Afghanistan’s Pre-Islamic Archaeology: Vulnerability, Resilience and Perspectives

The resurgence in Afghanistan of never-ended conflicts, especially from 2004 onwards, have noticeably reduced, if not suspended, the possibility for international teams to carry out long-term projects such as archaeological excavations and the associated procedures of documentation, conservation, restoration and musealisation, which are inseparable from a correct practice of archaeology. Besides the unsafe security conditions, the general weakness of the national network of infrastructures, and of logistics systems related to the cultural heritage in particular, further aggravates the problem. At present, archaeological excavations in Afghanistan are restricted to a limited number of sites. Notwithstanding the adverse conditions for archaeological fieldwork, new research avenues are being opened thanks to cross comparison between old and new data. The article illustrates some preliminary results, especially with regard to the media and polychromy of the Buddhist clay sculpture and their relevance to the understanding of the aesthetic principles of the art of pre-Islamic Afghanistan.