Bagram

Begram is an ancient city located in Afghanistan's Parwan province in the southern part of the Hindu Kush mountain range. In addition to the ruins of the city are in their environment still remains of several Buddhist sites. The city was at the time of the Greco -Bactrian rule, that is founded around the 3rd or 2nd century BC and was inhabited even in the later centuries. One assumes that it is the archaeological sites Begrams also the former city Kapisa, the summer residence of the Kushan under Kanischkas rule is. The finds were known as Begram treasure internationally.

• 5.1 dating
• 5.2 Meaning

Geographical Location

The ruins Begrams located about 80 kilometers northeast of the Afghan capital Kabul in the region Bagram. This is the Kapisa - plane, which is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush. The largest historical sites Begrams are very close to the mouth of the Ghorband River in the Panjshir River, about 12 kilometers from the provincial capital of Charikar. The region is characterized by large amounts of available melt water from the high mountains, which allows for irrigated agriculture, one of the most fertile Afghanistan. This situation was then as now substantially the same.

The area was the main stopping point when traveling through the region of the Hindu Kush, which always ran because of the high mountain character of the landscape through certain valleys and mountain passes. It was up to several former trade routes, among other things, on the main trade route from India to Central Asia; on this route lay for example, the present-day cities of Balch (the former Bactria ), Kabul, Jalalabad and Peshawar. Further north, in what is now the state Turkmenistan, this north-south trade route connected with the running east -west Silk Road. The location was also of strategic importance, which is why the construction of a fortress offered virtually.

History

The city was probably founded in the Greco -Bactrian time and was demonstrably inhabited even in the periods of the Indo- Greeks, the Kushan and the Sassanids. Because of several clues you go into the research generally assumes that it is the kuschanische city Kapisa, the summer residence during the reign of the Kushan Kanischkas, is, without, however, was sufficiently proved. This enabled the archaeologists not to provide such a proof, which classifies the previously existing there city as a royal capital.

In the area, the city founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ad Caucasum is suspected, the exact location of this city is controversial. The research they believed most likely here at Begram or near Charikar. The surrounding area is furthermore a number of Buddhist monasteries, as Shotorak, Qol -e Nader, Koh -e Pahlawan.

Kapisa was already mentioned in the Indo- Greek period and had at this time an elephant deity as the main deity, who was often depicted as Zeus. It appears on coins of Eukratides I., where it is explicitly referred to as the deity of Kapisa. The city was the summer residence during the time of emperor Kanishka kuschanischen.

After the invasion of the Hephthalites Kapisa was again the capital of the small kingdom of Nezak. They will be described in the seventh century AD by the Chinese traveler Xuanzang. He calls Kapisi, capital of Kapisa. He lingered a summer in the city and witnessed the survival of a cult of a Elephant Deity.

The exact origin and meaning of the name Begram is unclear, as is the date on which this name has been established. Some scientists believe the word Begram mean about as much as an important settlement, a major city or a city near a Buddhist site. While the ancient city has become known as the Begram, the spelling Bagram has been established for the region itself. The different spellings have arisen due to the lack of a standardized Transliterationssystems for translation of Scripture.

"Discovery" and excavations

In the 19th century the Englishman Charles Masson was the first European explorers who reported Begram. After his discovery, he managed to collect in the following months, about 2,000 coins, which he bought from local people. At that time, he speculated, it would annually been found that would have been then mostly melted in local workshops around 30,000 coins in the area of Begram. The first systematic studies were carried out from 1923 under the French Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan ( DAFA ), where first the attention was directed to the Buddhist monuments. Since 1936 excavations took place, which were (1943 to 1945) carried out intermittently until 1946. There have been uncovered in several places parts of the ancient city, which consisted of a living city and situated on two low hills Upper Town. Here, within the upper town strongly fortified several rooms were uncovered.

