Looters ransack dozens of archeological sites in Afghanistan

The sites identified as damaged date to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, most in the Balkh region, the heart of Bactria

The University of Chicago researchers said their analysis of satellite photos provides the first definitive photographic evidence since the Taliban came to power in 2021 that the systematic plundering of archaeological sites that began under the previous government has continued in Afghanistan.

The sites identified as damaged date to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, most in the Balkh region, the heart of Bactria, which was part of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century B.C.

With the help of satellite imagery and other tools, researchers from the University of Chicago’s Center for Cultural Heritage Conservation have identified over 29,000 archaeological sites across Afghanistan.

However, starting in 2018, differences were detected in the satellite imagery of the identified sites.

The images showed tracks they were sure were bulldozers because they appear and disappear over time, as well as the tracks they leave behind.

These newly bulldozed areas appear in later imagery to be covered with pits dug by looters, the center’s director, professor Gil Stein, told the BBC.

In addition, Stein said that between 2018 and 2021, 162 ancient sites were destroyed “at a staggering rate of one a week,” a practice that continued at 37 sites under the Taliban.

The researchers are not publishing the exact locations to avoid giving information to potential looters.

Source: Newsroom