Mir Zakah 33°46′00″N69°29′00″E / 33.76667°N 69.48333°E is a village in the Mirzaka District of Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan, [1] and on the old caravan route from Ghazni to Gandhara. [2] Mauryan punch-marked coins have been discovered at Begram and Mir Zakah, indicating early trade or administrative presence in the region. [3]
Two of the largest ancient coin deposits ever attested to, [4] were discovered in the village, in 1947 and 1992. [5] The hoards contained over half a million punch-marked coins dating from the late 5th century BC, to the 1st century AD, containing early Indian bent-bar and punch-marked coins, Greek, Graeco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Parthian, and Kushana origins coins. The hoards were plundered in later years, and seen being openly sold, in February 1994, in the Peshawar bazaar. [6] [7] The village he controversial Alexander Medaillon [8] [9] [10] is said to have come from the treasure looted at Mir Zakah between 1992 and 1993. [1] [11]