From the British Museum: Conserving a Tang Dynasty Embroidery

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 6: Backing fabric

This week conservators Hannah and Monique choose and prepare the new backing fabric for the Vulture Peak embroidery. 

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 7: Removing the old restoration

In this week's episode, Hannah and Monique remove the old restoration fabric from the back of the embroidery. In doing so they're revealing the back of the embroidery. 

If you missed the previous 5 video's you will find them below

Follow live British Museum Conservation 8th Century embroidery from Dunhuang cave 17

 

Banner with Sakayamuni, Tang dynastie,found by Aurel Stein (1862- 1943) in cave 17 in the Mogao caves in Dunhuang

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 1: Introduction

Join textile conservators Monique Pullan and Hannah Vickers as they embark on this intricate conservation journey over the course of 11 weeks.

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 2: Curatorial introduction

This week we join Jane Portal, Keeper of the Department of Asia at the British Museum, as she explains the history and rediscovery of the Vulture Peak embroidery – one of the most magnificent of all the compositions found in the hidden library at Dunhuang.
This embroidery dates from China’s Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). It depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favourite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples, located in what is now north-east India. 
It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943) who, while exploring the many caves at Dunhuang, discovered a walled up cave. Behind this wall was a library full of manuscripts paintings and textiles, including this astonishing embroidery.
Watch the rest of the ‘Conserving Vulture Peak’ series here: https://goo.gl/FXoBK2
The tapestry is part of a collection donated to the British Museum by the archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943).

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 3: Conservation assessment

This week Hanna and Monique discuss the specific areas that need to be addressed to conserve this delicate embroidery. 

Conserving Vulture Peak | Ep4: Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Scientist, Dr Diego Tamburini analyses the dyes used to colour the fibres of the Vulture Peak embroidery. 

He uses a technique known as Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry to find out what was used to colour the embroidery threads. 

Episode 5: Surface cleaning

In this week's episode, Hannah starts the painstaking task of dry cleaning the embroidery to remove any particulate soiling from the object.

The embroidery dates from China’s Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). It depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favourite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples, located in what is now north-east India. 

It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943) who, while exploring the many caves at Dunhuang, discovered a walled up cave. Behind this wall was a library full of manuscripts paintings and textiles, including this astonishing embroidery.

Watch the rest of the ‘Conserving Vulture Peak’ series here: https://goo.gl/FXoBK2

The tapestry is part of a collection donated to the British Museum by the archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943).

You can find more information in the collection online https://goo.gl/7B4W81

to be continued......

In the mean time, also pay a visit to the website of the International Dunhuang Project/ IDP

Bronze Age warrior, ready for combat found in Omsk

Ancient warrior unearthed marching to afterlife with his dagger drawn, wearing stylish earrings

The Siberian Times by Anna Liesowska

05 August 2017

Fighter from almost 3,000 year ago was ready to impale his enemies, expecting battles after death, with a 'mirror' on his eye.

Not all the treasures in his grave appeared ready for battle - the warrior also had some fetching white metal spiral earrings, made possibly from tin or silver. Picture: Channel12

The extraordinary find of this Bronze Age warrior - ready for combat on his journey to the next life between 2,700 and 2,900 years ago - is intriguing archeologists in Omsk city.

Unusual features are the dagger ready for use in one hand, a knife in the other, and a metallic eye patch, or badge, seen as either a mirror illuminating his route to another world, or those who gave him evil glances. 

Nearby he had an axe and also some arrow heads.

Not all the treasures in his grave appeared ready for battle - the warrior also had some fetching white metal spiral earrings, made possibly from tin or silver.

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The extraordinary find of this Bronze Age warrior - ready for combat on his journey to the next life between 2,700 and 2,900 years ago - is intriguing archeologists in Omsk city. Pictures: NGS Novosti, Channel12

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The remains were found during the restoration of an historical building under Muzeinaya Street in Omsk.

The well-preserved skeleton with his arms crossed lay in the trench of a heating pipe made in the Soviet era, according to the regional government's website.

Albert Polovodov, a specialist from the regional culture ministry, said: 'In the right hand he held a dagger, the blade pointing forwards or upwards, as if he was going to use it as a stabbing weapon.

'In other hand was a knife, blade down, as he was going to cut, dissect, cut ligaments and so on. Clearly, it is imitation of combat use of these weapon.'

