Die Felsbildstation Shatial by Gérard Fussman; Ditte KönigReview by: Richard SalomonJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 121, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 2001), pp. 663-664Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/606513 .

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Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

the first syllable, the Chinese called this sort of gharuwood ch'i- nan-mu, ch'ieh-lan-mu, etc.

Donkin is completely correct in saying that gharuwood was

among the most sought-after aromatics in traditional China. But when he writes that in tenth-century China it ranked second in value only to camphor, he is incorrect. Dryobalanops camphor was highly valued in the Sung period, but was never placed on the same footing as gharuwood or frankincense. Indeed, the lat- ter was considered even more valuable than the former.

In Donkin's general description of the use of aromatics, China is not adequately treated. It is important to note that in ancient times, when Chinese civilization centered in the Yellow River valley, incenses were not available. Therefore, in the Book

of Odes no incense is mentioned. Even the second-century B.c. collection of poetry from southern China, the Ch'u tz'u, which mentions a large variety of aromatic herbs, does not mention incenses. China started to use incenses comparatively late, prob- ably not till the first centuries of the common era.

CH'EN KUO-TUNG ACADEMIA SINICA

Die Felsbildstation Shatial. By GfRARD FUSSMAN and DITTE KiNIG, with contributions by OSKAR VON HINUBER, THOMAS O. HOLLMANN, KARL JETTMAR, and NICHOLAS SIMS-WILLIAMS, in cooperation with MARTIN BEMMANN.

Materialen zur Archaologie der Nordgebiete Pakistans, vol. 2. Mainz: VERLAG PHILIPP VON ZABERN, 1997. Pp. xxii + 450, plates, map.

It is only after visiting the sites concerned-as this reviewer

recently had the opportunity to do-that can one fully appreci- ate the monumental labors of the scholars who are documenting the rock carvings and inscriptions at the dozens of sites along the upper Indus River and the Karakorum Highway in northern Pakistan, under the auspices of the Research Unit "Felsbilder und Inschriften am Karakorum Highway" of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. The Shatial site which is the subject of this volume contains some seven hundred figural carvings and eleven hundred inscriptions on nearly two hun- dred rocks, scattered along a barren stretch of the Indus in the Indus Kohistan District of the Northwest Frontier Province, in a harsh and inhospitable region. The labors involved in docu- menting and studying these artifacts must have been no less than enormous, all the more so in that many of the carvings and inscriptions are badly worn and difficult to see, let alone inter- pret. Despite these obstacles, the authors and their collabora- tors have produced a masterfully authoritative and detailed account of every significant record at the site.

the first syllable, the Chinese called this sort of gharuwood ch'i- nan-mu, ch'ieh-lan-mu, etc.

Donkin is completely correct in saying that gharuwood was

among the most sought-after aromatics in traditional China. But when he writes that in tenth-century China it ranked second in value only to camphor, he is incorrect. Dryobalanops camphor was highly valued in the Sung period, but was never placed on the same footing as gharuwood or frankincense. Indeed, the lat- ter was considered even more valuable than the former.

In Donkin's general description of the use of aromatics, China is not adequately treated. It is important to note that in ancient times, when Chinese civilization centered in the Yellow River valley, incenses were not available. Therefore, in the Book

of Odes no incense is mentioned. Even the second-century B.c. collection of poetry from southern China, the Ch'u tz'u, which mentions a large variety of aromatic herbs, does not mention incenses. China started to use incenses comparatively late, prob- ably not till the first centuries of the common era.

CH'EN KUO-TUNG ACADEMIA SINICA

Die Felsbildstation Shatial. By GfRARD FUSSMAN and DITTE KiNIG, with contributions by OSKAR VON HINUBER, THOMAS O. HOLLMANN, KARL JETTMAR, and NICHOLAS SIMS-WILLIAMS, in cooperation with MARTIN BEMMANN.

Materialen zur Archaologie der Nordgebiete Pakistans, vol. 2. Mainz: VERLAG PHILIPP VON ZABERN, 1997. Pp. xxii + 450, plates, map.

