recent publication

[Martin Bemmann]

Dear list members,

I would like to draw your attention to our recent publication on rock
carvings and inscriptions from the upper Indus valley in the Northern
Areas of Pakistan:

Die Felsbildstation Shatial by G. Fussman and D. Koenig with
contributions by O. von Hinueber, Th.O. Hoellmann, K. Jettmar and N.
Sims-Williams in collab. with M. Bemmann. Mainz (Verlag Philipp von
Zabern) 1997. (Materialien zur Archaeologie der Nordgebiete Pakistans 2)
427 pages and 136 plates, hb., price less than 200 DM.
ISBN 3-8053-2027-2


The second volume of "Materialien zur Archaeologie der Nordgebiete
Pakistans" is dealing with the petroglyph site Shatial, 60km west of
Chilas in the upper Indus valley of Pakistan. As manifested in the rock
carvings this place was a traffic junction where, during the first
centuries AD, influences from Central and South Asia met. The most
remarkable feature of this site is the unique concentration of more than
550 Sogdian (and other Iranian) inscriptions. Besides there are more
than 400 inscriptions in Brahmi, Kharosthi, Proto-Sarada and Chinese and
many representations of stupas of particular quality. Some of the other
engravings like tamgas, fire altars and animal drawings, too, refer to
the Sogdians, a lot of other carvings show other cultural influences.

Key words: Rock Art, Buddhism, Archaeology South Asia, Iranian
Epigraphy, Indian Epigraphy, Onomastics.


-- 
Martin Bemmann

Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften
>Felsbilder und Inschriften am Karakorum Highway<
Karlstrasse 4
Postfach 102769
D-69017 Heidelberg  -- Germany

phone: ++49-6221-543276  fax: ++49-6221-543355
e-mail: martin.bemmann at urz.uni-heidelberg.de