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Recent Archaeological Works in Afghanistan
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations
and other eld works
January 2013
Recent Archaeological Works in Afghanistan
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations
and other eld works
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kabul
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Ministry of Information and Culture
Published by: Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA)
www.dafa.org.af
Funded by: Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kabul
Design by: Qasim Rasouli
www.qrasouli.com
Cover Photo by: Jaroslav Poncar
Printed in Kabul, January 2013
Table of Contents
Rescue excavation at Mes Aynak 1
Archaeology and Mining
Mès Ainak as a Case Study 13
Preliminary Findings and Results from Sites 005 and 034 19
A newly discovered “pensive bodhisattva”
representing the young Gautama Siddhārtha Śākyamuni 35
Remarks on the wall paintings from Mes Aynak 41
Regarding a preliminary dating of the Mes Aynak archaeological site 53
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
F
The Mes Aynak archaeological site, located
in Logar province, is associated to the
second largest copper deposit in the world.
The site’s natural resources, once of interest
to the ancient inhabitants, are of continu-
ing interest to contemporary Afghanistan.
The signature of an agreement between
the Afghan government and the Chinese
mining company MCC to resume extraction
of copper at Mes Aynak produced as a result
a huge rescue excavation.
Initially surveyed in 1963, ocial excavation
led by the National Institute of Archaeology
commenced in 2009 with the support of an
international team of archaeologists, the
French Archaeological Delegation in Afghan
-
istan (DAFA) and the World Bank.
Mes Aynak represents one of the most
important archaeological sites ever to be
discovered in the territory of Afghanistan.
The architecture and artifacts excavated
so far date from the Kushan period to the
emergence of Islam. The vast quantity and
the high quality of the coins, ceramics, wall
paintings, unbaked clay sculptures and
stone reliefs make Mes Aynak comparable
to such contemporary sites as Hadda and
Bamiyan.
The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kabul
has supported the excavation activities from
2011, also with the direct support of the
National Institute of Archaeology. Thanks to
its generous donation, a second publication
about the archaeological researches at Mes
Aynak is now available.
H. E. Deputy Minister for Culture
S. M. Khalili
Preliminary Findings and Results from Sites 005
and 034
Jiri Unger
(Archaeological Institute of Academy of Sciences in Prague, v.v.i.; Institute of Prehistory
and Early History, Charles University in Prague)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
20
This paper focuses on describing part of
the settlement concentrated on the summit
of a mountain at Mes Aynak (the sites la-
belled 005 and 034), and summarizes the
ndings of an archaeological excavation
performed in the autumn and winter of 2012
as part of MAAP (Mes Aynak Archaeological
Project). The crescent-shaped mountain,
whose longer axis runs in a N-S direction,
occupies a central position in the locality
and is surrounded by the relics of relative-
ly compact settlement from the 4th to 9th
centuries AD, primarily on the mountain’s
eastern and northern side. The lower portion
of the eastern ank is covered with a large
amount of waste material from the mining
and production of copper (Fig. 1A). Based
on the present ndings, the remains of the
structures in this area keep their distance
and only fully adhere to the mountain’s
slopes in its northeastern section (Fig. 10).
On the summit itself, excavations uncovered
a building complex on a distinct rise on the
northern margins (Fig. 1B); additional, more
extensive and more complex remains are
currently being uncovered on the second
raised plateau located ca. 250 m further
south (Fig. 1C). The space between these
two is lled by a massive wall that runs along
the narrow ridge in a N-S direction (Fig.
1D). From the exploratory trenches dug by
Russian geologists (Fig. 1E) and the on-site
excavations currently underway, it is clearly
apparent that the mountain’s eastern ank
in this area was in all likelihood completely
covered in a system of connected terraces.