It was as if he 'was very carefully prepared for the road to another world, assuming that obstacles may exist in his way',

It indicated that perhaps during his life 'he had to fight - perhaps in battles for territories'.

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Fighter from almost 3,000 year ago was ready to impale his enemies, expecting battles after death, with a 'mirror' on his eye. Pictures: NGS Novosti, Channel12

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Maxim Grachev, director of Omsk Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, said five burials had been found, but the four others were destroyed. 

'The ideal state of the grave was a pleasant surprise for us,' he said. 

'We found a large number of well-preserved items: weapons, jewellery, and other items made of bronze.'

The warrior hailed from the transition period from the Bronze to the Iron age.  

Other burial remains are likely to lie under the buildings on this site, but are not accessible, he said. 

Learn more about the Zeleniy Yar burial site, meet a woman of the 12th Century

Meet the mummified Polar beauty, her long eyelashes and hair still intact after 900 years

Siberian Times by Anna Liesowska

04 August 2017

Unearthed on the edge of the Arctic, she is the only woman so far found in an otherwise all-male necropolis, buried in a cocoon of copper and fur.

She has long eyelashes, a full head of hair - and impressive teeth. Picture: Irina Sharova

This haunting 12th century woman is a member of an unknown hunting and fishing civilisation that held sway in the far north of Siberia - with surprising links to Persia.

Accidentlally mummified and probably aged around 35, her delicate features are visible, the green tinge on her face being the traces of the pieces of a copper kettle that helped preserve her in her permafrost grave. 

She has long eyelashes, a full head of hair - and impressive teeth.

Bronze temple rings were found close to her skull, wrapped inside animal skin - possibly reindeer  - and birch bark that cocooned her. 

Like other human remains, the medieval mummy's feet were turned towards  nearby  Gorny Poluy River, a fact seen as having religious significance.

She was around 155 centimetres tall - 5ft 1 inch.

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A raft of tests - including DNA - will be carried out by the joint team of Russian and South Korean scientists. Pictures: Institute of the Problems of Northern Development SB RAS

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A baby - almost certainly a girl and too young to have teeth - also unearthed during this summer's dig at Zeleny Yar archaeological site near Salekhard is not believed to be related to the woman, the rest of whose body is not well preserved. 

Archaeologist Alexander Gusev, from Russia's Arctic Research Centre, confirmed that the copper-clad mummy was the first find of an adult woman in this ancient burial site.

'There are some badly preserved bones, which do not allow us to determine the gender, but he we clearly see from the face that she was a woman,' he said. 

'This radically changes our concept about this graveyard. 

'Previously we thought that there were only adult men and children, but now we have a woman.

'It's amazing.'

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'Previously we thought that there were only adult men and children, but now we have a woman - it's amazing.' Pictures: Institute of the Problems of Northern Development SB RAS

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The people to which this woman belonged survived by hunting and fishing on the edge of the Arctic Circle - but among three dozen adult graves previously investigated, all contained male remains, some with their skulls smashed, possibly suggesting this woman was socially important. 

Or more women could be found in future, Sergey Slepchenko said. 

A raft of tests - including DNA - will be carried out by the joint team of Russian and South Korean scientists investigating these archeological remains. 

She was around 155 centimetres tall - 5ft 1 inch. Picture: Institute of the Problems of Northern Development SB RAS

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Dr Sergey Slepchenko, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Novosibirsk, said the head preserved well because it was 'wrapped' in pieces of copper kettle. 

'The woman and the baby are from different graves, so we cannot say they are related,' he said. 'Definitely not a mother and child.'

Analysis is likely to take a year - and will depend on government funding for analysis seen by the academics as crucial to understanding the human presence in the Arctic. 

He hopes to reconstruct the face of the woman. 

Dr Slepchenko said: 'During the natural conservation of the mummy in the soil, the rotting process was completed.

'The remaining soft tissues were soaked with copper solution from those ritual plates with which the bodies were covered.' 

Brain samples have been taken from the woman for paleo-DNA analysis

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'Arctic mummies, similar to those found in the Zeleny Yar, are very rare.' Pictures: Institute of the problems of Northern Development SB RAS

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Prof Dong-Hoon Shin, from Seoul National University, said: 'In the world there are two types of mummies - artificial and natural. 

'Excellent examples of mummies of artificial origin are Egyptian. 

