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 6 - Scythian (Saka) elements in the Later Art of India
9 (of 42)
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Indian iron used to be exported from Ariaca on the Gulf of Cambay area.鹿
Again, a diagnostic feature of Scythian culture was the adoption of iron
metallurgy. 2 It may be presumed that the Saka-Pahlava areas of rule
generally followed the geographical directions of the trade routes. With 艢aka-
Pahlava rule, it may also be assumed that Saka-Pahlava elements would be
present in their art forms. Perhaps, the 艢aka-Pahlavas were involved in the
iron working, a craft which no doubt conferred a magical prestige on its
practitioners, and in the iron trade, as they were ruling over the peripheral
areas of Kashmir, during the middle of the first century A.D. The Semathan
excavation at Kashmir has yielded various objects expressing the impact of
Saka/Scythian and Saka-Pahlava styles. These are mainly found from period
IV and Period III strata. Period IV of the excavated area has yielded bowls
with incurved rims, vases, ink-pot type lids, all dating from the first to the
fifth century A.D. If we consider carefully, we find that the inkpot type lids
from Kashmir are stylistically similar to the inkpot type lids found from
Taxila. Also found from period IV stratum are bowls with footed bases, and
terracotta figures. One terracotta figure has a bearded and
moustached head, with chubby cheeks and protruding elongated eyes,
some
'W.H.Schoff, Periplus of The Erythraean Sea, New York, 1912, p.60.
2 Hist. Rus. Cen. Asi. Mon., Vol. I, p. 127.
