DOCSLIB.ORG

Revue D'etudes Tibétaines Est Publiée Par L'umr 8155 Du CNRS, Paris, Dirigée Par Annick Horiuchi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Revue D'etudes Tibétaines Est Publiée Par L'umr 8155 Du CNRS, Paris, Dirigée Par Annick Horiuchi Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines numéro vingt-huit— Décembre 2013 Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines numéro vingt-huit — Décembre 2013 ISSN 1768-2959 Directeur : Jean-Luc Achard Comité de rédaction : Anne Chayet, Jean-Luc Achard. Comité de lecture : Ester Bianchi (Università degli Studi di Perugia), Anne Chayet (CNRS), Fabienne Jagou (EFEO), Rob Mayer (Oriental Institute, University of Oxford), Fernand Meyer (CNRS-EPHE), Françoise Pommaret (CNRS), Ramon Prats (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona), Charles Ramble (EPHE, CNRS) Françoise Robin (INALCO), Brigitte Steinman (Université de Lille) Jean-Luc Achard (CNRS). Périodicité La périodicité de la Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines est généralement bi-annuelle, les mois de parution étant, sauf indication contraire, Octobre et Avril. Les contributions doivent parvenir au moins six (5) mois à l’avance. Les dates de proposition d’articles au comité de lecture sont Novembre pour une parution en Avril, et Mai pour une parution en Octobre. Participation La participation est ouverte aux membres statutaires des équipes CNRS, à leurs membres associés, aux doctorants et aux chercheurs non-affiliés. Les articles et autres contributions sont proposées aux membres du comité de lecture et sont soumis à l’approbation des membres du comité de rédaction. Les articles et autres contributions doivent être inédits ou leur ré- édition doit être justifiée et soumise à l’approbation des membres du comité de lecture. Les documents doivent parvenir sous la forme de fichiers Word, envoyés à l’adresse du directeur ([email protected]). Comptes-rendus Les livres proposés pour compte-rendu doivent être envoyés à la Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, 22, avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 Paris. Langues Les langues acceptées dans la revue sont le français (en priorité), l’anglais, l’allemand, l’italien, l’espagnol, le tibétain et le chinois. La Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines est publiée par l'UMR 8155 du CNRS, Paris, dirigée par Annick Horiuchi. v Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines numéro vingt-huit — Décembre 2013 — Special issue — The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh Laurianne Bruneau & John Vincent Bellezza The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh — Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the ‘Western Tibetan Plateau Style’ pp. 5-161 v The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the ‘Western Tibetan Plateau Style’ Laurianne Bruneau & John Vincent Bellezza I. An introduction to the rock art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh his paper examines common thematic and esthetic features discernable in the rock art of the western portion of the T Tibetan plateau.1 This rock art is international in scope; it includes Ladakh (La-dwags, under Indian jurisdiction), Tö (Stod) and the Changthang (Byang-thang, under Chinese administration) hereinafter called Upper Tibet. This highland rock art tradition extends between 77° and 88° east longitude, north of the Himalayan range and south of the Kunlun and Karakorum mountains. [Fig.I.1] This work sets out the relationship of this art to other regions of Inner Asia and defines what we call the ‘Western Tibetan Plateau Style’. The primary materials for this paper are petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (rock paintings). They comprise one of the most prolific archaeological resources on the Western Tibetan Plateau. Although pictographs are quite well distributed in Upper 1 Bellezza would like to heartily thank Joseph Optiker (Burglen), the sole sponsor of the UTRAE I (2010) and 2012 rock art missions, as well as being the principal sponsor of the UTRAE II (2011) expedition. He would also like to thank David Pritzker (Oxford) and Lishu Shengyal Tenzin Gyaltsen (Gyalrong Trokyab Tshoteng Gön) for their generous help in completing the UTRAE II. Sponsors of earlier Bellezza expeditions to survey rock art in Upper Tibet include the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation (New York) and the Asian Cultural Council (New York). These organizations command his deep appreciation as well. Bruneau would like to thank the École Française d’Extrême Orient (Paris), which has supported fieldwork conducted in 2006, 2007 and 2011 through grants. She would also like to thank the UMR 9993 of the CNRS, the