5 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

2,000-Year-Old Artifacts Found at Swat’s Butkara Site in Pakistan, Including Coins and Kharosthi Inscriptions

Excavations at the Butkara Stupa, located near Mingora in Swat, Pakistan, have uncovered significant findings, including two-thousand-year-old coins, pottery, and inscriptions in the Kharosthi script, all of which provide valuable insights into the Saka-Parthian period and the rich Buddhist heritage of the region.

The Butkara Stupa, located near Mingora in Swat, Pakistan, is an ancient Buddhist site that dates back to the 2nd century BCE. It is one of the most significant stupas in the region, reflecting the rich Buddhist heritage of Swat. The stupa serves as a pilgrimage site for Buddhist followers.

Since 1956, the Italian Archaeological Mission has been conducting excavations in Swat, and during their third season at the Butkara site, important discoveries were made under the leadership of Dr. Elisa Lori, an assistant professor at the University of Venice and the deputy director of the mission, with support from the KP government.

In a statement to Minute Mirror, Alisa Lori expressed, “These findings are especially exciting because we have successfully reached the early stages of this site. Butkara holds great significance in Buddhist heritage as it is a sacred site for Buddhist followers.”

Dr. Alisa Lori further explained that during the recent excavations, they discovered a residential unit, a workshop or production area, and a major road that once connected the ancient capital of Swat, Massagana (Mingora), to the Butkara site. “We have uncovered a significant amount of material from the rooms, including coins linked to the first century BC.,” she stated.

Archaeologists have uncovered a significant amount of material from the rooms, including coins linked to the first century BC. Credit:  Minute Mirror
Archaeologists have uncovered a significant amount of material from the rooms, including coins linked to the first century BC. Credit: Minute Mirror

Among the significant discoveries at the Butkara site was an amulet shaped like a foot, inscribed with the Kharosthi script, which adds a fascinating layer to the historical understanding of the area. In addition to the amulet, the excavation team uncovered Saka-Parthian-era coins dating back to the first century CE, along with artifacts from the Mauryan dynasty.

The Kharosthi language, used primarily in ancient Gandhara, is an important script that provides insights into the region’s cultural and historical context, as it was utilized for writing various languages, including Gandhari, a Middle Indo-Aryan language. Kharosthi has played an important role in the writing of Buddhist texts.

Recent findings indicate that the Butkara sanctuary, constructed in during the Mauryan dynasty (320-185 BCE), served as a significant Buddhist sacred site.

Archaeologists have also uncovered a layer corresponding to the first stupa of the sanctuary, providing new insights into the historical development of the structure. Additionally, a layer confirming a flood event in the Jambil stream has been unearthed, offering vital information about the ancient environmental conditions of the region.

Nasir Khattak, Assistant Curator at the Swat Museum, stated that in addition to the Butkara site, there are 23 preserved sites in the region from which numerous ancient artifacts spanning different eras have been discovered. “The recently uncovered artifacts are extremely rare, including coins and pottery from that time. This site is not only important for tourists but also for archaeology students,” Khattak emphasized.

Swat is rich in relics, ruins, and stupas from various historical periods, including Gandhara, Buddhist, Kushan, Ashoka, Hindu Shahi, and the era of Alexander the Great. Experts believe that if the Department of Archaeology and the provincial government take further steps to promote religious tourism, it could play a vital role in the region’s development.

Cover Image Credit: Minute Mirror

Related Articles

‘Exceptional’ Viking Age silver treasure found in Norway

27 October 2022

27 October 2022

A treasure trove of silver fragments from the Viking Age has been discovered in Stjørdal, near Trondheim in central Norway....

Archaeologists discovered large Roman baths under city museum in Croatia

8 December 2023

8 December 2023

Archaeologists who helped with the restoration work of the Split City Museum, one of the most important and visited museums...

Oldest Recorded Gynecological Treatment

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

In their latest research, scientists have come across a treatment practice in a mummy from 4000 years ago, as written...

2000-year-old passage found after Latrina at Smyrna Theater

28 January 2022

28 January 2022

Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old passage that was 26 meters long and constructed in an “L” form in the theater part...

Archaeologists may have discovered the site where Otto the Great, founder of the Holy Roman Empire, died

5 October 2023

5 October 2023

Archaeologists believe they have found the site where Emperor Otto I (936-973), known as the Great, founder of the Holy...

An Elamite inscription attributed to Xerxes the Great was found at Persepolis

26 February 2022

26 February 2022

During the classification and documentation project of inscribed objects and fragmentary inscriptions in the Persepolis Museum reserves, experts discovered a...

In Oman, a 4,000-year-old Early Bronze Age settlement was unearthed

25 January 2022

25 January 2022

A large settlement dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered in Oman. Archaeological excavations in the Wilayat of Rustaq,...

60 Elongated Structures of Unknown Function and Neolithic Silos Discovered in France

12 October 2024

12 October 2024

The Pfulgriesheim site, located in northeastern France’s Alsace region, underwent extensive archaeological research before being developed as a new urban...

A 2000-year-old Rare Artifact was Found Near Poltava

25 May 2021

25 May 2021

Scarab beetle pendant found near the Ukrainian city of Poltava. During the building of the H-31 motorway in the Poltava...

New insight into the history of human presence in Paveh county, Kermanshah province, which is located in western Iran

22 August 2021

22 August 2021

Stone tools and animal bones unearthed recently have thrown new insight into the history of human presence in Paveh county,...

Researchers discover America’s oldest mine

23 May 2022

23 May 2022

Archaeological digs headed by Wyoming’s state archaeologist and including University of Wyoming experts have revealed that people began producing red...

Imperial cult temple discovered in Spello: It opens a new chapter in the Roman Empire’s transition from paganism to Christianity

6 January 2024

6 January 2024

American researchers have announced the discovery of an Imperial cult temple in Spello, Italy. The discovery was announced by Douglas...

A new study reveals, Anglo-Saxon Kings were generally vegetarian, but peasants treated them to huge meat feasts

22 April 2022

22 April 2022

Very few people in England ate large amounts of meat before the Vikings settled, and there is no evidence that...

Evidence of Medieval Plague Victims Buried With “Significant Care” Found

23 June 2021

23 June 2021

The Black Death, which killed between 40 and 60% of Europe’s population in the mid-14th century, was a devastating epidemic...

The oldest grave in northern Germany 10,500 years old

14 October 2022

14 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known human remains in northern Germany in a 10,500-year-old cremation grave in Lüchow, Schleswig-Holstein. The...