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
5 (of 43)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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percolation of 艢aka/Scythian elements in early Indian art. The repetition of
styles, motifs of the Saka/Scythian repertoire at Tillya-tepe have been revealed
as a result of excavations. Discoveries of the Afghan-Soviet Archaeological
Expedition in 1978-79 in the town of Shibargan in northern Afghanistan, show
various artifacts in the ancient burials dated in the first century B.C. to first
century A.D. They all have 艢aka/Scythian influence.
Excavations at Tillya-tepe have yielded more gold ornamental plaques
and ornaments than utility objects, weapons and horse trappings. It is
noteworthy that these had a fair distribution in the Scythian burials of the
western section. Of key significance at Tillya-tepe are the Parthian coins with
local overstrikes found along with a coin of Tiberius.1 The Parthian coins have
substantially shown that the Parthians had much trade in the Indian
borderlands specially with the semi nomadic cattle-raising pastoralists on the
Parthian empire's borders.2 The Saka/Scythians had to collaborate with the
Parthians, as strikingly contrasted a few decades later by the great nomadic
Kush膩峁嘺s, who were able to control the important branch of the Silk Roads
that led along the Indus Valley to the port of Barygaza ( modern Broach )from
G. A. Pugachenkova, 'The Antiquities of Transoxiana in the light of
Investigations in Uzbekistan (1985-1990)', Anc. Civ. Scy. Sib., Vol. 2, p. 35.
2 Koshelenko and Pilipko, Parthia', Hist. Civ. Cen. As., Vol. II, pp.36-137.
