market economy. As we saw in earlier newsletters in this series, the blithe disregard Spitians have for their pre-Buddhist heritage also blights rock art, around half of which has been…
Welcome to Flight of the Khyung as we take in the most ancient bronzes of Tibet! This month’s newsletter presents the second part of an article on the art…
…corner of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This newsletter and others to follow will explore the early culture and history of Spiti. Until now, very little has been written…
…the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau”, in International Journal of Earth Sciences (Geologische Rundschau), published online, April 13, 2013. This is an overview study of Changthang lakes, providing rates of shrinkage and other general data….
Mongolia and the Western Tibetan Plateau in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age: Considering an Expanded Sphere of Cultural Interconnectivity in Late Prehistoric Inner Asia Mongolian…
…threats to the integrity of the region’s history and cultural heritage are faced almost daily. The article featured in this newsletter began as a lecture delivered at the Conference of…
…the importance of the subject matter under discussion rubbed shoulders. That this somewhat incongruous assembly could come together with a single focus is in itself encouraging. A common challenge requires…
…Professor David Germano PO Box 400126 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA Email: jbellezza@hotmail.com Website: www.tibetarchaeology.com Academic Overview I am a research scholar and explorer conducting pioneering work…
…come from a rather carefree and idyllic existence wandering far and wide in High Asia with only a rucksack back to all the issues I faced before leaving America. The…
This month’s newsletter is dedicated to tigers, that fearsome carnivore of eastern Eurasia. These creatures are part of the cultural and artistic heritage of many peoples in the region….
…and a white patch on the rump, is likely to have extended into lower elevation regions of Upper Tibet as well. We can infer that colder and drier conditions and…
…this newsletter since its inception. Let me also take this occasion to greet those who might be new to this online publication. May you find something of interest among its…
ago, the north shore of the lake supported a dense pattern of settlement. This same area today lies in desolation. Some of the ruins at Darok Tsho are mentioned in…
valleys, as it does today, crossing a string of smaller passes). This route facilitated exchanges of many kinds in the second millennium CE, but earlier usage is indicated by the…
…pressure at this elevation is too low to sustain human life on a permanent basis. In ancient times, like today, the use of this location would have been limited to…
blanketed in rubble, much of which appears to have once been an integral part of the complex. There are no signs of contemporary usage of the archaeological site. Approximately 100…
…and are generally not glaciated. Have any Westerners come this way since Independence? While walking today we witnessed men fishing. A group of men formed a row across a branch…
…that last January’s newsletter showcased ancient khyung rock art from Upper Tibet. Same this year, but firstly, for your inspection, here is an unusual inscription expressing the most exhilarating of…
Sitting and Running The expedition season is set to start. Soon I shall turn my attention to logistical organization, negotiations, and the challenges and joys of living on the…
…of the early cultural history of Spiti through its pictorial record complements articles in the May and June newsletters. On the Spiti Antiquities Expedition (May and June of this year),…
…of two famous lakes is benefited by my subsequent research and exploration. Yet, much remains to be done. Most of the photos featured in this newsletter have never before been…
…the Chinese Cultural Revolution. There will be more on the ancient fastholds of Lake Dangra in next month’s Flight of the Khyung. There are no other major ruins visible in…
…the Himalayan Art Resources website (http://www.himalayanart.org), under the behest of Donald Rubin, a longtime benefactor of my research work. It appears under the following URL: http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=3108. However, the formatting of…
Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we journey to uncover the secrets of ancient Tibet! Many of the places and things highlighted in these newsletters have been…
…of the same size and shape. Turquoise beads of this type and size are still made for the Tibetan market today. Not only does this discovery confirm that turquoise has…
…Zhung, an amalgam of chiefdoms and cultural orders, flourished from circa 1000 BCE to 650 CE. After a transitional period during Tibetan dynastic rule, Ngari emerged as one of Asia’s…
Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung! The horned eagle flies swift and high, making more progress in the timely delivery of these monthly newsletters. The last issue featured…
The big event in Chengdu, China This month’s Flight of the Khyung buzzes in and out of Tibet to provide readers with news from a recent archaeological conference in…
…yaks featured below are as much as 3000 years old. These paintings and carvings come from the caves, cliffs and boulders of uppermost Tibet. This newsletter constitutes the first part…
