Khalchayan

Coordinates: 38°17′37″N 67°58′44″E / 38.29361°N 67.97889°E / 38.29361; 67.97889
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Khalchayan
Pugachenkova, 1994. The in-the-round sculptures of Yuezhi dignitaries ligned the topmost part of the wall of the main hall.
Head of a Yuezhi prince (Khalchayan palace, Uzbekistan). 1st century BCE[1][2]
A Saka warrior, as a defeated enemy of the Yuezhi, Khalchayan. 1st century BCE[3][4][5]
Khalchayan is located in Continental Asia
Khalchayan
Khalchayan
Location of Khalchayan in Central Asia.
Khalchayan is located in South Asia
Khalchayan
Khalchayan
Khalchayan (South Asia)
Khalchayan is located in Uzbekistan
Khalchayan
Khalchayan
Khalchayan (Uzbekistan)

Khalchayan (also Khaltchaïan) is an archaeological site, thought to be a small palace or a reception hall, located near the modern town of

Oxus (modern Amu Darya
).

Terracotta statues

The site is usually attributed to the early

Kushans, or their ancestors the Yuezhi/Tocharians.[6] It was excavated by Galina Pugachenkova between 1959 and 1963. The interior walls are decorated with clay sculptures and paintings dated to the mid-1st century BCE, but they are thought to represent events as early as the 2nd century BCE.[7]
Various panels depict scenes of Kushan life: battles, feasts, portraits of rulers.

Some of the Khalchayan sculptural scenes are thought to depict the Kushans fighting against a Saka tribe.[8] The Yuezhis are shown with a majestic demeanour, whereas the Sakas are typically represented with side-wiskers in more or less grotesque attitudes.[8]

Portrait of a Parthian king

The bust of a Parthian king was discovered among the sculptures at Khalchayan, and the time period and resemblance from numismatics suggest that this may represent Vardanes I as he sought refuge, and possibly an alliance, in Bactria at the Yuezhi court.[9] Tacitus related that Vardanes "took refuge among the Bactrians", after his failure at the siege of Seleucia circa 35 CE.[9] These events might give a terminus post quem of around 45-47 CE for the Khalchayan portrait of the Parthian king, a period when the contemporary Kushan ruler may have been Kujula Kadphises.[9]

Influences

Bodhisattava (right), said to have similar characteristics (Philadelphia Museum of Art).[12]
Medallion with Kushan king on a throne, Kalchayan, 1st century CE

According to Benjamin Rowland, the art of Kalchayan of the end of the 2nd century BCE is ultimately derived from Hellenistic art, and possibly from the art of the cities of Ai-Khanoum and Nysa, but it also has similarities with the later Art of Gandhara and may even have been at the origin of its development.[12]

Rowland particularly draws attention to the similarity of the ethnic types represented at Khalchayan and in the art of Gandhara, and also in the style of portraiture itself.

Kushans.[12]

According to the Chinese researcher Duan Qingbo, director of the excavation team at the "Terracotta Army" necropolis (210–209 BCE) between 1998 and 2008, the style and construction techniques of the Khalchayan statues closely resembles those of the Terracotta Army, suggesting some form of artistic influence.[13]

References

  1. ^ KHALCHAYAN – Encyclopaedia Iranica. p. Figure 1.
  2. ^ "View in real colors".
  3. ^ Abdullaev, Kazim (2007). "Nomad Migration in Central Asia (in After Alexander: Central Asia before Islam)". Proceedings of the British Academy. 133: 87–98.
  4. ^ Greek Art in Central Asia, Afghan – Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  5. ^ Also a Saka according to this source: [1]
  6. .
  7. ^ "It is possible to attribute the Khalchayan reliefs to the first century BC archaeologically, but the historical events reflected in them belong to an earlier period, i.e. to around the middle of the second century BC. " Abdullaev, Kazim (2007). "Nomad Migration in Central Asia (in After Alexander: Central Asia before Islam)". Proceedings of the British Academy. 133: 91.
  8. ^ a b "The knights in chain-mail armour have analogies in the Khalchayan reliefs depicting a battle of the Yuezhi against a Saka tribe (probably the Sakaraules). Apart from the chain-mail armour worn by the heavy cavalry of the enemies of the Yuezhi, the other characteristic sign of these warriors is long side-whiskers (...) We think it is possible to identify all these grotesque personages with long side-whiskers as enemies of the Yuezhi and relate them to the Sakaraules (...) Indeed these expressive figures with side-whiskers differ greatly from the tranquil and majestic faces and poses of the Yuezhi depictions." Abdullaev, Kazim (2007). "Nomad Migration in Central Asia (in After Alexander: Central Asia before Islam)". Proceedings of the British Academy. 133: 89.
  9. ^ .
  10. .
  11. ^ KHALCHAYAN – Encyclopaedia Iranica. p. Figure 1.
  12. ^
    JSTOR 20111029
    .
  13. . The only thing that closely matches the artistic style of the imperial Qin terracotta warriors is the head of a painted pottery figure unearthed in Uzbekistan (...) The way of assembling the head and body for this Kushan figure of a warrior (possibly Saka) was the same as that employed for the Qin terracotta warriors, in that they were fabricated separately, and then the head was inserted into the trunk of the figure.

Sources

  • "Les Saces", Iaroslav Lebedynsky

Further reading

External links

38°17′37″N 67°58′44″E / 38.29361°N 67.97889°E / 38.29361; 67.97889