Tibet Archaeology by John Vincent Bellezza

Gold objects surface in Central Tibet

Refined metallic objects dating to Tibet’s pre-Buddhist past have been discovered in many other areas of Tibet as well. In April 2000, rudimentary excavations were carried out at Meiduo (Tibetan spelling?), a village near the southeastern tip of Yardrok Yumtsho (Yar-’brog g.yu-mtsho), by the Shannan Prefectural Bureau of Cultural Relics. I am only familiar with a single three-page report describing the extremely important artifacts discovered at this site. The tomb(s) from which they were discovered is reported to have been flood-damaged. Various objects were evidently carried off by local residents before its existence came to the attention of local authorities. In the published paper, the Meiduo site is pronounced to be around 2000 years old but no reasons are given for this chronological attribution. This lack of attention to crucial considerations, let alone to fine detail, appears to have characterized archaeological work in Meiduo.

Seventeen gold artifacts, including five plaques of ungulates (around 4.5 cm x 2.3 cm, and 1 mm thick), eight finger rings with a spiral design, two buckles with intact pins, and a pair of earrings were recovered. The other two gold objects found at Meiduo include what may possibly be a stylized bow and arrow pendant (10.5 cm in diameter) and a gold tube with a beaded design (7.3 cm in length) that may have been used as a hair ornament. Also, two cowrie shells, 16 cylindrical beads of semi-precious stones, two three-pointed copper objects, two copper accessories for use on a belt (?), and a fragment of a ceramic vessel were found. The current whereabouts of these artifacts are not known to me.

In the image presented here, one of the animal plaques appears on the left. It seems to depict a caprid, as demonstrated by the helical horn depicted on its head. This plaque was cast with two accessory loops so that it could be worn as a piece of jewelry or amulet. The entire body, legs and head of the animal are covered in beading. What may be a stylized bow and arrow appears in the middle of the image. This object was beautifully conceived and executed. Its graceful lines convey considerable potency. On the right is one of the gold rings with a spiral design. Like the other two objects in the photograph, this ring was expertly cast; unquestionably part of a well established and refined gold working tradition. The three depicted objects are directly comparable to copper-alloy talismans of the thog-lcags class, for which they are liable to be functionally related (if so, they were replete with protective and symbolic value). These items are of Tibetan manufacture and were made no later than the imperial period; however, a much earlier date for their creation might also be entertained. Without firm chronometric indications we cannot be certain.

Thanks to the efforts of the owner, another repoussé golden burial mask has recently come to my attention.* According to information received by the owner, this death mask was discovered in western Tibet. It is thought that the mask is made of solid gold. Whatever its precise metallurgical composition, this funerary mask is of exceptional value as an art and cultural-historical object.

The golden burial mask pictured here has been slightly crumpled, mildly distorting the facial features. Otherwise, this object is in fine condition. For lack of a better name, I will refer to this object as the “Volutes” mask, inspired by one of its prominent stylistic features.

Fortunately, the Volutes golden death mask can be compared to Inner Asian examples that I have previously studied. While a western Tibetan origin is plausible, we cannot discount the possibility that the Volutes mask came from an adjoining Himalayan region, somewhere in Xinjiang, or even further afield in Inner Asia. The six masks I have studied earlier (Chuthak, Gurgyam, Malari, Mustang, Shamsi, Boma) all have the benefit of an archaeological provenance and were recovered through scientific channels. The Volutes mask has no such provenance, detracting, at least for the time being, from its scientific value.

Fabrication from precious metal and their relative rarity indicate that the golden burial masks of Inner Asia are likely to have been used by highly accomplished warriors, chieftains or others of high social rank. This is the general pattern of usage wherever golden masks have been discovered worldwide. However, no detailed information regarding socioeconomic conditions reflected in the tombs that housed the four golden burial masks of Upper Tibet and the high Himalaya has been forthcoming.

It remains to be determined how often and it what ways ancient Upper Tibetans employed golden burial masks in their funerary rites. Golden masks or their facsimiles were of sufficient cultural prominence to be recorded in circa 11th century funerary literature of the Bonpo, where they are known as the ‘golden visage’ (sershe; gser-zhal). According to these sources, the golden visage is of ancient origins. It functioned to contain the soul of the deceased during the rite of evocation and the subsequent expelling of evil forces.

In many regions of Eurasia, from the Altai to Hungry, burial masks were alternatively made of silver, iron, clay, cloth and other materials. Perhaps there was a wider assortment of burial masks in the Tibetan-Himalayan region as well, but this remains to be ascertained.

By assessing their facial features and modes of fabrication, the six Inner Asian examples I have studied previously can be divided into three broad groupings: 1) Shamsi and Boma (circa 400–600 CE), 2) Mustang and Gurgyam (circa 300–500 CE), 3) Chuthak and Malari (circa 100 BCE to 200 CE). To this we can add another group consisting at the moment of just the Volutes specimen.