Association Française des Femmes Diplômées d’Université (Paris) and the Project for Indian Cultural Studies (Mumbaï) for their support of the 2011 survey and documentation of rock art in Ladakh. Bruneau would like to heartily thank her colleagues Martin Vernier and Quentin Devers for their hard-work and friendship during the campaigns of 2006, 2007 and 2011. Bruneau also sincerely thanks Martin Vernier for providing the Wylie of most Ladakhi place names and Olivier Venture for checking Chinese bibliographic references. Laurianne Bruneau & John Vincent Bellezza, “Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the ‘Western Tibetan Plateau’”, Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 28, Décembre 2013, pp. 5-161. 6 Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines Tibet, they are relatively rare in Ladakh. Rock inscriptions are be- yond the purview of this study focusing on images. The chronology of rock art in Ladakh and Upper Tibet employed in this paper has been devised using non-chronometric methodolo- gies. Worldwide, such methodologies are based on informed opinion and have not yet been standardized to a satisfactory degree of scien- tific rigor. Their selection and application varies considerably be- tween teams of researchers. The absence of a widely agreed upon protocol for dating in rock art studies has contributed to a well- known rift among specialists, pitting those who would prefer to rely exclusively on chronometric techniques against a school that believes non-quantitative approaches are reliable for ascertaining the time pe- riod in which a particular petroglyph or pictograph was created. As the work of the latter school remains unverified using the tools of the physical sciences, its judgments concerning age must be held in ques- tion.2 Nevertheless, direct methods for dating rock art, the object of research and development for the last 30 years, are still not entirely sound.3 To date, those who work in rock art are bereft of a safe, cost effective scientific arsenal, which can address questions pertaining to chronology. The physical characteristics of carvings and paintings play an im- portant role in estimating the age of rock art. Gauging the patination, hue and weathering states may be indicative of relative age for pet- roglyphs on a particular surface.4 Understanding the various tech- niques and tools used in carving is also fundamental. However, such studies are rare and there is a lack of a technical methodology for car- 2 For a critical assessment of ‘traditional’ methods of rock art dating based on ico- nography, style, technique, excavation, proximity, patination, weathering, and superimposition, see Bednarik 2007, p. 116-124; Chippendale and Nash 2004, p. 3- 7. 3 Among the chronometric techniques developed and tested since the 1980s are radiocarbon analysis of mineral accretions, radiocarbon analysis of inclusions in accretions, lichenometry, luminescence dating, colorimetry of ‘patinae’, varnish microlamination (VML), determination of cation leaching, and cosmogenic radia- tion nuclides testing. However, none of these techniques have proven fully relia- ble; for a critical assessment of them, see Bednarik 2007, 2010; Dorn 2001. 4 Rock varnish varies considerably over a single boulder and over a single slope. For more information, see Dorn 2007, p. 24-50, Fig. 8.2. Dorn (2001, p. 175) adds “[…] trying to assign ages to petroglyphs by the general appearance is hazard- ous: too many factors (other than time) influence its appearance, including the growth of different types of rock coatings that develop at different rates; varying chemistry of the same type of rock coating; underlying lithology; underlying weathering rind; water flow and water ponding; interdigitation of the different rock coatings, epilithic organisms; corrosion; surface roughness; and soil proximi- ty.” The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh 7 rying them out. Physical data are most effective in assembling a chronology when combined with evidence associated with palimp- sests. Subject matter, including technologies and species of animals de- picted, as well as the cultural, social, religious, and environmental nature of images may furnish important chronological information. The existence of cognate motifs, themes and styles in rock art from territories adjoining Tibet and Ladakh and further abroad can aid in chronological placement. Also, the comparison of rock art with se- curely dated archaeological materials is a vital instrument in arrang- ing a chronological scheme. Potentially, the single best tool for the non-direct dating of rock art is collateral archaeological study. Unfor- tunately, systematic excavation in Upper Tibet and Ladakh is still in its infancy, and we have to look further afield for excavational data. In the comparative study of rock art there are five main pictorial components that must be accounted for: 1. Motif: the identity of a figure; e.g., a yak, a swastika. 