The Archaeological Expeditions to Afghanistan (1949-1951) by the American Museum of Natural History (New York) and their Orphaned Archaeological Collections

Abstract

This article examines the research potential of archaeological collections gathered in 1949–1951 in southern Afghanistan and currently stored in the United States. Included in these materials is an unpublished archaeological survey from the area south of the modern-day city of Kandahar, as well as assemblages from test excavations at the sites of Deh Morasi Ghundai and Said Qala, which have not been studied. An argument is made for a new study of this material along with a reanalysis of the Shamshir Ghar collection in order to question the paradigm of Afghanistan as only a reflection of other cultures in the ancient world.