Scythian Elements in early Indian Art

by Swati Ray | 2005 | 59,713 words

Summary: This essay studies Scythian Elements in early Indian Art—a topic that has not garnered extensive scholarly attention. Although much research has focused on various aspects of Saka/Scythian culture, such as politics and numismatics, their contribution to Indian art remains underexplored. This essay delves into archaeological evidence, historical texts, and art forms from Eurasian steppes to decipher the Scythian impact. The thesis further investigates the origin and migration of Scythians/Shakas into India, examining how their animal style and artistic motifs carried over into Indian art.

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Scythian Elements in early Indian Art in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

Warning! This document has not been proofread. However, for each page you can (and should) verify the text with the original source PDF file.

Preface

Chapter 1 - Introduction—Scope, Sources and Method of Study

Chapter 2 - Scythia—its geographical location

Chapter 3 - Advent of the Sakas and the Saka-Pahlavas

+ Chapter 4 - Scythian / Saka Art

. The western section of Scythian art

. The eastern section of Scythian art

. Differences of Art between the Western and Eastern sections

+ Chapter 5 - Scythian (Saka) elements in the Early Art of India

. Scythian elements of Art in the borderlands of India

. Scythian elements of Art in the North-Western part of India