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On the brass ewer unearthed from the crypt of the Shang-fang Śarīra Stupa of Qingshan Monastery in Lintong District, Shaanxi

  • Yusheng Li , Jianxi Li and Jiangtao Niu
Published/Copyright: November 17, 2021
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Chinese Archaeology
From the journal Chinese Archaeology Volume 21 Issue 1

Abstract

A cast brass ewer was unearthed from the Shangfang Śarīra Stupa crypt at Qingshan Monastery. Most likely, it was made in the northwestern part of the South Asian subcontinent in the late seventh century. Integrating ancient Roman, Sassanian, and early Islamic styles, the shape of this ewer not only is a mixture of the elements of different eras and traditions but also reflects unique attributes. The multi-headed and multi-armed deities from Hinduism, especially Skanda, may have inspired the six-faced design on the body. Eventually, the ewer was taken to Chang’an by Indian or Kashmirian monks and buried in the pagoda’s crypt.

Keywords: Qingshan Monastery; brass ewer; Skanda; northwestern part of South Asian subcontinent; Tang dynasty

Postscript

This original article published in Kaogu 考古 (Archaeology) 2018.11:100–114 with 23 figures and one table was authored by Yusheng Li 李雨生, Jianxi Li 李建西, Jiangtao Niu 牛江涛. This English version, translated by Xuyang Gao 高旭阳, has removed 50 notes and added further readings.

Further readings

Ge, Chengyong 葛承雍. 2006. 唐长安印度人之研究 (A Study of the Indians in Chang’an of the Tang dynasty). In Tangyun huyin yu wailai wenming 唐韵胡音与外来文明 (Tracing exotic civilization in Tang’s rhyme and Hu’s melody). Beijing: Zhonghua shuju.

Lintong Museum 临潼县博物馆. 1985. 临潼唐庆山寺舍利塔基精室清理记 (A note on the cleaning work of śarīra stupa base of the Tang dynasty in Qingshan Monastery, Lintong County). Wenbo 文博 (Relics and museology) 5:12–37.

Michaelson, Carol. 1999. Gilded dragons: buried treasures from China’s golden ages. London: British Museum Press.

Xu, Pingfang 徐苹芳. 1996. 考古学上所见中国境内的丝绸之路 (The Silk Road within China from an archaeological perspective). In Shishiji qian de sichouzhilu he dongxi wenhua jiaoliu 十世纪前的丝绸之路和东西文化交流 (The Silk Road and East-West cultural exchange before the 10th century). Beijing: Xinshijie chubanshe.

Whitfield, Roderick. 1999. Bronze Ewer. In Yang, Xiaoneng [ed]. The Golden age of Chinese archaeology: celebrated discoveries from the People’s Republic of China No. 169. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 486– 487.

Published Online: 2021-11-17
Published in Print: 2021-11-25

© 2021 Walter De Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New archaeological discoveries
  3. The Longshan culture site at Ximengzhuang, Tengzhou, Shandong
  4. The Honghe site in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang
  5. The grand platform of Huangchengtai at Shimao site in Shenmu, Shaanxi
  6. The 2018–2019 excavation of the Xiwubi site in Jiangxian County, Shanxi
  7. Zeng state cemetery at Zaoshulin during the Spring and Autumn period, Suizhou, Hubei
  8. The excavation of tomb M1 in Quangou cemetery, Wulan County, Qinghai
  9. Reports
  10. The 2016–2018 excavation of the cemetery at the Sunjiagang site, Lixian County, Hunan
  11. The excavation of a cache of lead ingots in Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu, Anyang, Henan
  12. Research
  13. Analyzing the functional structure of pottery jiandiping amphorae
  14. Shimao culture: naming, distribution, and chronology
  15. A comparative study of Shimao and Taosi
  16. New insights into the settlement patterns of the capital city at Erlitou
  17. On the brass ewer unearthed from the crypt of the Shang-fang Śarīra Stupa of Qingshan Monastery in Lintong District, Shaanxi
  18. The physical evolution and biocultural adaptation indicated by the human skeletons of Donghulin site, Beijing
  19. Plant remains unearthed at the Donghulin site in Beijing: discussion on results of flotation
https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2021-0013
Keywords for this article
Qingshan Monastery; brass ewer; Skanda; northwestern part of South Asian subcontinent; Tang dynasty

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New archaeological discoveries
  3. The Longshan culture site at Ximengzhuang, Tengzhou, Shandong
  4. The Honghe site in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang
  5. The grand platform of Huangchengtai at Shimao site in Shenmu, Shaanxi
  6. The 2018–2019 excavation of the Xiwubi site in Jiangxian County, Shanxi
  7. Zeng state cemetery at Zaoshulin during the Spring and Autumn period, Suizhou, Hubei
  8. The excavation of tomb M1 in Quangou cemetery, Wulan County, Qinghai
  9. Reports
  10. The 2016–2018 excavation of the cemetery at the Sunjiagang site, Lixian County, Hunan
  11. The excavation of a cache of lead ingots in Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu, Anyang, Henan
  12. Research
  13. Analyzing the functional structure of pottery jiandiping amphorae
  14. Shimao culture: naming, distribution, and chronology
  15. A comparative study of Shimao and Taosi
  16. New insights into the settlement patterns of the capital city at Erlitou
  17. On the brass ewer unearthed from the crypt of the Shang-fang Śarīra Stupa of Qingshan Monastery in Lintong District, Shaanxi
  18. The physical evolution and biocultural adaptation indicated by the human skeletons of Donghulin site, Beijing
  19. Plant remains unearthed at the Donghulin site in Beijing: discussion on results of flotation
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