In a surprising discovery, villagers of Uttar Pradesh's Mohammadabad Gohna tehsil on Saturday ended up discovering valuable coins dating back to 2,000 years ago, while digging earth.
A total of 128 old coins and remains of statues and utensils were recovered by the villagers. According to District Magistrate Amit Kumar Bansal, the coins appear to be 1500 to 2000 years old.
On being informed by the villagers, all the things were taken into custody by the administration, the DM said.
The archaeological directorate has been informed and the administration has taken control of the area from where these things have been found.
This is not the first time that ancient artifacts have been found in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The discovery comes days after findings from Indus-era vessels excavated from present-day Uttar Pradesh indicated residual fat deposits on pots, indicating that our ancestors had a meat-heavy diet.
The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, involved the extraction and identification of fats and oils that have been absorbed into ancient ceramic vessels during their use in the past.
Based on the analysis, the scientists, including those from the University of Cambridge in the UK, unraveled how these ancient vessels were used and what was being cooked in them.
READ: Fat Deposits on Ancient Pottery Suggest Our Ancestors in Indus Civilisation Were Meat Lovers
In 2019, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) added a feather to its cap after a team of ASI personnel and archaeologists found 4,000-years-old burial sites in UP's Sinauli. Located in Baghpat district, the burial site reportedly contained "legged coffins" with skeletons inside and furnaces. The team also unearthed a helmet, chariot, shield, and other valuable items that suggest an elaborate Bronze Age burial ritual.
The 2019 discovery marked the first such Bronze Age excavations in the Indian subcontinent.
(With inputs from PTI)