Essay name: Scythian Elements in early Indian Art
Author:
Swati Ray
Affiliation: University of Calcutta / Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
This essay studies Scythian Elements in early Indian Art—a topic that has not garnered extensive scholarly attention. Although much research has focused on various aspects of Saka/Scythian culture, such as politics and numismatics, their contribution to Indian art remains underexplored. This essay delves into archaeological evidence, historical texts, and art forms from Eurasian steppes to decipher the Scythian impact.
Chapter 1 - Introduction—Scope, Sources and Method of Study
2 (of 13)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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CHAPTER I
SCOPE, SOURCES AND METHOD OF STUDY
The presence of the Sakas in early India is well-known to scholars. In the
present thesis, we use the term "India" to denote, unless otherwise indicated,
the Indian subcontinent comprising the territories of India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh. The Sakas had some political dominations in North-West India
from circa first century B.C. and, along with the Parthians, they were
continually in power in parts of North-Western India, Gujrat, parts of central
India and upper western Deccan till the latter part of the second century A.D.
The territories of the Saka-Kshatrapas in western Deccan were eventually
incorporated in the Gupta Empire by Chandragupta II (376 A.D. to 414 A.D.) at
the end of the fourth century A.D.
It is also known that the Sakas were a part of the Scythians. The term
Scythian is generally employed to denote numerous groups of nomadic tribes
from the borders of China to the Carpathians. Also, the Scythians constituted a
subdivision within the larger group of Scytho-Siberian early nomads inhabiting
the Eurasian steppes and forest steppe-zones during the first millennium B.C.
