Fresh dig to unearth secrets of 2,500-year-old fort city in Bangladesh

Fresh excavations have been launched to unearth further secrets of an ancient fort city at Wari Bateswar, one of Bangladesh's major archaeological sites.

According to bdnews24.com, this is the ninth dig over the past decade at the site, which has already divulged the sub-continent's oldest silver punch-marked coins.

"The archaeological findings of this area are signs of a 2,500 year old civilisation. We have to hold on to that heritage," said local government minister Syed Asharaful Islam, who inaugurated the new excavations.

The archaeology department of Jahangirnagar University began work at the site in 2000.

The entire project has been led by Sufi Mustafizur Rahman, the current chairman of the department and also executive director of private archaeological research centre Oitihya Onneswan.

Earlier excavations uncovered the fort city, thought to be a major trading post on the Buriganga River, dating from around 500 BCE.

Evidence of a river port, roads and alleys have already been found at the site, along with treasures including ceramic nameplates, precious stones, glass beads and coin vaults that included the priceless find of the sub-continent's oldest silver punch-marked coins.