A.S.H. Smyth

A pawn in the Great Game: the sad story of Charles Masson

Edmund Richardson describes how an archaeologist, discovering priceless treasures near Kabul, was forced to spy for the EIC and was ultimately ruined

G.T. Vigne’s sketch of the plains of Bagram and Kohistan mountains, 1836. Credit: Getty Images
  • Comments

  • Alexandria: The Quest for the Lost City

    Edmund Richardson

    Bloomsbury, pp. 352, £25

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Subscribe today to get 3 months' delivery of the magazine, as well as online and app access, for only £3.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

  • Weekly delivery of the magazine
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Read next

Trending

Mark Lynas

Children could die because of Greenpeace’s Golden Rice activism

First, a word of warning. If you donate money to Greenpeace, you might think you’re helping save the whales or the rainforests. But in reality, you may be complicit in a crime against humanity. Last week, Greenpeace Southeast Asia and several other NGOs managed to stop the cultivation and use of vitamin A-enhanced rice in

Because you read about archaeology

Also by A.S.H. Smyth

Latest

Comments

A blooming good offer

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting the next 3 months for £3.

Already a subscriber? Log in