Lost Treasure from Alexander's Time Found in Afghanistan

[John.]

The treasure said to be "probably the most important collection of antiquities in the world outside Egypt."http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/sto ... 0.htmlJohn

[susan]

Thanks for posting this, John. I've had a look around at other resources, which date the treausre as slightly later than Alexander:
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/art ... dart=11341
and
"http://www.archaeology.org/online/featu ... "According to another rumor, Victor Sarianidi of the Soviet-Afghan archaeological mission, which had excavated a hoard of more than 20,000 gold ornaments from six burial mounds called Tillya-tepe, had taken the gold to the Soviet Union. The first-century B.C. to first-century A.D. hoard, however, was shown to an international conference on Kushan studies in Kabul in November 1978. The Kabul government also displayed it to the diplomatic corps toward the end of 1991, after which the gold was packed in boxes and placed in a vault of the National Bank inside the palace, where it is said to be today. "
and also at:
http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Newsdate=6Jan02b.htm

Susan

[John.]

I don't know about the source you're using - "according to another rumor" - that dates the treasure to the 1st century BC to 1st century AD. It describes "20,000 gold ornaments." Ornaments? My source describes 20,000 gold "coins." Knowing the great quantity of coins Alexander had minted in his lifetime, I would be astounded if some of these 20,000 coins weren't minted in his time.There is something very special about this treasure. I saw the movie "The Man Who Would be King" a couple years ago, which centered around a hidden treasure of Alexander the Great, which was found around Afghanistan way. The movie was made in 1975. A few years later, in 1978, a Soviet team discovered a real lost treasure in Afghanistan, haled as one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made.A few months later, the Soviets went to war against Afghanistan - in an effort to take possession of the great horde? The United States couldn't allow the Soviets to expand their Empire, so they trained a man named Osama bin Laden to fight them off, giving him rocket launchers, with Stinger missiles, to take down Soviet aircraft, etc...After the Soviets withdrew, the missiles were turned elsewhere, like on the 2,000 year old Twin Buddhas - the largest twin Buddha statues in the world. These came crashing down and were totally destroyed in 2001. A few months later, the tallest Twin Towers in the world were taken down in New York - organized, they say, by the same Osama bin Laden.I know the Taliban were on a seek and destroy mission against all pagan works of art. So my eyes teared up this morning when I read that "they were beaten almost senseless [by the Taliban] but did not reveal it."Someone should at least take some pictures of it while it's still around, and put 'em on the net.John

[Polyxena]

Thank you John.