Failed Attempts on Swat: Stein 1928-1933, Tucci 1950. New and Old Archival Documents

Based on new archival data, this study presents the story of Giuseppe Tucci’s attempt to carry out an archaeological expedition to the Swat valley as early as 1950, just two years after the opening of diplomatic relations between Italy and Pakistan. Such an early date, compared to what we knew previously (1954-1955) confirms what Tucci himself had written many times, namely that the idea of an expedition to Swat had occurred to him as early as when he was studying the manuscripts of Tibetan travel reports on Swat, manuscripts found in Tibet, which Tucci subsequently published in Calcutta in 1940. Tucci’s plan to enter Swat, planned for the autumn of 1950, did not materlialise, seemingly as result of external interference. The difficulties faced by Tucci in seeing his project realised are thus compared to those encountered by another leading figure in Swat archaeology, M. Aurel Stein (as documented in archival documentes discovered by the author in 2008). The study concludes with an appendix on the introduction of the Pakistani Ancient Monument Preservation Act in Swat, an independent princely state until 1969. This step, crucial for the development of future Italian and Pakistani activities in the valley, had been the crux of all previous archaeological initiatives. The new documents demonstrate the fundamental role, hitherto never highlighted, of Raoul Curiel, the first head of the Pakistani Archaeological Department since January 1956, well before the Italian excavations began.