(1) View of the mountain’s eastern ank, with clear relics
of settlement on the summit (photo: M. Przedlacki)
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
21
The following text will focus primarily on
the complex of preserved masonry struc-
tures spreading out along the summit in
the mountain’s northern part (see Fig. 2),
and will provide a detailed description pri-
marily of the portion adjacent to the main
rampart wall (Fig. 2A). As can be seen from
the aerial photograph, the area is home to a
relatively dense concentration of buildings,
outbuildings, and pathways whose northern
part (Fig. 2B) does not show any advanced
urban planning and whose overall layout
indicates rather a chaotic unit surrounding
the outcrop that comes to the surface here
(Fig. 2C).
The building complex labelled transect A
on Fig. 2, however, is of a fundamentally
dierent character. It strictly observes the
same north-south orientation as the ridgetop
wall, which acts as a rampart wall and thus
shows signs of a single act of construction
that disrupted the older irregular set of struc-
tures. This can be clearly seen for instance in
the tripartite building (Fig. 2D) whose longer
axis runs in a SW-NE direction and whose
SW section is clearly disrupted by the newly
built structure copying the rampart wall. It
can thus be speculated, with a certain level
of likelihood, that transect A is from a later
period of settlement, when a linear wall was
placed along the ridge (Fig. 2F), apparently
segmented by large towers (Fig. 2G, 13) that
were adjoined by additional stone structures:
not just in the form of buildings, but also as
terraces used in some specic manner (Fig.
2H). Research is signicantly complicated
by the erosion along large portions of the
mountaintop, as seen in particular on the
northwestern slopes (Fig. 2E).
(2) Aerial photograph of the northern portion of the mountaintop settlement (see 1B). A – studied and described area,
B – remains of settlement concentrated on the northern section of the summit, C – bedrock, D – detail of disrupted
tripartite building, E – eroded sections of the mountain, F – main linear ridgetop wall, G – square tower, H – terrace
covering the eastern anks (photo: DAFA, Y. Ubellman)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
22
The part of the complex chosen for a de-
tailed description is ca. 15 x 35 m in size. It
was composed of some 12 rooms of various
sizes, and interconnected by corridors and
stairways (Fig. 3). The surviving structures
consist, for the most part, of relicts of stone
walls built using local quarry stone, most
likely waste material from copper mining,
which would also explain the use of large
pieces of slag in the masonry. At the higher
levels of masonry structures, the quarry
stone is replaced by masonry consisting of
mud bricks. It can be justiably assumed
that the building’s upper stories were con-
structed using unred dried bricks since
they needed to be lighter than the stone
walls forming the solid foundations of the
underground spaces.
(3) General plan of the choosen part of site 005 (MAAP, J. Unger)
Surviving examples of the room’s furnishings
include benches with a stone base covered
in a thick layer of daub, as well as various
niches built directly into the stone walls or
modelled out of clay. Also preserved were
numerous wooden parts of the interior such
as doorsills and beams used to reinforce
the stone walls or as supports for possible
upper stories. Also frequently found were
ceramic storage containers sunken into the
oor in the rooms’ corners.
