What a Pocketful of Metal Reveals About Afghanistan's Forgotten Empires

What a Pocketful of Metal Reveals About Afghanistan's Forgotten Empires

The coins are smaller than I expected. That's my first thought as the curator carefully places the velvet-lined tray on the table in the British Museum's study room. I've waited three weeks for this appointment, filling out forms, explaining my research interest, providing references. All to see a collection that once belonged to Alexander Burnes, a Scottish officer and diplomat who traveled through Afghanistan in the 1830s, mapping territories …