TY  - JOUR
T1  - Tocharian Merchants: Their Representations in the Jātaka Scenes in Kucha Paintings
AU  - XIE, Dominika KLIMASZEWSKI and Yi 
JO  - Acta Via Serica
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/6/29
DO  - 10.22679/avs.2025.10.2.008
AB  - In the jātaka representations of the Kucha caves—most notably in the rhombi of the barrel vaults associated with the Second Indo-Iranian Style paintings—merchant figures consistently appear as central protagonists within the narratives. This study examines the origins of these merchant figures, challenging the prevailing identification of the figures as Sogdians in earlier scholarship. Through a detailed analysis of their characteristic attire—long considered typical of Central Asian dress—and a comparative investigation of related figures in Kucha paintings, the study explores the possibility of recognizing these merchants as local Tocharian figures within the broader cultural milieu of Kucha.