Treasure Hunting

The National Geographic Society and the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul have come together for a joint exhibition of ancient Afghanistan treasures to be put on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

The exhibition includes ancient coins found in the region, many of which were rediscovered buried in the Central Bank located in the Presidential Palace. They hadn’t been seen since 1979 when the Soviet invasion occurred. These treasures later escaped danger from the Taliban, who destroyed many works of art that portrayed deities.

The turbulent early history of Afghanistan is covered well in this article at Numismaster.com. Two significantly impressive coins that can be seen on display in Washington D.C. include the “Silver Drachm of Mithradates II of Parthia” issued from 123 - 88 B.C. Numismaster.com reports “It is an important although common Ancient numismatic specimen with its typical realistic portrait.”

Nearby and above the Mithradates II coin is a lovely gold aureus of Tiberius, Emperor of Roma, issued from 14 - 37 A.D. The reverse portrays Livia as Pax. Numismaster.com reports “It is the oldest Roman coin to be found in Afghanistan to date,. . . it is believed to have reached Afghanistan by sea and then through India, apparently a Roman trade route.”

Washington D.C. is fortunate to solicit such unique exhibitions. Afghanistan is on the forefront of many American minds and I think there is much to learn from the countries turbulent history. The ancient coins, of course, are fascinating.

~ Liz ~

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It’s getting hot out there lately, so I decided I should start coming in and writing blogs again when I stumbled on a story that is truly amazing. It isn’t about metal detecting, but it’s about history - our other favorite subject here at TreasureHunting.com.

The Emory family, prominent tobacco and wheat farmers who settled in Maryland in the 1660s, apparently saved every last scrap of paper they ever wrote on. Talk about a “pack-rat!”

Their plantation home “Poplar Grove” is still in family hands and the mansion is used as a hunting lodge. Washington College has had access to the plantation for years, but only recently did some students begin to sift through the boxes and boxes of paper in the attic.

When they realized what they found - they called for back-up.

Now Adam Goodheart, a history professor at Washington College, state archivists and a crew of student interns are working to collect and categorize the documents. The collection includes letters, maps, financial records, political posters, and printed bills provide a first hand account of life from the 1660s through World War II.

“Historians are used to dealing with political records and military documents,” said Goodheart, “But what they aren’t used to is political letters and military documents kept right alongside bills for laundry or directors for building a washing machine.”

“Look at this: ‘Negro woman, Sarah, about 27 years old, $25,” Goodheart says, reading from a 19th century inventory. “It was as though this family never threw away a scrap of paper.”

Mary Wood, an Emory cousin whose son inherited the plantation in 1998 said “I don’t believe any of us knew these papers were there. We didn’t go there all that often, and when you do, you don’t go up in people’s attics and look around.”

I’d say there’s a great deal of looking to be done from here on out! And I have a feeling we’ll learn quite a bit about the nuances of life in Maryland during those 400 years - things we never knew about.

- Shaun

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