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 5 - Scythian (Saka) elements in the Early Art of India
3 (of 43)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
162
Between the river Oxus in the borderlands and North-Western India
there were Bactria (in northern Afghanistan), Aria (West Afghanistan including
Herat ), Drangiana or Sakast膩na鹿 (South-West Afghanistan including the
Seistan region), Arachosia (south-eastern Afghanistan including the Kandahar
area) and Paropanisadae (the area to the east of the Hindu Kush in North-East
Afghanistan).
Thus the regions which were incorporated in Afghanistan in the late pre-
Christian and early Christian centuries, were Bactria, Paropanisadai,
Arachosia, Gedrosia and Drangiana. Bactria虏 (in Northern Afghanistan) was
bounded on the north and also on the east by Sogdiana (situated in
Uzbekistan), on the west by Margiana (part of modern Turkmenistan), and on
the south or south-west by a part of Aria (modern Herat region in Afghanistan).
Below it was Drangiana鲁 (or 艢akast膩na, modern Seistan). According to Ptolemy,
India Intra Gangem (Indian subcontinent minus the area to the north and
1 place they experienced lesser penetration of 艢aka/Scythian elements and secondly
they belonged to later periods, i.e. after the 艢aka-Pahlava rule.
鹿 艢akast膩na, has been discussed in chapters II, III, IV above.
2 Geog. Cla. Pt., p.142.
3 Ibid., p. 147.
4 Ibid., p. 147.
