Tillia tepe
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| Tillia tepe طلا تپه |
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  Tillia tepe
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| Province | Jowzjan |
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| Population | None |
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| Time zone | GMT+04:30 Kabul (UTC) |
Tillia tepe, Tillā tapa (Persian: طلا تپه ) or Tillya tepe (literally "Golden Hill" or "Golden Mound") is an archaeological site in northern Afghanistan near Sheberghan, discovered in 1968 by a Soviet-Afghan mission of archaeologists.
The heavily fortified town of Yemshi-tepe, just five kilometres to the northeast of modern Sheberghan on the road to Akcha, is only half a kilometre from the now-famous necropolis of Tillia-tepe.
The site consists of six graves (five women and one man) with extremely rich jewelry, dated to around the 1st century BCE. Altogether several thousand pieces of fine jewelry were recovered, usually made from combinations of gold, turquoise and lapis-lazuli. They are currently on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris.
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[edit] Dates and context
Several coins dated up to the early 1st century CE, with none dated later, presumably indicate the extinction of the local royal dynasty after the conquests of all the other xihou or 'princes' in Daxia by Kujula Kadphises. (See Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan.)
Silver coins were found from the reigns of the Parthian king Mithridates II, who ruled c. 123–88 BCE; Parthian King Phraates IV (38–32 BCE). The latter coin was counterstamped during the reign of Sapaeisis, who is thought to have been a Yuezhi chieftain who ruled before the rise of Kujula Kadphises. The counterstamp was added so as to not damage the portrait of the Parthian king, perhaps indicating some degree of dependency on the Parthians.
A gold coin was also found showing the bust in profile of the wreath-crowned Roman Emperor Tiberius. On the reverse is an enthroned, sumptuously draped female figure holding a spray and scepter. Coins of this type were minted in the city of Lugdunum in Gaul, between 16 and 21 CE.[1]
[edit] Cultural influences
These pieces have much in common with the famous Scythian gold artifacts recovered thousands of kilometers west on the banks of the Bosphorus and the Chersonese.
A high cultural syncretism pervades the findings, however. Hellenistic cultural and artistic influences can be found in many of the forms and human depictions (from amorini to rings with the depiction of Athena and her name inscribed in Greek), attributable to the existence of the Seleucid empire and Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in the same area until around 140 BCE, and the continued existence of the Indo-Greek Kingdom in the northwestern Indian sub-continent until the beginning of our era.
The artifacts were also intermixed with items coming from much farther, such as a few Chinese artifacts (especially Chinese bronze mirrors) as well as a few Indian ones (decorated ivory plates). This seems to be a testimony to the richness of cultural influences in the area of Bactria at that time.
 Men in armor, in Greek fighting gear |
 Golden belt, with depictions of Dyonisos riding a lion. |
 Amorini riding on fish, Tillia tepe |
 Rings from Tillia tepe; the left one represents a seated Athena. |
[edit] Indo-Scythians
It is thought that the site belonged to Scythians (who were later to migrate to India, where they are known as Indo-Scythians), although some suggest the Yuezhi (future Kushans) as an alternative. Several of the artifacts are highly consistent with a Scythian origin, such as the royal crown discovered in the tombs.
[edit] Loss and re-discovery
It was thought that the treasure, which had been placed in the Kabul Museum, was destroyed during the looting of the museum by the Taleban in 2000. Apparently the treasure was hidden away by some employees of the museum, and was recently re-discovered by chance at the bottom of commodity crates. Following an agreement between the Afghan government and France, the collection is now on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris (from December 2006 to April 2007).
[edit] See also
[edit] External Links
- Website dedicated to Afghanistan's Treasures by Musée Guimet (Paris, France): Afghanistan, les trésors retrouvés
[edit] References
- ^ Sarianidi, Victor. 1985. The Golden Hoard of Bactria: From the Tillya-tepe Excavations in Northern Afghanistan. Harry N. Abrams, New York.
- Sarianidi, V. I. "The Treasure of Golden Hill." American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 84, No. 2 (Apr., 1980), pp. 125–131.
- Sarianidi, Victor. 1990–1992. "Tilya Tepe: The Burial of a Noble Warrior." PERSICA XIV, 1990–1992, pp. 103–130.
- "Afghanistan, les trésors retrouvés", Musée des arts asiatiques Guimet, ISBN 2711852938
