[After digging about 1 metre under the surface of soil, the team discovered the coins on Sunday in earthen pots. By Monday evening, the team was able to collect 230 silver coins and their counting is ongoing, said Ram Bahadur Kunwar, an archeologist with the DoA. According to him, the earthen pots containing the coins are of 50 cm in height and 15 cm in diametre.]
KAPILVASTU, JAN 19 - A team of archaeologists
has found around 300 ancient silver coins from Tilaurakot, the Shakya Capital
city where Siddhartha Gautam spent 29 years of his princely life before he
became the Buddha.
The excavation team comprising consultants,
experts and archaeologists from Unesco, Department of Archaeology (DoA),
Lumbini Development Trust and Durham University in the UK, who are part of the
excavation project being carried out since January 8, recovered the “punch
mark” coins believed to have been used during 800-200 BC.
After digging about 1 metre under the surface
of soil, the team discovered the coins on Sunday in earthen pots. By Monday
evening, the team was able to collect 230 silver coins and their counting is
ongoing, said Ram Bahadur Kunwar, an archeologist with the DoA. According to
him, the earthen pots containing the coins are of 50 cm in height and 15 cm in
diametre.
A team of British archaeologist Jennifer
Tremblay and archaeologists at the DoA Bhashkar Gyawali and Himal Uprety have
been counting the coins. Respecting archeological norms and values, the team
has been painstakingly taking out the coins to prevent any damage. Most of the
coins are said to be in good shape.
“The discovery is likely to help
archaeologists determine the history of Tilaurakot, the place that attracts
global interest,” said Kosh Prasad Acharya, an archaeologist and consultant for
Unesco. “We will be able to share more details after further research on the
coins.”
Last year, while conducting a geo-physical
survey of the area, the team had discovered the remains of an ancient Bihar, a
religious and historical site related to Buddhism in the same area where the
silver coins were found on Sunday.
“We had decided to conduct further excavation
early this year,” said Acharya. “We now can see the remains of the Bihar to
south and the signs of a large pond to the northern side of the excavation
site.”
The project, expected to last two months, is
initiated by Unesco and funded by the Japanese government in partnership with
the Nepal government, along with Durham and Stirling universities and Global
Exploration Fund under the National Geographic Society.
Tilaurakot had caught the attention of
archaeologists after a recent geological survey conducted in the area
substantiated that there might be the remains of an ancient city underneath,
prompting the archaeologists to start excavation from four sites.
[The Royal Family will NOT
survive the next century, the late Princess Diana's brother has explosively
claimed.]
By Aaron Brown
 |
50-year-old
Charles Spencer believes
monarch in a not-so-distant future |
During an interview on his latest book tour,
the author and broadcaster suggested the popularity of second-in-line to the
throne Prince William and wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge means the future of
the Royal Family is safe for now.
However, the 50-year-old believes Britain
could ditch having a monarch in the not-so-distant future.
He said: "William’s popular, so the
throne is secure for the next generation," adding: "Maybe in 100
years things will change."
Notably, Earl Spencer did not mention Diana's
former husband Prince Charles – the current heir-to-the-throne – in his
comments.
The peer is currently promoting his book on
King Charles I, suggesting the deposed monarch's fate should serve as a warning
for the current House of Windsor.
'Killers Of The King: The Men Who Dared To
Execute Charles I' details the trial and conviction of the 17th century
monarch, who was hanged for high treason following the English Civil War in
1649.
Related
articles
During the event in America, he said:
"Charles I’s murder brought a reduced monarchy plus the idea you could
actually stand against the king."
He added: "We went ten years without a
king."
Earl Spencer stole headlines with a eulogy to
his sister during Diana's funeral in 1997.
He publicly promised that – as part of Prince
William and Prince Harry’s "blood family" – Diana's sons would not be
"simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you [Diana]
planned".
@ Express
