It is tough being an archaeologist. There are times when you keep digging, keep researching, and keep searching for clues but find nothing. Archaeologists in Pakistan are facing a similar problem.
In the 1950s and 1960s, archaeologists found the Gandhara Grave culture in Chitral Valley. It was the first relevant archaeological excavation after the British left and Pakistan became an independent country. It was also the first time archaeologists found a domesticated horse in the Swat Valley. Since then, there has been no relevant excavation in any of the historical sites. Most of the learnings about earlier civilisations remain from colonial powers.
Nevertheless, the work on Gandhara Grave culture is still important because it tells us about the lifestyle of early civilisation. This culture spreads throughout the Gandhara region, which extends from western Pakistan to Afghanistan. The one thing common in this culture, apart from pottery and artefacts, is the burial pattern. That is where it gets its name from.
Gandhara was an ancient place belonging to the Achaemenid Empire, which was the biggest Empire to exist. It began in Egypt and extended to northern India. This Empire, formed around 550 B.C., is mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Esther. The protagonist of the book, Esther, marries the fourth king of the Empire, Artaxerxes I.
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