e1nd shmtld illuminate the cblh li>:cs of the f,Jnll\:'1"-i who furnic;Jwd dF cconornic ha:-;c lor the Jlcphthalitc ~;Jlrapics north oF the Hindul<:w,h ilHd the Ku:,h;w :-i<llL1pil_'s

of thr_· _-.;r_)uth'' (Dupree: per~;on::tl coinmunic,1tion).

Orw mel\" furth<.·r llll'nllon a sonda[~C in the mmltFi ol' Pol-i L~1k, nc:lr (,!aLl Sktharak in the

C-1-1· cbtcs of the earlier s1rcltigrap11jc period fall into dw Ku.c.,hano Sasa_nlan \ll().S.s[l_;!y !ate

Hep_\-t~hJ.litcl pniocl; :tnd o!"tlw rc~.ulh ohta_incd b; l_c~d-mik at Q,lL'l .-\h!.ng,Fan, al.so in ccntr.::d

Afghanistan (Lc.shnik, 1 967), th;,t "-'t'em to <tgtTt' \Yith the datl'S from CJala ~hahar~tk, ''edt!:<' !ugh mctn;· oft he painted pottt:T~.- n1o\ d':--, :,upc rJ-j_ciall: rcscmhk l hose of the lat.e Indus

Ya.l1c\ ,.(_T,tmlc_c; ( l )uprec, !972: 9 l.

Ti-,j~ mmor culture of pn<Vlusllrn .'\i'gh,Jnistan do,·~, nol ."l'lTn to share many of its

chcnctdcrs IYith tbt.· rnuch riclwr and bctlt'r dncunwntvd lH!IWadi( hui'ial c,jtcs of the

"K1' ,-!Jan· period in dw Kaf-lrni,g>m \·alln.- norllwrn Bac1.1·ia {soutl-l\\c'Jtcrn T<ljikistanJ

( lvbnd c l \.htam, I 966, 1 77 5 ) . These a rv Jctualh- older (end of tl1t' second ct_·ntu r;- B.c., to t h v

begl; ning of the fir:~t centur; ,\.D.) and ~ccm to be tht· remain:" of the nor-rnd trihcs th,'\t

cru:,hcd tiw C~rat·co'"Ihctrian kingclom:;.