The Bactrian gold treasure as a disputed archaeological context

Record summary

The Tillya Tepe burials were excavated by Viktor Sarianidi in 1969 and yielded the group later known as the Bactrian Gold, including ornaments and objects combining Central Asian, Iranian, Indian, Greek and steppe-related motifs. The finds are important for comparing elite exchange, mobility and cultural hybridity in the late first millennium BCE. Although the excavations were documented, the site's interpretation, chronology and relationship to named historical groups remain debated. The objects' later political history, museum dispersal and periods of uncertain custody also make provenance and conservation part of the research problem.