It is only after visiting the sites concerned-as this reviewer

recently had the opportunity to do-that can one fully appreci- ate the monumental labors of the scholars who are documenting the rock carvings and inscriptions at the dozens of sites along the upper Indus River and the Karakorum Highway in northern Pakistan, under the auspices of the Research Unit "Felsbilder und Inschriften am Karakorum Highway" of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. The Shatial site which is the subject of this volume contains some seven hundred figural carvings and eleven hundred inscriptions on nearly two hun- dred rocks, scattered along a barren stretch of the Indus in the Indus Kohistan District of the Northwest Frontier Province, in a harsh and inhospitable region. The labors involved in docu- menting and studying these artifacts must have been no less than enormous, all the more so in that many of the carvings and inscriptions are badly worn and difficult to see, let alone inter- pret. Despite these obstacles, the authors and their collabora- tors have produced a masterfully authoritative and detailed account of every significant record at the site.

Die Felsbildstation Shatial consists of three main parts: a series of descriptive and analytic chapters by the various authors and contributors (pp. 1-116), a comprehensive catalogue of the

carvings and inscriptions (pp. 117-356), and 136 plates illus-

trating all except the most damaged of the records. Additional materials include a bibliography, five indices, and a detailed in- sert map of the site. At the end of the book an Urdu translation

by A. M. Tahir of portions of the introductory material (the "Einleitung" and "Beschreibung des Materials") is provided for the convenience of Pakistani readers. Other than this, the book is entirely in German except for one introductory chapter in French ("Expliquer Shatial") by G. Fussmann (pp. 73-84).

The carvings and inscriptions at Shatial, along with those at other sites along the then newly constructed Karakorum High- way, were discovered in 1979 by Karl Jettmar and A. H. Dani

(p. 3). These sites are now being comprehensively documented in the series Materialen zur Archaologie der Nordgebiete Paki- stans, of which the book under review is the second volume. (The third and fourth volumes, Die Felsbildstation Hodar by Ditte Bandini-Konig and Die Felsbildstation Shing Nala and Gichi Nala by Ditte Bandini-Konig and Oskar von Hiniiber, have also recently been published, in 1999 and 2001, respec- tively.) Shatial is distinct from the other Karakorum Highway sites in several respects. Geographically, it is the one located farthest down the course of the Indus River. Iconographically, it has a particularly (though not uniquely) large number of stipa carvings (p. 73). And, in regard to its epigraphic corpus, it is exceptionally rich in Sogdian inscriptions, with 565 in all, constituting over half of the total number of about eleven hundred inscriptions at the site; this, in contrast to other sites located further up the Karakorum Highway, where Sogdian in-

scriptions are found only in relatively small numbers. Most of the rest of the inscriptions, about 410, are in Brahmi

script and Sanskrit language, but there are also much smaller numbers of inscriptions in Kharosthi, Chinese, and Iranian

languages other than Sogdian (Bactrian, Middle Persian, and Parthian). The bulk of the inscriptional corpus can be dated, mainly on paleographic grounds, to about the fourth to sixth centuries A.D., although there seem to be a few inscriptions which are slightly older or younger than this range. As at the other Indus sites, the vast majority of inscriptions are brief rec- ords, often consisting only of the names of the traveler who inscribed them, but they sometimes also include interesting supplementary information, a few examples of which will be mentioned below. As such, the inscriptions are often difficult to interpret, both on the level of the actual reading, since many of the names are unfamiliar and unattested elsewhere, and on the higher level of evaluating them as historical and cultural rec- ords. Nevertheless, the sheer number of the inscriptions com- pensates for the limited contents of the individual records, and the contributors to this volume have succeeded in drawing use- ful conclusions from them on historical, geographical, and eth- nographic questions, as presented in the analytic chapters.

Die Felsbildstation Shatial consists of three main parts: a series of descriptive and analytic chapters by the various authors and contributors (pp. 1-116), a comprehensive catalogue of the

carvings and inscriptions (pp. 117-356), and 136 plates illus-

trating all except the most damaged of the records. Additional materials include a bibliography, five indices, and a detailed in- sert map of the site. At the end of the book an Urdu translation

by A. M. Tahir of portions of the introductory material (the "Einleitung" and "Beschreibung des Materials") is provided for the convenience of Pakistani readers. Other than this, the book is entirely in German except for one introductory chapter in French ("Expliquer Shatial") by G. Fussmann (pp. 73-84).