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
23
The technical description of the individual rooms in the transect under review is as follows:
Room 23
Basic characteristics: square room mea-
suring 4.5 x 5 m, passage through the room
is in a N-S direction; northern wall: wall with
a preserved height of 2-3 m, western portion
markedly destroyed, lower portion plastered
with clay up to a height of 40 cm with white
coat visible in places; entrance to room 40
at the wall’s eastern end; eastern wall: wall
with max. preserved height of 2.2 m; in the
middle is a 1m-wide pillar projecting 20
cm into the room, attached to whose front
part is a niche with a plinth jutting out into
the room by another 30-40 cm; another 40
cm-wide niche is built into the wall on the
pillar’s northern side; on the pillar’s southern
side is either another as-of-yet uncovered
niche or a possible door from which a set of
stairs leads up at a right angle to the top of
the wall; in front of these is a preserved 10
cm-high clay platform measuring 1 x 1.5 m;
on the ground by the entrance to room 24
are clay pockets for anchoring the wooden
doorsill (Fig. 4);
(4) Axonometric projection of the eastern wall in room 023 (MAAP, J. Unger)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
24
southern wall: wall with max. preserved
height of 3 m; partially preserved plaster
with white coat visible in places; apparent
use of larger pieces of slag as construction
material; door on the left; in the NW corner
a possible relict of a bench; western wall:
wall with max. preserved height of 3 m;
clearly visible remains of mud bricks in upper
portions; lower portion plastered with clay
up to a height of 40 cm, with white coat
visible in places; in SW corner the possible
remnants of a bench; oor: clay, with raised
platforms in front of niches and possible en-
trance to staircase; interior: wooden doorsill
at entrance to room 24, two niches, relict
of bench and probably staircase recessed
into the eastern wall
Room 24
Characteristics: square room measur-
ing 5 x 5 m: connecting passage to all its
sides (Fig. 5, 6); northern wall: wall with a
maximum preserved height of 2.8 m with a
strong destruction, partially preserved clay
plaster with a white coat visible in places,
doors; eastern wall: wall with a maximum
preserved height of 2.6 m, doors; southern
wall: wall with a maximum preserved height
of 2.2 meters, partly preserved plaster,
doors; western wall: wall with a maximum
preserved height 2.8 m, , partially preserved
clay plaster, doors; oor: clay; interior: plas-
tered stone bench with a height of 25-40 cm
adjacent to N, S and W wall ; on the ground
by the entrance to room 24 are clay pockets
for anchoring the wooden doorsill (Fig. 5)
(5) Clay pockets for anchoring the wooden doorsill in
entrance to room 24 (MAAP, J. Unger)
(6) Eastern wall in room 24 (MAAP, J. Unger)
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
25
Room 25
basic characteristics: narrow rectangular
room measuring 2 x 7 m with its longer side
running in a N-S direction, entrance to room
24 in the eastern wall; northern wall: wall
with max. preserved height of 1.8 m; par-
tially preserved plaster; eastern wall: wall
with max. preserved height of 2.8 m; at a
height of 1.8 m is a clearly visible division of
the stone basement wall on which sits a wall
made from mud bricks sized 40 x 10 x 10 cm;
in one place a pocket is visible for inserting
a wooden beam (Fig. 7); southern wall:
inner crosswall with max. preserved height
of 1.6 m; apparent use of larger pieces of
slag as building material; western wall: main
rampart wall with max. preserved height of
1.8 m; apparent use of larger pieces of slag
as building material; a door is visible at the
right; due to original oor height having been
dug down to the bedrock, clearly visible
layer (20-40 cm) of sand and ash with strong
admixture of ground rock, which can in all
likelihood be interpreted as waste from the
production of copper, used secondarily for
insulating the oor; oor: dug down to the
bedrock
(7) East wall in room 25 with visible masonry consisting of mud bricks (MAAP, J. Unger)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
26
Room 26 and 27
basic characteristics: largest rectangular
room in the studied transect; the longer axis
(N-S orientation) cleaves to the main rampart
wall, size: 8 x 5.5 m; the entrance to the room
is in the middle of the eastern wall and is
anked by parts of the periphery wall that
extend inward; room has been negatively
aected by a looters’ tunnel, which passes
through its middle and thus disrupts both
its entryway and the main rampart wall (Fig.
3); northern wall: wall with max. preserved
height of 2.5 m; two walled-up entryways
clearly visible in the wall – the rst, located
in the middle of the wall, leads to room 25;
the height of its doorsill corresponds to the
height of the oor in the room (indicated
on Fig. 3 by a red arrow, Fig. 8A) ). The
second, at the eastern edge of the wall,
leads to room 24; its doorsill again corre-
sponds to the level of the oor in the room
(Fig. 8B); visible along the western edge is
the complete destruction of the diagonally
connecting main rampart wall, which has
been dug away by the looters’ tunnel (Fig.
