Ancient jewellery discovered

Excavations continue at Mes Aynak, 35km south of Kabul. Already three Buddhist monasteries and an ancient copper mine with statues, coins, reliefs and murals have been unearthed. Now archaeologists have found jewellery, such as a gold necklace, gems, golden bowls, copper spoons and other jewellery and materials, the first time since archaeologists started work in 2009 that jewellery was found.

At least three more monasteries at the site still to have yet to be explored.

The archaeological remains date from the 1st to the 7th centuries; first settled by the Khushan dynasty. “The gold, the wall paintings, the statues all suggest that the inhabitants of the site were quite wealthy,” said Hans Curvers, leading archeologist on site.

In related news, during a dig in Ghazni, workers discovered numerous earth-caked pots which are believed to be 1,200 years old.