On the Cusp of an Era

On the Cusp of an Era
Author: Doris Srinivasan
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2007-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047420497

South Asian religious art became codified during the Kuṣāṇa Period (ca. beginning of the 2nd to the mid 3rd century). Yet, to date, neither the chronology nor nature of Kuṣāṇa Art, marked by great diversity, is well understood. The Kuṣāṇa Empire was huge, stretching from Uzbekistan through northern India, and its multicultural artistic expressions became the fountainhead for much of South Asian Art. The premise of this book is that Kuṣāṇa Art achieves greater clarity through analyses of the arts and cultures of the Pre- Kuṣāṇa World, those lands becoming the Empire. Fourteen papers in this book by leading experts on regional topography and connective pathways; interregional, multicultural comparisons; art historical, archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic and textual studies represent the first coordinated effort having this focus.

ABIA: South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index

ABIA: South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 896
Release: 2010-11-19
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 900419388X

Volume Three contains 1643 records on South Asia selected from the ABIA South and Southeast Asian Art and Archaeology Index database at www.abia.net. Volume Three has been compiled by specialists of the ABIA Project stationed at Leiden, Colombo, New Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu and Peshawar. It features a selection of publications in print published between 2002 and 2007 on prehistory and protohistory, historical archaeology, art history (from ancient to contemporary), material culture, epigraphy and palaeography, numismatics and sigillography. Covered are South Asia and culturally related regions of Afghanistan, South Uzbekistan, South Tajikistan and Tibet. The bibliographic descriptions (with the original diacritics), controlled keywords and elucidating annotations make this reference work into a reliable guide to recent scholarly work in the fields of the ABIA Index.

Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River

Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River
Author: Alice Albinia
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2010-04-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 0393063224

“Alice Albinia is the most extraordinary traveler of her generation. . . . A journey of astonishing confidence and courage.”—Rory Stewart One of the largest rivers in the world, the Indus rises in the Tibetan mountains and flows west across northern India and south through Pakistan. It has been worshipped as a god, used as a tool of imperial expansion, and today is the cement of Pakistan’s fractious union. Alice Albinia follows the river upstream, through two thousand miles of geography and back to a time five thousand years ago when a string of sophisticated cities grew on its banks. “This turbulent history, entwined with a superlative travel narrative” (The Guardian) leads us from the ruins of elaborate metropolises, to the bitter divisions of today. Like Rory Stewart’s The Places In Between, Empires of the Indus is an engrossing personal journey and a deeply moving portrait of a river and its people.

Swat State (1915-1969) from Genesis to Merger

Swat State (1915-1969) from Genesis to Merger
Author: Sultan-i-Rome
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN:

The book discusses the nomenclature, geography, climate and natural vegetation, regional ethnicity and lineages and historical perspective of Swat, Pakistan. It evaluates and analyzes the genesis of the once Princely State of Swat in the historical, geo-political and strategic context. It deals with the consolidation and expansion of the former State holistically. Moreover, it evaluates the State's relations with the British Government and later Pakistan, and with the neighboring states of Dir and Amb. The book evaluates and analyzes the administrative system including the civil, military, financial and judicial spheres. It also deals with the socio-cultural milieu and changes brought about in Swat in respect of education, language, religion, health, permanent settlement, communication, trade and industry, agriculture, tourism, leadership, and women's rights. It looks at the merger of the former state into Pakistan, the constitutional status of the State, causes of the merger, the Wali's role in the merger, and both positive and negative effects and impacts of the merger.

A Catalogue of the Gandhāra Sculpture in the British Museum: Text

A Catalogue of the Gandhāra Sculpture in the British Museum: Text
Author: British Museum
Publisher: Art Media Resources
Total Pages: 448
Release: 1996
Genre: Art
ISBN:

This catalogue publishes the British Museum's collection of Gandhara sculpture. It illustrates and describes 680 objects, and where possible includes comparisons and literary references. The catalogue also contains an extensive bibliography as well as concordances and indexes.

Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
Author: Paul Newson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2017-11-14
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1315472716

The human cost in any conflict is of course the first care in terms of the reduction, if not the elimination of damage. However, the destruction of archaeology and heritage as a consequence of civil and international wars is also of major concern, and the irreversible loss of monuments and sites through conflict has been increasingly discussed and documented in recent years. Post-Conflict Archaeology and Cultural Heritage draws together a series of papers from archaeological and heritage professionals seeking positive, pragmatic and practical ways to deal with conflict-damaged sites. For instance, by showing that conflict-damaged cultural heritage and archaeological sites are a valuable resource rather than an inevitable casualty of war, and suggesting that archaeologists use their skills and knowledge to bring communities together, giving them ownership of, and identification with, their cultural heritage. The book is a mixture of the discussion of problems, suggested planning solutions and case studies for both archaeologists and heritage managers. It will be of interest to heritage professionals, archaeologists and anyone working with post-conflict communities, as well as anthropology, archaeology, and heritage academics and their students at a range of levels.

Buddhism and Gandhara

Buddhism and Gandhara
Author: Himanshu Prabha Ray
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2017-12-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351252747

Gandhara is a name central to Buddhist heritage and iconography. It is the ancient name of a region in present-day Pakistan, bounded on the west by the Hindu Kush mountain range and to the north by the foothills of the Himalayas. ‘Gandhara’ is also the term given to this region’s sculptural and architectural features between the first and sixth centuries CE. This book re-examines the archaeological material excavated in the region in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and traces the link between archaeological work, histories of museum collections and related interpretations by art historians. The essays in the volume underscore the diverse cultural traditions of Gandhara – from a variety of sources and perspectives on language, ethnicity and material culture (including classical accounts, Chinese writings, coins and Sanskrit epics) – as well as interrogate the grand narrative of Hellenism of which Gandhara has been a part. The book explores the making of collections of what came to be described as Gandhara art and reviews the Buddhist artistic tradition through notions of mobility and dynamic networks of transmission. Wide ranging and rigorous, this volume will appeal to scholars and researchers of early South Asian history, archaeology, religion (especially Buddhist studies), art history and museums.

The Yields of Transition

The Yields of Transition
Author: Jana S. Rošker
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2011-01-18
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1443827983

The present volume is dedicated to the Wei Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (220–589 AD), which is generally regarded as one of the most fascinating phases in Chinese history. The collection opens new theoretical and methodological pathways in sinological studies, bringing to the forefront a new idea of intercultural encounters based upon a culture of recognition. It highlights the significance of transition in the making of Chinese culture and history, revises prevailing historical approaches in the study and research of China and develops and enhances existing theories or methodologies in this specific area of research. The wide diversity of contributions to the present volume reflects the multifaceted potential for creativity and renewal of this period. The focus is upon the interaction of ideas, researches and perspectives concerning a broad scope of relevant and significant issues in contemporary sinology. In order to understand this diversity, a wide range of cultural, theoretical and historical aspects are considered. The book reveals a new image of the period, thereby undermining the absolute authority and putative objectivity of common historical sources and interpretations. It shows that this was a period rich with political, economic, cultural and theoretical achievements that would prove decisive for the future development of Chinese culture and society.