8C); at the top of the wall between the two
entrances at a height of 1.8m is a dividing
line where a wall consisting of mud bricks
measuring ca. 20 x 10 x 10 cm sits on top
of the stone basement wall; in the lower
part, the wall’s foundation has been im-
properly built into the terrain (Fig. 8E), which
sits on the outcrop (Fig. 8F); eastern wall:
north of the probable entrance it is an inner
crosswall with max. preserved height of 2.9
m; visible in the northern corner again is a
mud brick wall sitting on top; to the south
of the entrance, the wall is preserved to a
max. height of 2.5 m, in the SE corner it is
partly plastered with clay, with a white coat
visible in places; southern wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 2.9 m; partially
preserved clay plaster with a white coat
visible in places; a bench is placed against
it along its entire length; entrance to room
31 visible in the SW corner along the top
of the wall; the doorsill again corresponds
to the level of the stairs leading to room 31
(indicated on Fig. 3 by a red arrow); western
wall: wall with max. preserved height of 2.7
m; extensive well-preserved clay plaster
with a white coat visible in places; a bench
is placed against the wall’s rst 4.5 m from
the SW corner; extensive destruction of
main rampart wall caused by looters’ tunnel
visible in the NW edge; oor: clay, probably
partially dug down below the original level,
in places with exposed outcrop; interior:
a plaster-covered U-shaped stone bench
measuring 3.5 x 4 x 4.5 m along the room’s
W and S walls; a ceramic storage container
is sunken into the oor in the NW corner
(Fig. 8G)
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
27
Room 29
basic characteristics: corridor connecting
rooms 26 + 27 and 30, rectangular in shape,
measuring 1.5 x 11 m with two staircas-
es; eastern wall: wall with max. preserved
height of 2.8 m; a looters’ tunnel has cut
through the southern section; western wall:
max. preserved height of 2.8 m; oor: clay
Room 30
basic characteristics: corridor connecting
rooms 29 + 31 and 34, rectangular in shape,
measuring 6.5 x 1,5 m with two staircases; a
looters’ tunnel has cut through the southern
section; a plaster-covered stone bench along
the room’s N wall northern wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 3,4 m; extensive
well-preserved clay plaster; , in the eastern
part the passage to room 29; southern wall:
wall with max. preserved height of 3,4 m;
(8) Photogrammetry view on the north wall in room 26 (MAAP, J. Unger)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
28
extensive well-preserved clay plaster; , in the
western part the staircase and entrance to
the rooms 34 and 31; oor: clay ; interior:
plaster-covered stone bench
Room 31
characteristics: small rectangular room
measuring 2 x 4 m, entrances in the southern
and western wall, the staircase belong the
western wall up to the upper oor of room 27
(indicated on Fig. 3 by a red arrow); north-
ern wall: wall with max. preserved height
of 2,7 m; extensive well-preserved clay
plaster; eastern wall: wall with max. pre-
served height of 3,4 m; extensive well-pre-
served clay plaster; entrance to room 30;
south wall: wall fragment with a maximum
preserved height of 1 m; completely plas-
tered and follow the stairs; untied to the
main rampart wall, western wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 3,4 m; along the
wall plaster-covered stone staircase; oor:
clay; interior: staircase to room 27
Room 32
basic characteristics: connecting passage
measuring 3 x 1 m, with entrances in the
north and south and a probable passageway
through the rampart wall on the eastern
side; northern wall: remnants of crosswall
with max. preserved height of 1 m, with a
pillar consisting of mud bricks in the NW
corner; eastern wall: main rampart wall with
max. preserved height of 2 m; left section
features a probable walled-up entryway
through rampart wall; southern wall: wall
with max. preserved height of 1.5 m; untied
to the main rampart wall; in the left half is
an entrance with a staircase to room 33; a
pillar consisting of mud bricks is attached in
the eastern corner; western wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 1.5 m; oor: clay
Room 33
basic characteristics: rectangular room
measuring 6 x 3 m with its longer axis in
a N-S direction; northern wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 1.5 m; untied to
the main rampart wall; in the right half is an
entry with staircase to room 32; eastern
wall: wall with max. preserved height of 1.7
m; possible walled-up entry to room 34 in
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
29
its northern section; southern wall: mere
remnants of wall with max. preserved height
of 0.3 m; untied to the main rampart wall;
western wall: main rampart wall with max.
