Creation of Tantric Sacred Spaces in Eastern Central Asia

Meinert, Carmen

doi:10.1163/9789004417731_012

Cited by 1 publication

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“…It also suggested briefly that Cave 465 appeared to be later than the other cave temples attributed to the Tangut period in the Dunhuang region but earlier than the thangkas excavated from Khara-Khoto based on the iconography and the content of the paintings. Meinert 55 in her recent study also speculated that Emperor Renzong of the Tangut Empire may have been the patron of Cave 465, suggesting that Cave 465 was constructed in the last decades of the twelfth century.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From remote sensing and machine learning to the history of the Silk Road: large scale material identification on wall paintings

Kogou

Shahtahmassebi

Lucian

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Automatic remote reflectance spectral imaging of large painted areas in high resolution, from distances of tens of meters, has made the imaging of entire architectural interior feasible. However, it has significantly increased the volume of data. Here we present a machine learning based method to automatically detect ‘hidden’ writings and map material variations. Clustering of reflectance spectra allowed materials at inaccessible heights to be properly identified by performing non-invasive analysis on regions in the same cluster at accessible heights using a range of complementary spectroscopic techniques. The world heritage site of the Mogao caves, along the ancient Silk Road, consists of 492 richly painted Buddhist cave temples dating from the fourth to fourteenth century. Cave 465 at the northern end of the site is unique in its Indo-Tibetan tantric Buddhist style, and like many other caves, the date of its construction is still under debate. This study demonstrates the powers of an interdisciplinary approach that combines material identification, palaeographic analysis of the revealed Sanskrit writings and archaeological evidence for the dating of the cave temple paintings, narrowing it down to the late twelfth century to thirteenth century.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%