2. Composition: multiple motifs tied to one another in a coherent relationship; e.g., yak and bowman. The motifs comprising a composition are usually but not necessarily contemporaneous with one another. 3. Theme: recurring compositions that are topically or narratively interrelated; e.g., hunting scene. 4. Formal element: a distinctive and repeating trait or aspect of a motif; e.g., ball-tail, a volute. 5. Style: a combination of several formal elements of a motif or composition to produce a standard esthetic; e.g., ball-tail and triangular snout. Employing the criteria outlined above, it is possible to assemble a rel- ative chronology of rock art in Upper Tibet and Ladakh. Non-direct dating methodologies are best employed in broadly sketching when a particular piece of rock art may have been made.5 Open to amend- 5 For a discussion of rock art chronology in the Upper Tibetan context based on non-direct means, see Bellezza 2008, p. 162-163. On informed dating in the Cen- tral and North Asian setting, see Francfort and Jacobson 2004, p.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh: Inner Asian Cultural Adaptation, Regional Differentiation and the Western Tibetan Plateau Style Laurianne Bruneau, John V
    The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh: Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the Western Tibetan Plateau Style Laurianne Bruneau, John V. Bellezza To cite this version: Laurianne Bruneau, John V. Bellezza. The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh: Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the Western Tibetan Plateau Style. Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, CNRS, 2013, 28, pp.5-161. halshs-00947955 HAL Id: halshs-00947955 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00947955 Submitted on 18 Feb 2014 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. The Rock Art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh Inner Asian cultural adaptation, regional differentiation and the ‘Western Tibetan Plateau Style’ Laurianne Bruneau & John Vincent Bellezza I. An introduction to the rock art of Upper Tibet and Ladakh his paper examines common thematic and esthetic features discernable in the rock art of the western portion of the T Tibetan plateau.1 This rock art is international in scope; it includes Ladakh (La-dwags, under Indian jurisdiction), Tö (Stod) and the Changthang (Byang-thang, under Chinese administration) hereinafter called Upper Tibet. This highland rock art tradition extends between 77° and 88° east longitude, north of the Himalayan range and south of the Kunlun and Karakorum mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • "Tibet Has Come to Washington" DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS
    Snow Lion Publications sv\LLionPO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851 607-273-8519 Orders: 800-950-0313 ISSN 1059-3691 SUMMER 2000 NEWSLETTER Volume 15, Number 3 & CATALOG SUPPLEMENT "Tibet Has Come to Washington" DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS BY VICTORIA HUCKENPAHLER The Mind and Life Conference 2000 Sogyal Rinpoche comments on the Smithsonian Folklife Festival pro- BY VEN. THUBTEN CHODRON reason. Science sees emotions as gram, Tibetan Culture Beyond the Beginning in the mid-1980s, the having a physiological basis, and Land of Snows; the Ganden Tripa Mind and Life Institute has brought this raises further questions as to opens the first Great Prayer Festival together scientists from various fields human nature and the possibility of held in the West; H.H. Dalai Lama of expertise with His Holiness the pacifying destructive emotions. In addresses an audience of fifty thou- Dalai Lama in a series of confer- the West, emotions are important sand. ences. A theme is picked for each, for determining what is moral, and Under a turquoise sky, the living and five to seven scientists in that morality is essential for the function- mandala of Tibetan culture, which field are selected to make presen- ing of society. Thus working with was a highlight of this year's Smith- tations to His Holiness. These pre- emotions is seen as important for sonian Folklife Festival, spread itself sentations are given in the morning social interaction, not for having a over much of the National Mall, with session each day, and lively discus- good soul or being a good person. a variety of displays and activities sions among these key participants, This leads the West to focus on both sacred and secular.