preserved height of 2 m; oor: dug down
to the outcrop
(9) 3D reconstruction of room 34 (MAAP, J. Unger)
Room 34
basic characteristics: room measuring 4 x
3m with a sunken rectangular portion mea-
suring 3 x 3 m adjoining the S wall; passage
through the room is in a N-S direction along
the western wall; northern wall: wall with
max. preserved height of 2.3 m; at the left
is an entry with staircase to corridor 30;
eastern wall: markedly destroyed wall with
max. preserved height of 1.8 m; southern
wall: wall with max. preserved height of 2 m;
at the right is an entry to room 35; western
wall: wall with max. preserved height of 1.8
m; untied to the eastern wall of room 33;
oor: clay; interior: staircase to corridor 30
Room 35
basic characteristics: room measuring 3,2
x 3,2m with a sunken rectangular portion
measuring 3,2 x 2,8 m adjoining the S wall;
passage through the room is in a N-S di-
rection along the western wall; northern
wall: wall with max. preserved height of
2.3 m; untied with southern wall of room
30; eastern wall: markedly destroyed wall
with max. preserved height of 1 m; southern
wall: wall with max. preserved height of 0,5
m; western wall: wall with max. preserved
height of 1.1 m; untied to the eastern wall
of room 33; oor: clay; interior: staircase
to corridor 30
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
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Room 40
basic characteristics: room measuring 3,2
x 3,4m; entrance in the southern wall to room
23; northern wall: markedly destroyed
wall with max. preserved height of 1,4 m;;
eastern wall: wall with max. preserved
height of 2,3 m;; southern wall: markedly
destroyed wall with max. preserved height
of 1,7 m;; western wall markedly destroyed
wall with max. preserved height of 0,3 m;
oor: dug down to the outcrop
It is thus clear that the appearance of the
agglomeration, whose main period of set-
tlement was from the 2nd to the 9th cen-
turies AD (Engels 2011, 5), underwent a
dicult evolution not only in the transect
under review, but in all of Mes Aynak. The
hypotheses outlined here thus runs up in
particular against the problem of the current
incomplete knowledge of the site. It can
nevertheless be claimed without greater
reservation that the basis for settlement was
the area’s rich copper deposits, and that
the entire site thus primarily functioned as a
mine for this raw material. In order to under-
stand the structure of the settlement on the
mountain’s summit and slopes – which is the
subject of this paper – the site’s overall urban
layout (see Fig. 10) should be looked at.
(10) General look on the areas and sites of Mes Aynak (photo: Google Earth)
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
31
The entire base of the mountain consists of
a waste heap of mine tailings that, accord-
ing to boring that was conducted, reaches
down to a depth of more than 12 m below
today’s surface and covers an extensive area
along the eastern slope (the cubic content of
waste material might be in tens of thousand
tons if not more – see Hauptmann 2007,
306). If the thickness of the layers of copper
mining waste materials and the long time
period during which mining took place here
is taken into account, it can be inferred that
the mountain’s specic crescent shape is
in fact the result of copper mining (how the
ancient mining might change whole alited
landscape see Timberlake 2003, 105). Over
the centuries, the mountain’s entire eastern
ank was surface-mined into a crescent
shape; as the mining progressed, the mine’s
individual levels thus became, one after
another, home to dense settlement for other
activities related to the processing of copper,
or also for housing the miners and other
residents involved in copper production.