'The natural mummification of bodies of the buried is usually observed when certain conditions of the environment - permafrost, the presence of copper objects in the burial - and climate. 

'They are found in deserts and in the north. 

'Arctic mummies, similar to those found in the Zeleny Yar, are very rare. That is why they are unique.' 

He said: 'Due to the high level of preservation the mummies internal organs are intact, too, which is incredibly interesting for our research.' 

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The mummy on way from the burial site to laboratory. Pictures: Irina Sharova

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Previous finds at the Zeleniy Yar burial site near Salekhard have included bronze bowls originating in ancient Persia, around 6,000 kilometres to the south-west.

One earlier find was a 'red-haired man' buried with a bronze buckle depicting a brown bear. 

The Chinese Silk Road, documentary by Graeme Langford

The Chinese Silk Road - Episode 1 - The Journey Begins

The first of three episodes in The Chinese Silk Road documentary series! In this episode, we explore the root of Islam in China in the ancient capital of Xian, before moving into the mountains to discover the incredible Maijishan cave grottoes. We then move on to Lanzhou to try a steaming bowl of the famous hand pulled noodles, before heading to the western end of the Great Wall of China at Jiayuguan.

The Chinese Silk Road - Episode 2 - Into the Desert

The second of three episodes in The Chinese Silk Road documentary series! In this episode, we head into the Gobi desert, and discover the enchanting and legendary crescent spring oasis. A cramped journey on the night train then takes us to the city of Urumqi, where we get under the skin of local music and explore the incredible Xinjiang bazaar.

The Chinese Silk Road - Episode 3 - The End of the Road

The final episode in The Chinese Silk Road series! In this episode we head to the city of Kashgar, on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. We experience the hustle and bustle of the Kashgar cattle market, before heading into the ancient centre of the city itself to discover more about famous local crafts.

Ancient Nomads of Mangystau (now in Kazachstan)

Where today only rubble, bare rocks and dust can be found, there once lived its own culture – the culture of Mangystau. Located in the south-west of Kazakhstan and along the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, nomads had set up their tents and settled down in late-antiquity. At the time, other climatic conditions prevailed in this region. From geological surveys and historical sources, it is knows that the country was fertile, had water flow and was visited by merchant karawan. A Russian archeology researcher, Dr. Evgeniy Bogdanov, is currently looking for remnants of this lost culture.

Documentary film of 6 parts.
Project Manager: Eugene Bogdanov
With the support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, Düsseldorf, Germany
2017



For more information visit the site of the Gerda Henkel Foundation

From the British Museum: Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 5: Surface cleaning

In this week's episode, Hannah starts the painstaking task of dry cleaning the embroidery to remove any particulate soiling from the object.

The embroidery dates from China’s Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). It depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favourite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples, located in what is now north-east India. 

It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943) who, while exploring the many caves at Dunhuang, discovered a walled up cave. Behind this wall was a library full of manuscripts paintings and textiles, including this astonishing embroidery.

Watch the rest of the ‘Conserving Vulture Peak’ series here: https://goo.gl/FXoBK2

The tapestry is part of a collection donated to the British Museum by the archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943).

You can find more information in the collection online https://goo.gl/7B4W81









If you missed the previous 4 video's you will find them below

Follow live British Museum Conservation 8th Century embroidery from Dunhuang cave 17

 

Banner with Sakayamuni, Tang dynastie,found by Aurel Stein (1862- 1943) in cave 17 in the Mogao caves in Dunhuang

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 1: Introduction

Join textile conservators Monique Pullan and Hannah Vickers as they embark on this intricate conservation journey over the course of 11 weeks.

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 2: Curatorial introduction

This week we join Jane Portal, Keeper of the Department of Asia at the British Museum, as she explains the history and rediscovery of the Vulture Peak embroidery – one of the most magnificent of all the compositions found in the hidden library at Dunhuang.
This embroidery dates from China’s Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). It depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favourite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples, located in what is now north-east India. 
It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943) who, while exploring the many caves at Dunhuang, discovered a walled up cave. Behind this wall was a library full of manuscripts paintings and textiles, including this astonishing embroidery.
Watch the rest of the ‘Conserving Vulture Peak’ series here: https://goo.gl/FXoBK2
The tapestry is part of a collection donated to the British Museum by the archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein (1862–1943).