    [Show full text]
  • Himalaya Tour (‘Himalaya 1’)
    Extreme Bike Tours HIMALAYA TOUR (‘HIMALAYA 1’) A Rough Guide to the Tour and Places of Interest 2 Contents OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................ 3 PARVATI VALLEY ................................................................................................................................... 3 KULLU VALLEY ....................................................................................................................................... 4 NAGGAR ................................................................................................................................................ 4 MANALI ................................................................................................................................................. 5 MANALI-LEH ROAD ............................................................................................................................... 5 LAHAUL VALLEY .................................................................................................................................... 6 FIVE PASSES ON MANALI-LEH ROAD ..................................................................................................... 7 Rohtang La ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Balalacha La .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Bonner Zoologische Beiträge
    © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zoologicalbulletin.de; www.biologiezentrum.at Bonn. zool. Beitr. Bd. 46 H. 1-4 S. 143-190 Bonn, Juni 1996 Taxonomy and distributional records of Oriental and European Apodemus, with a review of the Apodemus-Sylvaemus problem G. G. Musser, E. M. Brothers, M. D. Carleton & R. Hutterer Abstract. Specimens of Oriental Apodemus agrarius, A. chevrieri, A. latronum, A. draco, A. semotus, A. gurkha, A. peninsulae, A. speciosus, and A. argenteus that are stored in four natural history museums are documented. Relevant taxonomic and distribu- tional discussion is provided for each species account. Also recorded are series of A. alpicola housed in the American Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum of Natural History. Some of the biochemical and morphological data is evaluated that has been used to support elevating subgenus Sylvaemus to generic rank. We conclude that the species within the genus Apodemus can be separated into three groups rather than two: Apodemus Group (A. agrarius, A. chevrieri, A. speciosus, A. peninsulae, A. latronum, A. draco, A. semotus, A. gurkha); Sylvaemus Group {A. sylvaticus, A. flavicollis, A. uralen- sis, A. mystacinus, A. fulvipectus, A. hermonensis, A. alpicola, A. arianus, A. hyranicus, A. ponticus, A. rusiges, A. wardi); and Argenteus Group {A. argenteus). We further admonish that careful systematic revision of all the species, using biochemical and morphological data in which polarities are determined, is required to test the alternate hypotheses of whether Apodemus is monophyletic or polyphyletic. Key words. Mammalia, Rodentia, Muridae, Apodemus, Sylvaemus, systematics, eastern Asia. Introduction In 1972, Martens & Niethammer reported on samples of two species of Apodemus they had collected in Nepal.
