TY  - JOUR
T1  - Burial Traditions at the Crossroads: Investigating Evidence of Chinese Tang Dynasty in Chitral, Pakistan
AU  - ZAHIR, Muhammad 
JO  - Acta Via Serica
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/6/16
DO  - 10.22679/avs.2024.9.2.002
KW  - Chitral
KW  - burial traditions
KW  - Tang dynasty
KW  - Chinese coins
KW  - cowrie shell currency
KW  - mountain goat figurine
KW  - Silk Roads
KW  - trade network
AB  - This paper presents the discovery and analysis of a possible Chinese burial (GTG_064) in Chitral, Pakistan, dated to the mid-8th century CE. The unique burial yields an assemblage of Tang dynasty coins, luxury goods, and cultural artifacts, revealing cultural and economic exchange between China and South Asia. The relatively high-status female burial challenges traditional assumptions about women’s roles and cultural dynamics in the region. The findings provide new insights into ancient trade networks, religious ideologies, cultural and human exchanges, and the region’s importance in the Silk Road. The burial’s combination of Chinese and local elements underscores the complexity of cultural dynamics, while the presence of cowrie shells, as currency, and other luxury goods highlights the region’s integration into the ancient global economy. The finding of a figurine of a mountain goat/ibex within the grave suggests the existence of ancient religious ideologies in the region. This research contributes to our understanding of historic northern and northwestern South Asia’s cultural, ideological, and economic landscapes, emphasizing the significance of Chitral as an important node in the Silk Road networks.