The carvings and inscriptions at Shatial, along with those at other sites along the then newly constructed Karakorum High- way, were discovered in 1979 by Karl Jettmar and A. H. Dani

(p. 3). These sites are now being comprehensively documented in the series Materialen zur Archaologie der Nordgebiete Paki- stans, of which the book under review is the second volume. (The third and fourth volumes, Die Felsbildstation Hodar by Ditte Bandini-Konig and Die Felsbildstation Shing Nala and Gichi Nala by Ditte Bandini-Konig and Oskar von Hiniiber, have also recently been published, in 1999 and 2001, respec- tively.) Shatial is distinct from the other Karakorum Highway sites in several respects. Geographically, it is the one located farthest down the course of the Indus River. Iconographically, it has a particularly (though not uniquely) large number of stipa carvings (p. 73). And, in regard to its epigraphic corpus, it is exceptionally rich in Sogdian inscriptions, with 565 in all, constituting over half of the total number of about eleven hundred inscriptions at the site; this, in contrast to other sites located further up the Karakorum Highway, where Sogdian in-

scriptions are found only in relatively small numbers. Most of the rest of the inscriptions, about 410, are in Brahmi

script and Sanskrit language, but there are also much smaller numbers of inscriptions in Kharosthi, Chinese, and Iranian

languages other than Sogdian (Bactrian, Middle Persian, and Parthian). The bulk of the inscriptional corpus can be dated, mainly on paleographic grounds, to about the fourth to sixth centuries A.D., although there seem to be a few inscriptions which are slightly older or younger than this range. As at the other Indus sites, the vast majority of inscriptions are brief rec- ords, often consisting only of the names of the traveler who inscribed them, but they sometimes also include interesting supplementary information, a few examples of which will be mentioned below. As such, the inscriptions are often difficult to interpret, both on the level of the actual reading, since many of the names are unfamiliar and unattested elsewhere, and on the higher level of evaluating them as historical and cultural rec- ords. Nevertheless, the sheer number of the inscriptions com- pensates for the limited contents of the individual records, and the contributors to this volume have succeeded in drawing use- ful conclusions from them on historical, geographical, and eth- nographic questions, as presented in the analytic chapters.

663 663

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.60 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:44:23 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Journal of the American Oriental Society 121.4 (2001) Journal of the American Oriental Society 121.4 (2001)

The figural carvings at Shatial consist for the most part of the usual types found at the Karakorum Highway sites: human and animal figures, abstract signs, tamgas, and stupas and other Buddhist symbols. Notable among the latter is the re- markable stupa triptych that was the subject of a previous separate study by G. Fussman.1 Whereas many of the carv-

ings and inscriptions are casual, even rough, this and several other of the more ornate pieces prove that Shatial was not

merely a casual stopping place, but rather a site of considerable cultural significance. What exactly its significance was, how-

ever, is no easy question, and the various contributors to this volume express different opinions on the subject in their sev- eral introductory chapters. For example, whereas Fussman (in

"Expliquer Shatial," pp. 83-84) sees Shatial as a Buddhist sa- cred site to which travelers made a special detour to pay their

respects, Konig (in "Shatial-Karawanserai, Heiligtum oder

Pilgerlager?" pp. 99-106) argues rather that it was primarily a

"Handelsumschlagplatz" (p. 99) where Sogdian merchants ex-

changed their goods with traders from other regions. Each au- thor candidly admits that his interpretation is less than certain, and it is wisely left up to the reader to prefer one or the other

theory-or perhaps rather to accept them both.

Despite the inevitable, and apparently insoluble, problems of

definitively interpreting the site on the basis of the limited materials available, Shatial provides us with a vivid picture of life along the Karakorum trade routes which in the period con-

cerned, and indeed throughout recorded history, linked the In- dian world with Central Asia and China. Although most of the

inscriptions contain only the name of the traveler, sometimes

along with a brief note of religious devotion (e.g., no. 34.25, pdburaka pranamati) or a report on their movements (e.g., 30.1, harimitra gata), there are also a few that provide greater insights into lives and activities of these merchants and/or pil- grims. One Brahmi inscription, for example (no. 5.2-5), records that a traveler "went to the Khasa-kingdom in the year 50"

([samvatsa[re] 50 rumesa pekako khasardjyam gata). This is one of only three dated inscriptions at the site (p. 6), and is identified by von Hiniiber (p. 123) with a date of the Laukika era, equivalent to 374-75 or 474-75 A.D. In a Sogdian inscrip- tion (no. 36.38), one Nanai-vandak prays that "ich sehr schnell nach Kharvandan (= chinesisches Tashkurgan) gelange und mit Freude (meinen) Bruder bei guter (Gesundheit) sehe," confirm-

ing that the site was part of the Sogdian trade routes between India and Chinese Central Asia (p. 70).