    [Show full text]
  • Kangchenjunga
    TOWARDS KANGCHENJUNGA • . TOWARDS- KANGCHENJUNGA . BY DOUGLAS SIDE ' SEE no reason why an expedition to the Himalayas, under th~ auspices of the Alpine Club, should not succeed, even if an attempt were made to scale Kinchinjunga ; altitude 28, I 56 ft ..' These are not adventurous words used by our President in Committee, but those used in a Paper read before this Club on June 6, I 882. It is also stated there that, ' One of its northern spurs, at any rate, seems to present no insuperable obstacles. ' 1 We shall refer to Paul Bauer's achievements on this spur later. How was it that its height (which differs from the present Indian Survey figure by only I o ft.) and the accessibility of its spurs \vere known in I88z ? Enquirers cannot do better than start with D. W. Freshfield's Round Kangchenjunga, published in I 903. It is a thrilling account of a complete circuit of the Kangchenjunga Group made in September and October, I8gg, with Professor E. J. Garwood and Signor Vittorio Sella. It contains a list of Books, Government Reports, M~gazine Articles and Maps consulted. Mr. Freshfield's book and the works therein referred to form the basis of this· article. The Himalayas were first crossed by Europeans in I624, when the Portuguese Jesuit Missionaries, Antonio Andrade and Manuel Marques went to establish a mission in Western Tibet. Also about this ·time., two more Portuguese J ~suits, Ca~ral and Cacella, reached Shigatse after traversing Bhutan, thus making the first recorded eastern crossing. Other missionaries, ~avants and explorers reached Tibet by way of Kashmir or Nepal.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibet the Qeluglkugyii Tradition O{ in the Movies MAHAMUDRA
    T • — mLionPO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851 607-273-8519 WINTER 1997 NEWSLETTER & CATALOG SUPPLEMENT 1997—Year of Tibet The QeluglKugyii Tradition o{ in the Movies MAHAMUDRA This year we can hope to see the to any of its markets if Disney re- release of two major films on Tibet: leases the film. So far, the Chinese "Kundun" and "Seven Years in Tibet." haven't spoken out against Seven Melissa Mathison Ford, the wife of Years in Tibet. Harrison Ford, wrote the screenplay Filming for Kundun was done in for Kundun based on the Dalai Morocco since the Chinese interfered Lama's autobiography. She has also with the possibility of shooting it in written the screenplay for ET and The the Himalayan region. Black Stallion. Martin Scorsese is the The word "Kundun" means "the director and Disney's Touchstone Pic- presence of a great incarnation," and tures will distribute the film. the movie chronicles the life of the Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear, 14th Dalai Lama from his selection as Name of the Rose) is directing Seven the reincarnated lama to his perilous Years in Tibet, the story of Heinrich escape to India in the 1950s. The cast Harrer's great adventure in Tibet. Os- of "Kundun" is all Tibetan and per- car nominee Brad Pitt plays Harrer formers were chosen from exiles. HEALING ANGER THE GELUG/KAGYU and David Thewlis plays Peter Tsering Lhamo, a Tibetan from Aufschnaiter. The movie is being Ithaca, New York plays the Dalai The Power of Patience from filmed in Argentina, Chile and Canada Lama's sister.
    [Show full text]
  • Top 13 World's Highest Motorable Passes Or Roads.Cdr
    DEVI Top 13 World’s Highest Motorable Passes or Roads If you are into adventure Travel, especially in the mountains, then you must have heard of terms like Highest Lakes in the world, Highest Motorable Mountain Passes in the world, Highest Motorable Roads in the world, etc.. Let's look at the Top 13 Highest Motorable Passes or Roads in the world whose altitude data points are measured in compliance with SRTM or with modern age GPS systems. Highest Mountain Roads & Passes DEVI Umling La or Umlingla Pass 1 Ladakh, India In 2017, BRO has built and opened the world’s highest road over Umlingla pass or Umling La connecting Chisumle and Demchok villages. Umling La pass is about 105 KMs from Hanle Village and about 235 KMs from Leh. 5,883 Mtrs or 19,300 Feet 2 Road to Uturuncu Potosi, Bolivia The road to Uturuncu above col is situated in Potosi, Bolivia which was used to be considered as the world’s highest motorable road at a staggering altitude of 5,777 Mtrs or 18953 Feet until India opened up Umlingla. 5,777 Mtrs or 18,953 Feet A Road uphill Mana Pass or Dungri La – 3 Uttarakhand, India Mana Pass or Dungri La is situated at the border between Tibet and India in the state of Uttarakhand. Civilians, though native to India, with prior permits from the army can travel up there. 5,610 Mtrs or 18,406 Feet 4 Marsimek La or Marsimik La Ladakh, India Marsimek La or Marsimik La is situated in Ladakh, India where civilians, though native to India, with prior permits from the army can travel and scale this daunting pass at an altitude of 5,582 Mtrs.
    [Show full text]