Salvaged Treasures
A PLAQUE outside Afghanistan’s National Museum
in Kabul reads: “A nation stays alive when its culture
stays alive.” The words are of particular relevance to
the museum, which was founded in 1919 and reflects
Afghanistan’s rich, complex history that stretches
back through centuries. Bombed and looted in the
1990s, the museum was targeted by the Taliban
regime, whose agents destroyed many of the pre-
Islamic artifacts in its collections. A few pieces fr
Ay Khanom (shown here) escaped this fate.
romCast-bronze crescent, third
century B.C. Tarnished by time,
this moon-shaped artifact bears
a woman’s face.Bearded man, third to
second centuries B.C. This
bust, perhaps depicting a
teacher, was found in the Ay
Khanom gymnasium.Golden disk, second century B.C.
Found in a temple, it is believed to
depict the Greek goddess Cybele
(left) and god Helios (center), and a
Zoroastrian fire altar (right).Square coin, circa
190 B.C. Issued by King
Agathocles, this coin
bears texts in Greek and
Brahmi script. On one
side is the Hindu god
Krishna (far left); on
the other, the Hindu
deity Balarama.Gargoyle, third to
second centuries B.C.
This water spout
takes on the form
of a Greek comic
mask.DISCOVERIESDISK: FINE ART IMAGES/ALBUM. GARGOYLE: THIERRY OLLIVIER/MUSÉE GUIMET/GETTY IMAGES. COIN: AKG/ALBUM. MOON AND BUST: THIERRY OLLIVIER/MUSÉE GUIMET/GETTY IMAGES