The Media Line Archaeology of Gandhara

Fascinating exploration of the archaeology of ancient Gandhara

About this event

ARCHAEOLOGY OF GANDHARA

Gandhara is the ancient name of a region that today covers parts of northwest Pakistan and Afghanistan bounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range and the foothills of the Himalayas. It flourished as a crossroad connecting various trade routes and diverse cultural influences across Asia. Famed for its Greco-Buddhist art style, it reached its heights under the Kushan Empire, was invaded by the Achaemenid Empire and Alexander the Great, and also became part of Mauryan territories. And later conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1001 CE. Archaeological sites include the ancient city of Taxila, Buddhist monastery of Takht-i-Bahi, and many others in the Peshawar and Swat valleys.

This seminar will explore some of the archaeological findings, with a special focus on Prof Gul Rahim Khan’s own fieldwork. We will then have a conversation and Q&A.

Gul Rahim Khan ^[2] is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Peshawar. He will present on the archaeology of Gandhara with special focus on aspects of his own recent fieldwork in Pakistan. His excavations and other fieldwork projects include: early historic sites in the Peshawar Valley, Taxila and other areas of Pakistan. He is author of A Catalogue of Sculptures from Butkara III (Swat), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the SSAQ Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Articles include: Vasudeva Coins from Taxila, An Intaglio Seal from Peshawar Revisited, A New Kushan Hoard from Ray Dheri, Abazai, A Copper Hoard of the Great Kushans from Jamrud (Khyber Agency) Pakistan, Two Gold Hoards of the Late Kushans from Rustam, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Recent Discovery of Coins in the Buddhist Monastery of Badalpur, Taxila Valley, Pakistan and Preliminary Report of Archaeological Excavations at Hayatabad, Peshawar: Field Season 2017

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