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鈥攁 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 2 - Scythia鈥攊ts geographical location
13 (of 14)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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26
west and then beyond the Hindu Kush. This West Asian route was probably
referred to as Krpty (K膩r膩pathi) in two edicts of A艣oka (c.272-236 B.C.). The
Stathmoi Parthikoi虏 of about the end of the first century B.C. suggests the
continuation of the use of the route from Aria and through Zarangiana
(Seistan) to Arachosia (Kandahar region). Eratosthenes (c. 275-194 B.C.) also
mentions the Royal Road.鲁
In Central Asia the Sakas still ruled in pockets. Between the third and
the eighth centuries of the Christian Era, the oldest local ethnic group in
Chach, Ilak (eastern bank of Syr Darya) and Ferghana consisted of Saka tribes
from beyond the Syr Darya.4 They probably spoke Iranian (Saka dialect) as
recorded in medieval Arabic and Persian literature and corroborated by
numismatic sources. Saka documents dating from the seventh to the tenth
century A.D. have been found in Khotan and Tumshuq, both oases around the
Tarim Basin.5 Oases around the Tarim Basin include Kashgar, Yarkand,
Karghalik, Khotan, Kerya, Niya, Aksu and Kucha. These documents, written in
Br膩hmi script, represent several dialects. It is interesting to note that at an
early date, people known to the Chinese as the Sai (derived from archaic
'B.N. Mukherjee, Studies in the Aramaic Edicts of A艣oka, Calcutta, 1984, pp.12,14,16.
2 Stat.Par., 1.
3 Geographikon, XV. 1,77; cf. also Indike, III. 1-5.
4 Hist. Civ. Cen. As., Vol. III, p. 279.
5 Ibid., p. 283.
