An incredible treasure discovered near the Oxus River is one of the most valuable collections of ancient Persian artifacts. Only 180 pieces of jewelry, signs, figurines and about 200 coins have survived over the years, but the original archive was much larger. Comprised of stunning gold and silver artifacts, this treasure trove is an impressive example of ancient wealth. Intricately decorated metalwork also shows how skillful artists in Persia were in the 2nd or 3rd century BC.
Division of the Achaemenid treasure
The impressive Oxus treasure was discovered in the late 19th century. However, time delays between excavations and when the metal artifacts were cataloged and displayed created problems in maintaining Maintain precious artifacts as a complete collection. Many priceless artifacts were lost forever. Some of the Oxus artifacts appear to be in different museum collections, but due to lack of documentation it is impossible to conclude their origin.
Golden statues of bearded men (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ) and silver statues of another bearded man were cast and chased. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ) All from the Oxus Treasure.
The Oxus Treasure by John Curtis (published by the British Museum) details a case of treasure being divided. Curtis wrote:
“A large part of the treasure was almost lost in 1880 and was only rediscovered by chance under special, even bizarre, circumstances. According to OM Dalton, whose 1905 Oxus Treasures catalog remains a fundamental publication, in May of that year, three merchants from Bokhara, who had probably purchased the treasure from local villagers, were traveling with treasure from Kabul to Peshawar. East of Kabul, they were attacked by local tribesmen, who seized them and the Treasure. However, their servant escaped and raised the alarm in the camp of Captain E C. Burton, a political officer in Afghanistan. Burton set out with two servants and came across the robbers in a cave just before midnight. They were in the process of dividing the spoils and had quarreled about it. Four are lying injured. We are told that “a negotiation ensued”, as a result of which most of the Treasure was given to Burton. The next day, he threatened to lead a force against the robbers, which convinced them to bring another large portion of the Treasure. In this way, about three-quarters was returned to the merchants and in gratitude they allowed Burton to purchase the large gold bracelet which was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum.”
Some jewelry from the Oxus Treasure. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 )
Beautifully decorated metalwork
The jewelry in the Oxus Treasures is as wonderful as the most notable Egyptian body decorations. Bracelets, necklaces and other jewelry are exquisitely decorated with animal and floral motifs. These items are excellent examples of work created by highly skilled artists. The most famous bracelets and bangles are those with falcon heads. They are on display more than any other object in the collection. The wonderful jewelry from Oxus also influenced the modern market for oriental jewelry related to ancient Persian culture.
A gold bracelet with a falcon head from the Oxus Treasure. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 )
The precious treasure also includes interesting and detailed sculptures. There are small statues and a few larger objects. Some male representations may depict priests or others worshiping ancient gods. The largest known statue is a statue of a naked man made from scraps of cloth. This rare artifact is more characteristic of ancient Greek style than Persian style.
Outside cultural influences can also be seen through the sculpture depicting the face of the Egyptian god Bes – a dwarf who was a guardian god; and one of the golden tablets depicting a lion or falcon is attributed to the Scythians, based on the characteristic way of its legs.
Silver statue of a young man. (Public domain)
In addition, two yellow horse-drawn carriage models are also very eye-catching. One of them is incomplete, but the second is in a perfect state of preservation. There are also a number of horse and rider figures that almost certainly belong to this set of figurines.
Ships, coins and other precious treasures
Several ships discovered near the Oxus River are currently located in London. This group of artifacts includes a golden vase and bowl. These items are also decorated with real and mythical animal motifs. One of the most interesting vases is a hollow goldfish, depicting a species of carp found only in the Oxus River.
Empty goldfish boat. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 )
The 51 thin gold cards are decorated with images of worshipers offering offerings to their gods. The boards are shaped like rectangles. The smallest of these offering panels is only 2 cm (0.79 inches) high, while the largest is ten times larger.
Finally, coins discovered in the Oxus Treasure depict Antiochus the Great (223-187 BC), Euthydemus I of Bactria (235 – 200 BC) and Alexander the Great. Researchers have unearthed at least 521 coins. Together, these artifacts helped them date this magnificent treasure to the early 2nd century AD.
One of the votive plates. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 )
Unanswered questions about scattered treasure
Unfortunately, more detailed information about the treasure was lost during excavations and for decades after its discovery. Two of the biggest problems are identifying the original owner and finding out why it was buried near the Oxus River.
Now, most known pieces of the Oxus Treasure are located in London. Some artifacts are believed to be in St Petersburg, but this is uncertain. Although the cache was taken to Europe and is no longer in its homeland, the destruction of many valuable aspects of Persian heritage means that it remains one of the greatest treasures of Ancient Achaemenid Empire.
The hollow gold heads of beardless men were made from a single chip, the Oxus Treasure. (British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 )
