More than 150 ancient copper coins dating back to the Kushan period of the 1st century AD have been discovered in Tajikistan’s Shahritus district.

The find was announced at a press conference by Kobiljon Khushvakhtzoda, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

According to officials, the hoard was accidentally uncovered by a local resident while carrying out agricultural work. The man found a ceramic vessel filled with heavily oxidized coins.

After the discovery, a team of researchers was dispatched to Shahritus, and the treasure was officially transferred to the National Academy of Sciences. The coins were publicly displayed during the press conference.

Experts said most of the coins were minted during the reign of Kushan king Vima Taktu and are believed to be more than 2,000 years old. Restoration work is currently underway at the Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnography, where specialists Rustam Burkhonov and Manuchehr Rakhmonov are carefully cleaning and restoring the artifacts.