City ​​Begram

Newer part

Situated on a plateau there are remains of an ancient city, which was designated by archaeologists as the "new royal city " and is about 600 times 450 feet tall. On its southwest side - the only side to which no natural defense barrier made ​​it difficult to climb to the plateau - was a defensive wall. She was about 10 meters wide, is being suggested that it consisted of two to three meters thick walls, between which a transition was present. These city walls were completely excavated only on its outer side. There they consisted of bricks, each of which was marked with the Greek letter " theta ". On lying within these city walls plateau was dug in two different places mainly.

In an excavation in the eastern area about 60 rooms were uncovered. Here there were also two walled rooms at their inputs, which should contain the greatest finds, the so-called Begram treasure. Immediately adjacent to this building complex remains were found a small, reinforced with round towers fortress. It consisted of seven rooms, which enclosed a rectangular courtyard. Another similar fortress was located approximately 400 m south outside the city walls. The second excavation site was located about 200 meters to the west. There, more than 40 rooms were slightly exposed, which were built around a central courtyard. The foundations and lower parts of the walls were built of ordinary stones, while there were the tops of the walls are made of rammed earth ( pisé ).

The walls of this latest layer is not oriented mostly at residues earlier constructions of which also remains could be found. Therefore, the building structures of these older strata in the plan are significantly different. In the older layers, whose walls were made ​​of bricks and stones, were found in the western excavation site residues of numerous buildings that were located along a line extending in a north-south direction road and contained numerous craft shops. Also in the eastern excavation remains were found of several rooms that were partially covered with a layer of ash, indicating a fire. The oldest layers of the two excavation sites were dated to the Greco- Bactrian or on the early Kushan period on the basis of coins.

Older part

About 600 meters further north is a 200 by 150 meter Acropolis, which was classified as even older by archaeologists and therefore referred to as " ancient royal city ". This establishment is situated on a rocky plateau which dominates the surrounding area about 20 feet and on three sides provides a natural defense. Immediately north-west of this plateau leads the Ghorband in the Panjshir, continues its waters in the survey over to the east. This circumstance was a further protection against potential attackers Represents the south adjacent plateau was built by one on the south and east, simple but highly fortified wall that is partially intact, shielded. The wall consisted partly of brick, but in contrast to the defensive wall of the other system had no markings. Within this system, however, no architectural remains were found, since the place inhabited again recently and the ground was used for agriculture. The modern name of this plateau is the Burj -i ' Abdullah.

Begram treasure

Within the building complex, there were two walled rooms ( No. 11 and No. 13), which were filled with art objects and became known as Begram treasure. Room No. 13 was once decorated with murals showing a row of columns. The objects found here are of different origin and cause until today various discussion to its original function. Above all, the question remains controversial, why and when these objects were deposited in two sealed chambers. We can distinguish several groups of objects:

• Ivory carvings that once constituted deposits in furniture. These carvings are all Indian -style.
• Glass vessels, decorated partly in the shape of animals, some in simple shapes and painted or with elaborate patterns. Most glass vessels are blown and come from the East of the Roman Empire.
• Numerous Stuckmedailions, all of which are held in a purely Hellenistic style.
• Stone vessels
• Bronze works, such as vases, weights, cosmetic vessels, statuettes of Greek or Greco- Egyptian deities
• Chinese lacquer work, but these are poorly preserved

Dating

The dating of the treasure, and especially the timing of this was collected and deposited in the sealed rooms, are controversial. The oldest object in the treasure is a coin of Greco- Indian king Hermaios, who probably reigned in the first century BC, but its precise reign is uncertain. The latest object is a coin of the ruler kuschanischen Vasudeva I, who reigned in the third century AD.

Importance

The treasure stands out because of the high quality of the found objects. Few of them have been produced locally, most are from India or the Roman Empire, which often Alexandria is suspected as the production site. The actual material value of the treasure is low. There were hardly any gold or gems work. Consequently, there are two views on the function of the treasure. The excavator assumed that it is the treasure and the treasuries kuschanischer ruler, while newer considerations go in to see the treasure as a collection of a dealer.