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 7 - Epilogue
1 (of 4)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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CHAPTER VII
EPILOGUE
It is around the immoveable trinity of Egypt, Orient and the Graeco-
Roman world, whether we have a clear conscience of it or not, that our well-
established habits and customs of today, lead us, to organize our vision of the
civilizations of antiquity. The present thesis aims otherwise. The Saka-Siberian-
Scythian art can no longer be termed 'peripheric', nor, at most be regarded as a
receptacle of influences of great civilizations. It had its own measure of space
and form.
To put it scientifically, the archaeological evidences do not remain silent
about the impact on the vast stretches of the Eurasian steppes, of what was
the nomadic life's greatest export, i.e., the ornamenting influence of nomadic
art. The homogeneity of the vast stretches of the Eurasian steppes did not for
once; lead, to the loss of the nomadic identity. On the other hand, our 'art' is a
potent distillation of nomadic and sedentary ways of life.