Conserving Vulture Peak | Episode 3: Conservation assessment

This week Hanna and Monique discuss the specific areas that need to be addressed to conserve this delicate embroidery. 

Conserving Vulture Peak | Ep4: Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Scientist, Dr Diego Tamburini analyses the dyes used to colour the fibres of the Vulture Peak embroidery. 

He uses a technique known as Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry to find out what was used to colour the embroidery threads. 

to be continued......

In the mean time, also pay a visit to the website of the International Dunhuang Project/ IDP

New book by John Man about the warrior women from the grasslands of Asia mythologized as Amazons

Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World

by John Man 

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press (15 Jun. 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593077598

Since the time of the ancient Greeks we have been fascinated by accounts of the Amazons, an elusive tribe of hard-fighting, horse-riding female warriors. Equal to men in battle, legends claimed they cut off their right breasts to improve their archery skills and routinely killed their male children to purify their ranks.

For centuries people believed in their existence and attempted to trace their origins. Artists and poets celebrated their battles and wrote of Amazonia. Spanish explorers, carrying these tales to South America, thought they lived in the forests of the world’s greatest river, and named it after them.

In the absence of evidence, we eventually reasoned away their existence, concluding that these powerful, sexually liberated female soldiers must have been the fantastical invention of Greek myth and storytelling. Until now.

Following decades of new research and a series of groundbreaking archeological discoveries, we now know these powerful warrior queens did indeed exist. In Amazons, John Man travels to the grasslands of Central Asia, from the edge of the ancient Greek world to the borderlands of China, to discover the truth about the warrior women mythologized as Amazons.

In this deeply researched, sweeping historical epic, Man redefines our understanding of the Amazons and their culture, tracking the ancient legend into the modern world and examining its significance today.

Les expéditions archéologiques russes dans le Turkestan oriental

bilan des travaux d'après de nouveaux documents

From: College de France

Mikhail BukharinChercheur Sénior Institut d'Histoire de l'Académie des Sciences de Russie

19 juin 2017 14:30 15:30 Conférencier invitéSalle 2 - Marcelin Berthelot

Invité par les professeurs Jean-Pierre Brun, titulaire de la chaire « Techniques et économies de la Méditerranée antique » et Frantz Grenet, titulaire de la chaire « Histoire et cultures de l'Asie préislamique »

• Télécharger la vidéo
• Télécharger l'audio

New discoveries at the Zeleniy Yar burial site (extreme north of Russia)

Cocooned in copper, best fur, fabric and birch bark, an adult and tiny baby from the 8th century

By The Siberian Times reporter

14 July 2017

Mummified members of an unknown bygone civilisation are dug from a permafrost necropolis on the edge of the Arctic.

What's inside the cocoon? Picture: Alexander Gusev

The discoveries at the Zeleniy Yar burial site near Salekhard have the potential to shed light on the early human exploration of the extreme north of Russia.

Alexander Gusev, head of the expedition, senior researcher of the Centre for the Arctic Studies, said: 'The mummified remains were found lying next to each other, buried strictly along a North to South line, with their feet turned to river.

'The bodies were wrapped into cocoons of birch bark and thick fabric, origins of which we will know after laboratory tests. 

'The adult's cocoon was covered from head to toe with copper plates. 

'The baby's cocoon was covered with small fragments of copper cauldron.'

Experts estimate the child is no older than six months. 

A cocoon with a mummy of an adult was covered with copper plates head to toe. Picture: Alexander Gusev

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The length of the adult cocoon is 170 centimetres, which means the human remains inside - it is not yet known whether they are male or female - are likely to be around 165 cm tall, a considerable height 1,300 or so years ago. 

'Once we realised that the adult's cocoon was really well-preserved, we didn't risk opening it at the site,' said anthropologist Yevgenia Svyatova from Yekaterinburg.

'We extracted it with soil to protect it as much as possible.

'We don't know the gender of the person.  The only thing we know for sure is that it was an adult.'

A cocoon with a mummy of an adult on way from Zeleniy Yar burial site. Picture: Alexander Gusev

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Researchers from the Centre for Arctic Studies and Seoul National University are working on the finds. 

Siberian scientists will do tomography tests  to ascertain  the level of body preservation.

This will also highlight any burial artifacts hidden inside the cocoons. 

The archaeological complex was discovered in 1997 during the work of  Russian-American expedition for the "Living Yamal" project.

