Oriental Languages and Cultures

The archaeological research in Eastern Central Asia (Xinjiang, China) The course will provide an overview of archaeological research in Xinjiang, from the late nineteenth century to the present. The Bronze and Iron Age: funeral practices, material culture, relations with China and the Eurasian cultures. Historic period: the oases cultures in southern and northern Xinjiang; archaeological evidence versus Chinese written sources; the impact of the international trade; The spread of Buddhism in Central Asia: Central Asian teachers and translators; architectural and figurative models. Urban centers and Buddhist settlements in the oases along the southern and northern edges of the Takla Makan: Loulan, Miran, Khotan, Kashgar, Tumshuq, Kucha, Karashahr and Turfan Architecture, visual arts, material culture.

GENERALE Lo Muzio, Ciro. Archeologia dell'Asia Centrale preislamica, Mondadori Università – Milano 2017, Introduzione e capitoli 7, 9, 10 e 11. FURTHER TEXTS Bronze Age Sulla necropoli di Xiaohe (alias Ördek Necropolis; Small River n. 5): Mair, Victor H. The Rediscovery and Complete Excavation of Ördek’s Necropolis. The Journal of Indo-European Studies, 34/3-4, 2006, pp. 273-318 Miran Filigenzi, Anna “From Saidu Sharif to Miran”, Indologica Taurinensia, XXXII, 2006, pp. 67-89 Karadong Keriya, mémoires d’un fleuve. Archéologie et civilization des oasis du Taklamakan, sous la direction de C. Debaine-Francfort et Abduressul Idris, Paris – Editions Findakly, 2000, pp. 82-105 Lo Muzio, Ciro “Buddhist Painting in the South of the Tarim Basin: a Chronological Conundrum” Rawak Lo Muzio, Ciro “Some Remarks on Rawak (Khotan Oasis, Xinjiang): The Stūpa, Clay Sculptures and Wall Painting” […], Kucha Oasis: Santoro, Arcangela, “Dalla Nascita all'Illuminazione: su quattro scene della vita del Buddha storico nella Grotta dei Pavoni (Kizil, Xinjiang)”, Rivista degli studi orientali 2001, Vol. 75, Fasc. 1/4 (2001), pp. 205-238 Turfan Konczak, Ines. “Origin, Development and Meaning of the Praṇidhi Paintings on the Northern Silk Road”. Buddhism and Art in Turfan: From the Perspective of Uyghur Buddhism. Buddhist Culture along the Silk Road: Gandhāra, Kucha, and Turfan. Section II, Ryukoku University, 2012, pp. 43-55, 71-75 Iconographic entries (painting and sculpture at Tumshuq, Kucha, Shorchuq and Turfan) concerning the artefacts examined and commented upon during the course: Härtel, Herbert – Yaldiz, Marianne. Along the Ancient Silk Routes. Central Asian Art from the West Berlin State Museums, New York – The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1982

The course will take place in one semester and will consist of frontal lessons, with the constant support of photographic material (maps, plans, detailed pictures of monuments and artworks).

The exam consists of questions concerning the topics covered in the course: the description of an artistic phenomenon, a site, a specific repertoire of religious iconography, and any other theme included in the programme. In addition to the knowledge of the specific topic and to the ability to express himself/herself properly, the student must demonstrate that he has understood the relationship between the artistic or architectural evidence and the historical, cultural and religious context it belongs to.

The course will take place in one semester and will consist of frontal lessons, with the constant support of photographic material (maps, plans, detailed pictures of monuments and artworks).