Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 42 (3) 2014

Annotation:  Zooarchaeology and Taphonomy of the Middle-Upper Paleolithic in Bondi Cave, Republic of Georgia Development of a Virtual 3D Model of Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains Holocene Seal Imagery in the Lake Baikal Region of Eastern Siberia The Organization of the Mortuary Space in the Late Bronze Age: The Stary Sad Burial Ground, Baraba F Cheek-Pieces for a Horse Harness from the Kamenny Ambar Settlement “Hoofed Carnivore” Image Carved on a Bone Spoon from the Sara Burial Ground, Eastern Orenburg Region Subsistence and Ritual Practices at the Polui Fortifi ed Settlement, Western Siberia (Based on Fauna Revisiting the Chronology of the Early Sculptural Art of Kashmir, India New Belt of the “Byzantine Circle” from the Medieval Bayanovsky Burial Ground in the Perm Territory Alloy Composition in the Prestigious Silver Ware of the Old Turkic Period of Southern Siberia Concerning the History of Russian Archaeology in the Studies of A.D. Pryakhin (For the 75th Annivers Elements of the Inau Cult in Ethnic and Cultural Contacts of the Southern Far East The Mount of Yzykh Tagh with Relation to the Sacred Space and Ritual of the Khakas (Late 19th–20th C Native Populations of the Northern Altai: Demographic Processes of the Late 19th–Early 21st Century Bilateral Asymmetry of Long Bones in Bronze and Early Iron Age Pastoralists of the Altai   

Revisiting the Chronology of the Early Sculptural Art of Kashmir, India

M.A. Shah.

In the absence of any scientifi c dates available for the chronology of the early sculptural art of the Kashmir valley, it is important to mention that this particular subject has long been a bone of contention among scholars. Many theories have been propounded regarding the dates of the early terracotta sculptures excavated over the past 100 years in the Kashmir valley. Due to the very nominal archaeological investigations that have been carried out in the Kashmir valley, these theories have never been questioned. Over the past few decades certain excavations and accidental discoveries have provided useful data on the sculptural art of the Kashmir valley. This new data has been utilized in order to present a clear picture of the chronology of the sculptural art. Moreover, literary data and previously established theories have been also taken into consideration to give a new more plausible interpretation in the light of archaeological investigations which are carried out from time to time. Hence, this paper seeks a close comparison with other excavated sites in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia revisiting, reinvestigating, and reinterpreting data in order to establish the chronology of the early sculptural art of the Kashmir valley.

Keywords: Sculptures, Kashmir, chronology, Kushan, Ushkur, Harwan, Akhnur.