Further Evidence for the Interpretation of the 'Indian Scene' In
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Further Evidence for the Interpretation of the ‘Indian Scene’ in the Pre-Islamic Paintings at Afrasiab (Samarkand) Matteo Compareti Venice The Sogdian paintings at Afrasiab opinion, Silvi Antonini’s idea Fragmentary inscriptions on the were discovered accidentally more remains the key for a correct western wall mention the name of than forty years ago during road interpretation of the entire cycle a sovereign, Varkhuman, who construction near Samarkand. of the paintings at Afrasiab. While corresponds to the local king However, only in 1975 was the first a detailed study by Markus Mode recognized as governor of book concerning them published a few years later disputed her Samarkand and Sogdiana by the (Al’baum 1975). Archaeological interpretation (Mode 1993), the Chinese Emperor Gaozong (649- excavations continued at the great specialist of Sogdian studies, 683) in the period between 650- Afrasiab site for some time, the late Boris Marshak, not only 655 (Chavannes 1903, 135).1 In leading to the discovery of other accepted it but also added other 658 Gaozong even sent an envoy fragments of schematic paintings important elements to the general to the court of Varkhuman for an between 1978 and 1985 interpretation of the whole cycle official investiture (Anazawa and (Akhunbabaev 1987). Since 1989 and, especially, of the southern Manome 1976, 21ff., cited by French archaeologists have been wall paintings (Marshak 1994). Kageyama 2002, 320). However, excavating at the ancient site in Soviet scholars continued to study according to Islamic sources, collaboration with Russian and, the Afrasiab paintings, although when Sa‘id ibn Othman conquered after the collapse of the Soviet their interesting results did not Samarkand in 676 he did not find Union, Uzbek colleagues, but become widely known because of any king there. So it is possible to without a specific connection to their publication in Russian in rare suppose that Varkhuman was no the paintings themselves. journals or books (e.g., Maitdinova longer regent of Samarkand at the 1984; Akhunbabaev 1990; Motov The room where the paintings time of the Arab conquest (Frye, 1999). were discovered came to be called 1954, 40; Smirnova 1970, 275; the ‘Hall of the Ambassadors,’ In recent years other authors Fedorov 2006, 222-223). All of the since its western wall, facing the such as Etsuko Kageyama, Frantz evidence suggests that the entrance, depicts several repre- Grenet, Sergei Iatsenko, and Afrasiab paintings were executed sentatives of non-Sogdian lands Simone Cristoforetti together with around this period. bearing gifts. While from the start the present writer reopened the Other literary sources (Chinese, there has been general agreement problem of the interpretation of Persian and even Sogdian) could on the identification of that the Afrasiab paintings considering be useful for the comprehension imagery, the interpretation of single scenes or details and chronology of the mural what exactly the ritual is that the (Kageyama 2002; Grenet 2003; paintings. They have already been scene depicts and some of its Yatsenko 2004; Grenet 2005; extensively considered in a recent details have been a matter of Grenet 2006; Compareti and study by Frantz Grenet, who also debate. This article is a con- Cristoforetti 2005). Finally, a demonstrated that the spatial tribution to that discussion. conference was organized by the organization of the Afrasiab present writer in March 2005 in paintings corresponds to an Venice in order to collect in one General Interpretation established scheme well known in volume the most recent results of Sasanian Persia (Grenet 2005, the investigations by those At the end of the 1980s Chiara Silvi 124-130) and in India too where scholars who had already studied Antonini offered persuasive it possibly originated (de la the paintings together with a new evidence to identify the scene of Vaissière 2006, 148).2 In translation of the Sogdian the western wall in the so-called particular, as already noted by inscriptions at Afrasiab by Vladimir ‘Hall of the Ambassadors’ as a Mode (Mode 1993), a passage of Livshits (Compareti and de la representation of the Iranian New the Tangshu (History of the Tang Vaissière 2006). Year Festival (Nawruz) in Dynasty, composed between 1043 conjunction with the coronation of The inscriptions are extremely and 1060) referring to 7th-century the local king, Varkhuman (Silvi important in order to attempt a central Sogdiana mentions a royal Antonini 1989). In this author’s chronology for the paintings. pavilion where representations of 32 Fig. 1. Western wall, Afrasiab (after F. Ory and Grenet reconstruction). Persians and Byzantines appeared Persepolis (Silvi Antonini 1989, interest is Sergei Iatsenko’s very on the western wall, Chinese on 125-126). interesting observation about the the northern wall, and the