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Cocoons with mummies on way from Zeleniy Yar burial site. Pictures: Alexander Gusev

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Other burials on the site have included artifacts from Persia.

See our previous stories on this remarkable site 

Ancient mummy unearthed 

Laboratory pictures of the ancient mummy as scientists recreate his life and times

DNA test seek modern relatives of 800 years old mummified boy

Sasanian Persia: Between Rome and the Steppes of Eurasia

Edited by Eberhard Sauer

• Series: Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Persia
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press; 1 edition (August 1, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1474401015

The Sasanian Empire (3rd-7th centuries) was one of the largest empires of antiquity, stretching from Mesopotamia to modern Pakistan and from Central Asia to the Arabian Peninsula. This mega-empire withstood powerful opponents in the steppe and expanded further in Late Antiquity, whilst the Roman world shrunk in size. Recent research has revealed the reasons for this success: notably population growth in some key territories, economic prosperity, and urban development, made possible through investment in agriculture and military infrastructure on a scale unparalleled in the late antique world. 

This book explores the empire's relations with its neighbours and key phenomena which contributed to its wealth and power, from the empire's armed forces to agriculture, trade and treatment of minorities. The latest discoveries, notably major urban foundations, fortifications and irrigations systems, feature prominently. An empire whose military might and culture rivalled Rome and foreshadowed the caliphate will be of interest to scholars of the Roman and Islamic world.

Eberhard Sauer is Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, having previously taught at the Universities of Leicester and Oxford. He has directed excavations in Britain as well as, jointly with colleagues in Iran and Georgia, fieldwork on the Great Wall of Gorgan and the Sasanian fort in Dariali Gorge in the Caucasus. He is the author of The End of Paganism in the North-Western Provinces of the Roman Empire (1996), The Archaeology of Religious Hatred in the Roman and early medieval world (2003) and Coins, cult and cultural identity: Augustan Coins, Hot Springs and the Early Roman Baths at Bourbonne-les-Bains (2005). He is co-author of Linear Earthwork, Tribal Boundary and Ritual Beheading (2005) and Persia's Imperial Power in Late Antiquity (2009). He is co-editor of Archaeology and Ancient History: Breaking Down the Boundaries (2004).

Contents:

Preliminaries: List of Illustrations, Acknowledgements, Notes on the Contributors, Series Editor’s Foreword
1. Introduction 
Eberhard W. Sauer 
2. Sasanian cities: archaeological perspectives on the urban economy and built environment of an empire 
St John Simpson 
3. Palaeoecological insights into agri-horti-cultural and pastoral practices before, during and after the Sasanian Empire 
Lyudmila Shumilovskikh, Morteza Djamali, Valérie Andrieu-Ponel, Philippe Ponel, Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu, Abdolmajid Naderi-Beni and Eberhard W. Saue
4. Animal exploitation and subsistence on the borders of the Sasanian Empire: from the Gorgan Wall (Iran) to the Gates of the Alans (Georgia) 
Marjan Mashkour, Roya Khazaeli, Homa Fathi, Sarieh Amiri, Delphine Decruyenaere, Azadeh Mohaseb, Hossein Davoudi, Shiva Sheikhi and Eberhard W. Sauer
5. The Northern and Western Borderlands of the Sasanian Empire: Contextualizing the Roman/Byzantine and Sasanian Frontier 
Dan Lawrence and Tony J. Wilkinson 
6. Connectivity on a Sasanian frontier: Route systems in the Gorgan Plain of north-east Iran 
Kristen Hopper 
7. The Sasanian Empire and the East: A summary of the evidence and its implications for Rome 
Warwick Ball 
8. Minority Religions in the Sasanian Empire: Suppression, Integration, and Relations with Rome 
Lee E. Patterson 
9. A Contested Jurisdiction: Armenia in Late Antiquity 
Tim Greenwood 
10. Cultural contacts between Rome and Persia at the time of Ardashir I (AD 224-240) 
Pierfrancesco Callieri 
11. Innovation and Stagnation: Military Infrastructure and the Shifting Balance of Power between Rome and Persia 
Eberhard W. Sauer, Jebrael Nokandeh, Konstantin Pitskhelauri and Hamid Omrani Rekavandi
12. The Arabian Frontier: A Keystone of the Sasanian Empire 
Craig Morley
13. The India Trade in Late Antiquity 
James Howard-Johnston