This inscription also gives the modern reader a sense of the

personal experiences of the travelers on these difficult and dan-

1 "Une peinture sur pierre: Le triptyque au stupa de Shatial," in Antiquities of Northern Pakistan: Reports and Studies 3, ed. Gerard Fussman and Karl Jettmar, with Ditte Konig (Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1994), 1-55.

The figural carvings at Shatial consist for the most part of the usual types found at the Karakorum Highway sites: human and animal figures, abstract signs, tamgas, and stupas and other Buddhist symbols. Notable among the latter is the re- markable stupa triptych that was the subject of a previous separate study by G. Fussman.1 Whereas many of the carv-

ings and inscriptions are casual, even rough, this and several other of the more ornate pieces prove that Shatial was not

merely a casual stopping place, but rather a site of considerable cultural significance. What exactly its significance was, how-

ever, is no easy question, and the various contributors to this volume express different opinions on the subject in their sev- eral introductory chapters. For example, whereas Fussman (in

"Expliquer Shatial," pp. 83-84) sees Shatial as a Buddhist sa- cred site to which travelers made a special detour to pay their

respects, Konig (in "Shatial-Karawanserai, Heiligtum oder

Pilgerlager?" pp. 99-106) argues rather that it was primarily a

"Handelsumschlagplatz" (p. 99) where Sogdian merchants ex-

changed their goods with traders from other regions. Each au- thor candidly admits that his interpretation is less than certain, and it is wisely left up to the reader to prefer one or the other

theory-or perhaps rather to accept them both.

Despite the inevitable, and apparently insoluble, problems of

definitively interpreting the site on the basis of the limited materials available, Shatial provides us with a vivid picture of life along the Karakorum trade routes which in the period con-

cerned, and indeed throughout recorded history, linked the In- dian world with Central Asia and China. Although most of the

inscriptions contain only the name of the traveler, sometimes

along with a brief note of religious devotion (e.g., no. 34.25, pdburaka pranamati) or a report on their movements (e.g., 30.1, harimitra gata), there are also a few that provide greater insights into lives and activities of these merchants and/or pil- grims. One Brahmi inscription, for example (no. 5.2-5), records that a traveler "went to the Khasa-kingdom in the year 50"

([samvatsa[re] 50 rumesa pekako khasardjyam gata). This is one of only three dated inscriptions at the site (p. 6), and is identified by von Hiniiber (p. 123) with a date of the Laukika era, equivalent to 374-75 or 474-75 A.D. In a Sogdian inscrip- tion (no. 36.38), one Nanai-vandak prays that "ich sehr schnell nach Kharvandan (= chinesisches Tashkurgan) gelange und mit Freude (meinen) Bruder bei guter (Gesundheit) sehe," confirm-

ing that the site was part of the Sogdian trade routes between India and Chinese Central Asia (p. 70).

This inscription also gives the modern reader a sense of the

personal experiences of the travelers on these difficult and dan-

1 "Une peinture sur pierre: Le triptyque au stupa de Shatial," in Antiquities of Northern Pakistan: Reports and Studies 3, ed. Gerard Fussman and Karl Jettmar, with Ditte Konig (Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1994), 1-55.

gerous routes, and the hazards that they faced are even more

poignantly revealed by a Brahmi inscription (no. 167.1) in which a traveler laments that he has "erreicht Selbsvernich-

tung, Verlust des Vermogens" (siddha dtmanasam dhana-

ksayam) as a result of some unspecified tragedy, perhaps a

robbery (pp. 97-98). Elsewhere, a happier note is struck by one Baka, who apparently drew his self-portrait on the rock

(carving no. 215.12) and labeled it with his name for posterity (inscription no. 215.13, mukham bakasya).

