JOIN TODAY
JOIN TODAY

Excavations at the Site of Buddha's First Sermon

News February 20, 2014

(Wikimedia Commons)
SHARE:

Sarnath 2005 01 27
(Wikimedia Commons)
VARANASI, INDIA—The Archaeological Survey of India is beginning new excavations at Sarnath, a sacred site where Buddha is thought to have delivered his first sermon. Previous excavations there unearthed artifacts and remains dating back to the third century B.C, when the emperor Ahoska the Great erected a large pillar at the site. But the early history of Sarnath is still murky. Archaeologist Ajay Srivastava told the Times of India that the team hopes to use new scientific methods to understand the chronology of Sarnath. "We hope to unearth useful finds to throw light on the past of this important Buddhist site," said Srivastava. 

Recommended Articles

Features November/December 2024

Let the Games Begin

How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses

Read Article
© Tolga İldun

Features November/December 2024

The Many Faces of the Kingdom of Shu

Thousands of fantastical bronzes are beginning to reveal the secrets of a legendary Chinese dynasty

Read Article
Courtesy Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024

Egyptian Crocodile Hunt

Read Article
Courtesy the University of Manchester

Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024

Monuments to Youth

Read Article
Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo

More to Discover

Features January/February 2014

Top 10 Discoveries of 2013

ARCHAEOLOGY's editors reveal the year's most compelling stories

Read Article

  • Features January/February 2014

    Stone Towns of the Swahili Coast

    Along 2,000 miles of the East African coast, the sophisticated trading centers of the medieval Swahili reveal their origins and influences

    Read Article
    (Samir S. Patel)

  • Letter from England January/February 2014

    The Scientist's Garden

    Excavations in an English garden reveal the evolution of the nation's culture across thousands of years

    Read Article
    (Adam Stanford, Aerial-Cam)

  • Artifacts January/February 2014

    Limestone Eagle

    Read Article
    (Matthew Helmer)

  • Digs & Discoveries January/February 2014

    French Revolution Forgeries?

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Davide Pettener/Paolo Garagnani)