Research: A comparative study of the Buddhist Material Culture in 6th to 7th centuries: From Hindukush to Northern China
Curriculum Indian Subcontinent and Central Asia
This research aims at analyzing the Buddhist material culture from the Hindu Kush to Northern China in the 6th and 7th centuries and looking for common threads among the Buddhist centers in this vast region. From east to west, the main geopolitical areas taken into examination are: Ye Cheng (邺城), the capital of Northern Qi (北齐) Dynasties, the kingdom of Kucha (龟兹), Swat, Bamiyan. Archaeology, art history, and historiography will be the main disciplines used in this research. The analysis of archaeological and historical data points to a close connection among the four investigated regions. Although there is a quantitative and qualitative asymmetry among the archaeological material and historical sources in the investigated regions, through comparison among the different areas it is expected that similarities, differences, and synchronicity will emerge. This project also looks forward to answering the question of the weakening of Buddhism in Gandhara and conversely flourishing in Bamiyan and Northern China. Finally, I hope that an in-depth reading of the rich Chinese sources will further enlighten the state of Buddhism in the period and area investigated.
Curriculum Vitae:
11/2022 - Today: Ph.D. student in Civilizations of Asia and Africa at the Italian Department of Oriental Studies (ISO), Sapienza University of Rome.
Research Title: A comparative study of the Buddhist Material Culture in 6th to 7th centuries: From Hindukush to Northern China
Supervisor: Ciro Lo Muzio, Co-supervisor: Giuseppe Vignato
09/2018-06/2021: Master's Degree in Archaeology and Museology, Capital Normal University.
09/2014-06/2018: Bachelor's Degree in Education, Qiqihar University.