Ancient abacuses discovered during excavation works at the famous monument Gonur Depe in Mary province of Turkmenistan were transferred to the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan.

As the Ashgabat correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports, famous Russian archaeologist Victor Sarianidi, who heads the Margiana expedition that has finished its regular field season, said that the priceless findings were made in the end of the 3rd century B.C. Abacuses decorated the interior of one of the king's tombs. However, they were seriously damaged because of ransack of Gonue Depe necropolis in the old ages. According to the scientist, the masterpieces that many believed have been lost forever owe their second birth to the Turkmen specialists. Employees of Turkmenistan's national department for preservation, study and restoration in their complete form of the monuments of history and culture have neatly restored the unique findings, having reconstructed them to the maximum extent. It was very difficult to do as abacuses consist of thousands of tiny gypsum parts with relief carving colored in black and red over the contour of the figures. The main topic of these compositions is pictures of dragons swallowing cloven-hoofed animal. This was how ancient Margush citizens demonstrated in allegoric form the idea of fight of good against evil which lay in the basis of their philosophical-ethical system.

"It is particularly delightful that there have already been prepared first groups of young specialists, graduates of the State Academy of Arts of Turkmenistan, who successfully work in the system of preservation of monuments and participate in the practical work on careful recreation of works by ancient craftsmen," Victor Sarianidi was quoted by the State news agency (TDH).

Doctor of historical sciences, professor Sarianidi stressed that those amazingly realistic pictures of abacuses that are so unusual with regard to their topic and techniques of making and so complex by their pictures are the oldest in the world. According to the archaeologist, until today, science has only known abacuses of that time made by Mesopotamian, Smaller Asian and Egyptian craftsmen that were specifically ornamental with geometrical designs.

Led by Victor Sarianidi, the exploration of the ancient country of Margush that has been in effect in Turkmenistan for over 30 years gained wider popularity in the world thanks to the truly unique findings of art of the Turkmen people ancestors.