THATTA: A team of Pakistani and European experts currently in quest of undiscovered ancient civilisations in Sindh has achieved an early success when a number of structures and objects were found during excavation in Bhanbore.

Monique Keruran, Cyril Driard and Hiline David from France; Marlo Piacentini, Agnese Fusaro, Niccolo Manassero and Alessendro Tili from Italy; and Pakistani experts Dr Kaleem Lashari (a former provincial antiquities secretary), Ali Lashari and others have been working on the archaeological site since Jan 4 and plan to continue with their quest for three years.

The discoveries, remnants of settlements, human skeletons, sculptures, copper and ivory objects, inscriptions and many other objects, are believed to dating back to the first century BC and belonged to an early Islamic era that might have vanished sometimes during the 13th AD, the experts say.

The exploration has been started with the financial assistance of the National Research Council France by the government of Sindh in collaboration with the University of Milan, Italy, and the Scientific Laboratories at the University of Rome.

The team regards the fresh discoveries as an early success as much less than 10 per cent of the 640-acre site planned to be scanned has so far been excavated.

Bhanbhore Archaeological Museum curator Abdul Fatah, speaking to Dawn, recalled that Monique Keruran had been to Thatta in 1983-84 and carried out exploration work in Kalankot, Shahkapoor graveyard, Shaikh Ismail graveyard and 25 other archaeological sites within in the coastal talukas of Jati and Mirpur Sakro. He said that five more foreign experts would soon be joining the team.

In the year 1958, 13 human skeletons had been discovered during excavation in Bhanbhore and put on display in glass-cubicles at the site for public viewing but unfavourable weather conditions destroyed them within a few decades.