lunes, 1 de julio de 2013

NEW BOOK

I am glad to announce the publication of the following book which
demonstrates, through incontrovertible archaeological evidence, that
Buddhism and Buddhist artistic creation were flourishing at Kabul up to
the 10th c. A.D., i.e. several decades after the first Muslim inroads.

Gérard Fussman

Professor (rtd.) at the Collège de France.

Zafar PAIMAN, Tepe Narenj à Caboul, ou l’art bouddhique à Caboul au
temps des incursions musulmanes / The Tepe Narenj Buddhist Monastery at
Kabul. Buddhist Art During the First Muslim Raids Against the Town, avec
une contribution de Michael ALRAM pour les monnaies, I, Chronologie,
bâtiments, céramiques et monnaies. Publications de l’Institut de
Civilisation Indienne du Collège de France, fasc. 82, in-4°, 154  pages
dont 16 planches en couleurs et 17 en noir et blanc. ISBN
978-2-86803-082-5. 71 €.

In French (buildings and chronology) and English (coins), with English,
Persian and Pashto summaries.

Available from De Boccard, 11 rue de Médicis, 75006 Paris.
www.deboccard.com

This is the Final Report of the Afghan excavations at Tepe Narenj
(2004-2012), started and entirely directed by the author of the book.
Tepe Narenj is the name given to a rocky spur located in the Southern
part of today Kabul. It was entirely covered with Islamic graves when
the dig begun. The ancient remains hidden under these graves are now
entirely cleared and preserved. Two nearby places could also be
excavated, smaller than the main dig, but yielding impressive results.
All the excavated buildings belong to the latest period of a huge
mahasanghika monastery dating back to the 2nd or 3rd c. A.D., now
entirely covered by multiple layers of graves belonging to one of the
most important and revered Islamic cemeteries in Kabul, where it is now
impossible to conduct archaelogical excavations. They were filled with
colossal clay statues. The stratigraphic analysis and the coins
demonstrate that most of these buildings and statues were made after 870
A.D., i.e. at after the first Arab raids against Kabul. This volume
contains the description and the fullest possible illustration of the
finds (buildings, sculptures, ceramics, coins). Volume II will contain
the historical and art comments.