1st‐2nd century
Excavated from gorodishche Saksanokhur, Parkhar, Tajikistan
Gold
H. 5.2 cm, W. 5.2 cm, Depth 2.2 cm
National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
Saksanokhur is located in southern Tajikistan, about 30 km northeast from the ancient Bactrian site of Ai Khanoum in northern Afghanistan. After the collapse of the Bactrian kingdom in the latter half of the 2nd century BC, the Saka peoples established their own kingdom and in the 1st century the Kushan dynasty was inaugurated. This buckle shows a man on a horse, wielding a spear as he hunts a wild boar. He wears wide pants and an upper garment, along with long hair. These elements indicate a Kushan dynasty male figure, while the frame around the figure is decorated in the dart and egg design which originated in Greece. This combination of elements is then joined by holes meant for inlaid gems, and we can imagine the extremely vibrant buckle in its originally format. This work reveals the superb craftsmanship of ancient Bactrian metalwork. ［see pp. 228-29］
|