midterm 1: identifications Flashcards
1
Q
kharosthi
A
- Important script that immigrants brought from outside Kroraina
- Know about Kingdom of Kroraina due to this script
- Recorded land deeds, disputes, official business, important events
- Script was used in Niya
- Can pinpoint the origin of the people who used this script to come from Gandhara
2
Q
Zhang Qian
A
- an official envoy
- part of the Han Dynasty
- establish trade with Western Regions
- sent to form an alliance with the Yuezhi
3
Q
Kumarajiva
A
- Originated in Kucha
- First translation of Buddhist text from Sanskrit to Chinese
- Translator of the Lotus Sutra and his translations are known to be extremely accurate, most of his work still used today
- Interesting fact: took a monk’s vow to be celibate but his knowledge was too grand that they allowed him to take on wives and have children
- Another fact: we don’t know what he looks like, but he was depicted in a bronze statue greeting visitors visiting the Kizil Caves
4
Q
Kizil
A
- 236 total caves
- Located in Xinjiang
- Most Kizil caves are structured the same with a central stupa pillar for devotees
- These caves held paintings depicting stories
- The paintings are said to have been done by artists from India or based from sketches from India
- Le coq calls these paintings frescoes
- Interesting fact: Le coq, German archaeologist, would take entire walls from these caves, destroying the original site, and bring them back to Germany before they were destroyed following WW2
5
Q
Gu mo
A
- An Envoy from King of Kucha
- Brought camels from Kucha to the Han Empire
- His camels were wrongly identified at the Jade Gate and caused an Official having to come and investigate the envoys
- This trip to the Empire was not the same as previous trips
6
Q
Seres
A
- Was described by Pliny the Elder from Rome
- Pliny would describe Seres as the land that made silk
- Pliny describes the people as “savage” and the women who wear silk are scandalous in nature
- Silk made in Seres utilize the native species of silk-worms
- Fun fact: Pliny says that only women are left to wear silk
7
Q
Shanshan
A
- Shanshan is the Chinese name for Kroraina
- The Shanshan Kingdom would rule over the Niya and Loulan regions
- The land is mainly sand and salt and has few cultivated lands
- This area produces a lot of Jade
- The main area of trade activity in early CE
- Fun fact: original name of Shanshan (Kroraina) was Loulan
8
Q
Kara-Khoja
A
- Place that had gravesites
- Aurel Stein who visited this site found artifacts as well as coins which were in the dead’s mouths
- The graveyard in Kara-Khoja would prove to contain many documents that Stein would call in help for
- Since the excavations at these gravesites, over 2000 documents have been recovered
- Fun fact: these documents allow researchers to look into the lives of the people in ancient times
9
Q
Baghdad
A
- Main trading centre of slaves of the Silk Roads
- Slaves were from Europe, mainly Russians
- Baghdad would also hold many books of many languages translated into Arabic due to it having 400 years of exchange between the East and West
- After the Arab Empire, the library holding these books would be destroyed
- Fun Fact: There was a lack of Chinese script, due to how far Baghdad was to China, but the people who destroyed the House of Wisdom (library) would go on and promote the Chinese language
10
Q
Xuanzang
A
- Monk from China who wanted to travel to India
- Wanted to go to India to study the Sanskrit Buddist texts
- He would travel twice and would retell to his disciple Huili
- The recounts of his journeys would be so accurate they were only a few miles off when Stein and other explorers travelled the same route
- Fun fact: His journey is widely known worldwide as “Journey To The West”
11
Q
Upach
A
- Sogdian written account of a slave found in Turfan
- Documented horrible abuse of slaves
- Instead of human, they were property
12
Q
Xiaozi
A
- One of the tombs dug up and studied in Astana
- Was buried in then Turfan with tomb memorabilia
- Her tomb was filled with clothes and other accessories
- What was memorable about her tomb was that her document mentioned silver coins, the first of its kind
- Shows that by the time she had died, there was some sort of coinage or currency
13
Q
Bezekik Caves
A
- One of the only caves that hold Manichaean art
- This is significant because little Manichaean art that has survived
- Little art is seen of this because Uighur rulers chose Buddhism over Manichaeism which led to many caves being painted over
- The caves at this site usually show two layers, a Manichaeism layer underneath the Buddhist layer
- Shows the shift of religion during that time period
14
Q
Zhemat-yan
A
- Chi
- Favor of God
- Merchant mentioned in Turfan documents, passport and info about his travels
15
Q
Miwnay
A
- She was a woman from Dunhuang who war left by her husband and his debts
- In her letters it shows how little authority women had in Sogdian society
- She was unable to secure a loan from other males as it was her husband’s duty to do so
- It was not until she visited the temple-priest where she could secure a camel and a male escort out
- In her letter to her mother, there were less formalities and a more carefree writing style
- The letter to her husband had a formal greeting and respectful one before she got into her complaints about her situation
