Oxus Treasure

A collection of Persian art of the Achaemenidian period (6th-4th century BC) now in the British Museum, London. It was discovered in 1877 on the bank of the Oxus River near the present Afghanistan-Russian border. This large hoard of gold and silver metalwork included a variety of jewelry, ornamental plaques, figurines, chariot models, and vessels. One of the armlets consists of a circular gold band with its two ends meeting in the form of finely worked griffins.

A large hoard of gold and silver metalwork found in 1877 on the bank of the Oxus River near the present Afghan-Russian border. The objects include a variety of jewellery, ornamental plaques, figurines, chariot models and vessels. They show a great variety of influences, including Achaemenid Persian, Scythian and even Egyptian, but many may have been made by local Sarmatian craftsmen. The hoard is dated to the late 5th century bc.