The presence of such activities is supported
by nds of rounded stone mortars used to
crush copper ore on site (see Fig. 11), which
have been found at the locality in the hun-
dreds (if not thousands) and whose direct
connection to copper production has been
documented at other ancient mines (Hamon,
C. et al. 2009). The terraces uncovered on
the mountain’s eastern ank also frequently
yielded entire waste layers of crushed rock
(see Fig. 12 – cross section). Also the relicts
of hearths (see Fig. 12) were found that
were built directly into the bedrock which,
without further research, probably cannot
be regarded as the remains of smelting fur-
naces, although their connection to copper
processing might be clear (Betancourt 2006,
183). The slope’s terracing system can be
easily seen in Soviet geological explorato-
ry trenches, and is also conrmed by the
latest excavations at the foot of the ridgetop
wall, featuring the relicts of walls attached
diagonally untied to this wall at irregular
intervals. These ll the space of the individual
terraces (see Figs. 2G and 10). The moun-
tain’s summit and eastern ank, with their
staggered terraces and dense settlement,
can thus in all likelihood be considered to
be an organically grown mining settlement.
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
32
(11) Mortars for crushing copper (MAAP, J. Unger) (12) Hearth; in the lower right-hand corner is one of the
layers of waste material from the processing of ore present
in the immediate vicinity of the hearth (MAAP, J. Unger)
Based on the observations in the studied
transect, one is able to sketch out how this
extensive complex of buildings might have
developed. One possible early stage thus
is a clustered settlement without any logical
arrangement of buildings in the northern
part, as can be seen from their overall layout
(see Fig. 2B). A later important stage of
development, when the mine’s prosperity
had become evident, may have seen the
construction of the linear fortications con-
sisting of the rampart wall (segmented by
towers) along the mountain’s ridge (see Figs.
2F, G), with a more regular set of structures
attached to this rampart (see Fig. 2A). The
character of these fortications corresponds
to fortress-like elements (see Fig. 13) and
may have been not only defensive in nature
but may have served primarily for the more
clear demarcation, control, and codica-
tion of the mining activities. It is currently
not clear how the mountain’s lateral slopes
were secured, although the linear rampart
wall may have been mined away by later
mining activity or the fortications may have
consisted of lighter wood or mud structures
that have disappeared without a trace.
The location of urban mining settlement
was certainly demanding process and its
establishment is therefore possible as de-
velopment from previous temporary ag-
glomeration after the stabilization of mining.
Especially in extreme weather conditions
and in agricultural unsuitable areas without
permanent population is the mining settle-
ment very unstable organism and it could
takes over the functions as the economic
and administrative centre only gradually
depending on development of its settlement
base (Novacek 1994, 167).
The settlement agglomeration at Mes Aynak
may thus represent an exceptionally unique
preserved urban mining settlement with
Preliminary studies on Mes Aynak excavations and other eld works
33
fortications, which could be considered
as being a mining settlement located in its
own mine on the mountaintop and terraces.
The town with its connected system below
could also be considered to have been home
to religious administration in the form of
monasteries and to secular administration
perhaps in the form of the possible fortress
of Shah Tepe (Fig. 10).
13, 14– square tower segmenting the ridgetop rampart wall (see 2F). A – narrow interior of tower for ladder or staircase,
clear fortress element; B – periphery masonry of tower; C – outer foundation wall dening the tower’s dimensions;
D – main linear ridgetop wall used as rampart and running along the mountain ridge; arrows show the locations of the
grooves cut into the bedrock for anchoring the foundations (MAAP, J. Unger)
Recent archaeological works in Afghanistan
34
References:
Betancourt P. 2006: The Chrysokamino Met-
allurgy Workshop and Its Territory, Hesperia
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Engel, N. 2011: New Excavations in Afghan-
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of the exhibition „Mes Aynak – Recent Dis-
coveries Along the Silk Road“ at National
Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, 2011. Koln.
Hamon, C. et al. 2009: Les outils à cupules,
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Cabrières-Péret (Hérault) au Chalcolithique.
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Hauptmann, A. 2007: The Archaeometallurgy
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Nováček, K. 1994: Hornická sídliště –
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grárního osídlení / Mining settlements – the
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2, Mediaevalia Archaeologica Bohemica.
158 – 170.
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