Turks necklace and the reconstructed It seems correct to consider the and Indians on the eastern one torque in the hands of the envoy New Year Festival as a good (Chavannes, 1903, 145).3 As will from Chaghanyan on the western occasion to celebrate the be shown in the present paper as wall. The envoy can be recognized coronation of a king among well, this is exactly the partition in the lower left part of the scene ancient Iranians. The hypothesis of the walls at Afrasiab, the only since he is wearing a robe is supported by some literary exception being the western one. embellished with so-called sources on ancient Persian habits, senmurv-like creatures. At present it is almost transmitted, however, only Considering that all the other unanimously accepted that the through Muslim authors (Ibid., foreign envoys are bringing scenes depicted in the ‘Hall of the 118-126). So, the lost figure in the tributes to be presented to the Ambassadors’ are part of a unique upper part of the western wall was figure that was depicted in the cycle. The western wall most likely most likely that of a king, possibly upper part of the scene, then most represents the initial stage of the Varkhuman himself. It is not likely the torque was intended for Sogdian Nawruz celebrated in 7th- excluded that he was probably a man and the necklace for a century Samarkand. According to represented together with his wife woman. On the western wall they the mobile Sogdian (and, more according to a scheme much can only be the Samarkand royal generally, Iranian) calendar, appreciated on 6th-century couple (Yatsenko 2004). In this during the 7th century Nawruz fell funerary monuments belonging to way, as will be discussed more in summer (Compareti and powerful Sogdians settled in China extensively below, the King and Cristoforetti 2005).4 Theand recently excavated in the area Queen of Samarkand could have fragmentary paintings enable us of Xi’an (China).5 On those counterbalanced the Chinese to recognize foreign delegates monuments the couple is emperor and empress on the shown during the presentation of represented under a canopy both northern wall. some gifts to an upper central in realistic and paradisiacal scenes figure that is irretrievably lost [Fig. (Marshak 2001), but it is not Boris Marshak has identified the 1]. The presentation of gifts (or, excluded that the two royal figures scene on the southern wall as the better, tributes) on the occasion could have been positioned at a final stage of the Nawruz festival, of Nawruz is a very ancient Iranian certain distance from each other. when the Sogdian sovereign custom, and, according to the In this case, a possible alternative celebrated a funerary ritual in interpretation by Roman explanation is Mode’s hypothesis honour of his ancestors in a temple Ghirshman and other scholars that the two rows of tributes- which — according to the Tangshu which was accepted by Silvi bearers were proceeding towards — was built on the eastern fringes Antonini, it can be clearly two different sovereigns of the town (Marshak 1994, 11- observed among the very ancient (Varkhuman and the Turkish 15).6 While the paintings are very reliefs of the Apadana at Khaghan) (Mode 2006). Also of fragmentary, the shape of an Fig. 2. Southern wall, Afrasiab (after F. Ory and Grenet reconstruction). 33 on that occasion people feed fishes in order to prevent aquatic animals Fig. 3. Northern wall, Afrasiab (after F. Ory and Grenet reconstruction). from eating the enormous horse ridden by a ancient times when the emperor body of the poet and race in rivers person who was depicted larger was expected to perform a ritual and lakes on dragon-shaped boats than the other people around him hunt in a special part of the searching, ideally, for his corpse. can be discerned among the imperial park and kill evil animals Other people dive in the water to paintings of the southern wall [Fig. such as felines. After the hunt, look for his body which, needless 2]. It is highly probable that this members of the Chinese to say, was never recovered. It is person was king Varkhuman aristocracy went at a pond in the quite clear that the second part of moving in the direction of the same park to listen to musicians the ancient Chinese New Year temple of his ancestors. The and singers on boats shaped like Festival, as reported in poems, representation of this building birds’ heads, while some people and the Duanwu Festival very survived only partially in the left had to dive in the water in search much resemble each other. part of the scene depicted on the of animals such as fishes, turtles As is well-known, in Gregorian southern wall, almost on the and ducks. This is exactly what can calendrical terms, the Chinese corner with the eastern wall (the be discerned in the hunting and New Year Festival falls in January- direction of the royal parade aquatic scenes in the left part of February, while the Duanwu falls according to the Chinese sources).