The quality of the study and documentation of the site is, in a word, excellent; this applies equally with regard to Konig's work on the carvings and to the efforts of Fussman, von

Hiniiber, Hollmann, and Sims-Williams in editing the Kha- rosthi, Brahmi, Chinese, and Sogdian-Iranian inscriptions re-

spectively. Anyone who has had the experience of struggling with difficult and partly illegible inscriptions will appreciate the

huge amount of effort that must have gone into this work (es- pecially on the part of von Hiniiber and Sims-Williams, who dealt with by far the largest corpora), and the results are con-

sistently outstanding. Although minor suggestions for alterna- tive readings could be proposed here and there for unclear

passages, there seems to be little room for significant improve- ment; the editions, in other words, can be considered authorita- tive. Despite its unusual and somewhat problematic character, the epigraphic corpus of Shatial and the other Karakorum sites

comprises a major new source for the history and culture of the borderlands of South and Central Asia in antiquity, and its

prompt and accurate publication is a great service to scholars interested in these areas.

gerous routes, and the hazards that they faced are even more

poignantly revealed by a Brahmi inscription (no. 167.1) in which a traveler laments that he has "erreicht Selbsvernich-

tung, Verlust des Vermogens" (siddha dtmanasam dhana-

ksayam) as a result of some unspecified tragedy, perhaps a

robbery (pp. 97-98). Elsewhere, a happier note is struck by one Baka, who apparently drew his self-portrait on the rock

(carving no. 215.12) and labeled it with his name for posterity (inscription no. 215.13, mukham bakasya).

The quality of the study and documentation of the site is, in a word, excellent; this applies equally with regard to Konig's work on the carvings and to the efforts of Fussman, von

Hiniiber, Hollmann, and Sims-Williams in editing the Kha- rosthi, Brahmi, Chinese, and Sogdian-Iranian inscriptions re-

spectively. Anyone who has had the experience of struggling with difficult and partly illegible inscriptions will appreciate the

huge amount of effort that must have gone into this work (es- pecially on the part of von Hiniiber and Sims-Williams, who dealt with by far the largest corpora), and the results are con-

sistently outstanding. Although minor suggestions for alterna- tive readings could be proposed here and there for unclear

passages, there seems to be little room for significant improve- ment; the editions, in other words, can be considered authorita- tive. Despite its unusual and somewhat problematic character, the epigraphic corpus of Shatial and the other Karakorum sites

comprises a major new source for the history and culture of the borderlands of South and Central Asia in antiquity, and its

prompt and accurate publication is a great service to scholars interested in these areas.

RICHARD SALOMON RICHARD SALOMON UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

The Vakatakas: An Essay in Hindu Iconology. By HANS BAK- KER. Gonda Indological Studies, vol. V. Groningen: EGBERT FORSTEN, 1997. Pp. xiv + 211, plates, maps.

Many of the sculptures illustrated in Hans Bakker's book

may come as a shock to scholars of India's art and religions. In- deed, the dynasty of the Vakatakas under whom these images were made may be only vaguely known to many as well. It is

mostly the Buddhist caves at Ajanta that have been associated with the Vakatakas, although even this spectacular monument tends to be generally grouped under the rubric of the Gupta Dynasty and of Gupta art. Benjamin Rowland's survey of In- dian art (The Art and Architecture of India) does not mention the Vakatakas, although it has much to say about Ajanta as part of the Gupta Period that "may well be described as 'classic' in

The Vakatakas: An Essay in Hindu Iconology. By HANS BAK- KER. Gonda Indological Studies, vol. V. Groningen: EGBERT FORSTEN, 1997. Pp. xiv + 211, plates, maps.

Many of the sculptures illustrated in Hans Bakker's book

may come as a shock to scholars of India's art and religions. In- deed, the dynasty of the Vakatakas under whom these images were made may be only vaguely known to many as well. It is

mostly the Buddhist caves at Ajanta that have been associated with the Vakatakas, although even this spectacular monument tends to be generally grouped under the rubric of the Gupta Dynasty and of Gupta art. Benjamin Rowland's survey of In- dian art (The Art and Architecture of India) does not mention the Vakatakas, although it has much to say about Ajanta as part of the Gupta Period that "may well be described as 'classic' in

664 664

This content downloaded from 195.78.108.60 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:44:23 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions