Ariana Antiqua

The coins and antiquities that Horace Hayman Wilson discusses and describes in his book are mostly those that were discovered by a Mr Masson in Peshawar and Kabul in Afghanistan. His discoveries, that is, collections, as previously agreed upon with the East India Company, were sent to England, and deposited in the Company's Museum.

Wilson describes how they were discovered, the excitement and elucidations that these generated and received, respectively, from the antiquarians, numismatists and eminent scholars of Europe. The coins found were mostly associated with the Bactrian and Sasanian periods. Hindu and Mohammedan coins mentioned in the book are those that were found in Afghanistan. Most of the coins and antiquities had been found in edifices called topes, and one chapter is devoted to these topes, which has been written by Masson himself; in addition to describing the edifices, Masson has also mentioned about the regions - Chahar Bagh, Darunta and Hidda.

In addition to describing and explaining the coins that Masson sent to England, as well as deriving from them some facts relating to the history of the dynasties that had ruled for several centuries over the countries in which they had been discovered, Wilson has also included descriptions of coins that belonged to the same family but are not from Masson's collection. Illustrated with sketches, Wilson's book will interest scholars, particularly those interested in numismatics, and antiquarian history of Afghanistan.