The “care takers” of Afghanistan’s precious antiquities from the ancient era concealed the treasures from Soviets, then taliban. These were feared to be lost; with the help National Geographic society along with Afghanisatan’s National Museum the unearthed trove reveals Afghanistan to be a metling pot and major trading hub where people from “east” brought muslin, spices, and ivory while the people from the west brought exotic minerals, gems, tools.
While reading the recent article on this discovery, I found a stunning picture of Ganga, the river goddess, carved out in ivory.
See the original photos and story at NGM. The treasure is going to be on display at Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in San Francisco, California between October 24, 2008, to January 25, 2009.