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Barbat (lute)
The ''barbat'' ( fa, بربت) or ''barbud'' was a lute of Central Asian or Greater Iranian or Persian origin. Barbat is characterized as carved from a single piece of wood, including the neck and a wooden sound board. Possibly a skin-topped instrument for part of its history, it is ancestral to the wood-topped oud and biwa and the skin-topped Yemeni qanbus. Although the original barbat disappeared, modern Iranian luthiers have re-created the instrument, looking at historical images for details. The modern re-created instrument (Iranian Barbat) resembles the oud, although differences include a smaller body, longer neck, a slightly raised fingerboard, and a sound that is distinct from that of the oud. History The ''barbat'' probably originated in Central Asia. The earliest image of the ''barbat'' dates back to the 1st century BC from ancient northern Bactria. While in his book (''Les instruments de musique de l’Inde ancienne'') musicologist Claudie Marcel-Dubois pointed o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plucked String Instrument
Plucked string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by plucking the strings. Plucking is a way of pulling and releasing the string in such a way as to give it an impulse that causes the string to vibrate. Plucking can be done with either a finger or a plectrum. Most plucked string instruments belong to the lute family (such as guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, balalaika, sitar, pipa, etc.), which generally consist of a resonating body, and a neck; the strings run along the neck and can be stopped at different pitches. The zither family (including the Qanún/kanun, autoharp, kantele, gusli, kannel, kankles, kokles, koto, guqin, gu zheng and many others) does not have a neck, and the strings are stretched across the soundboard. In the harp family (including the lyre), the strings are perpendicular to the soundboard and do not run across it. The harpsichord does not fit any of these categories but is also a plucked string instrument, as its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gandhara
Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Valley and Swat river valley, though the cultural influence of "Greater Gandhara" extended across the Indus river to the Taxila region in Potohar Plateau and westwards into the Kabul Valley in Afghanistan, and northwards up to the Karakoram range. Gandhara has a deep rooted history of Hinduism mentioned in Indian scripts and epics including Rig Veda, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Famed for its unique Gandharan style of art which is influenced by the classical Hellenistic styles, Gandhara attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century CE under the Kushan Empire, who had their capital at Peshawar (''Puruṣapura''). Gandhara "flourished at the crossroads of India, Central Asia, and the Middle East," connecting trade routes and absor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hadda, Afghanistan
Haḍḍa ( ps, هډه) is a Greco-Buddhist archeological site located ten kilometers south of the city of Jalalabad, in the Nangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Hadda is said to have been almost entirely destroyed in the fighting during the civil war in Afghanistan. Background Some 23,000 Greco-Buddhist sculptures, both clay and plaster, were excavated in Hadda during the 1930s and the 1970s. The findings combine elements of Buddhism and Hellenism in an almost perfect Hellenistic style. Although the style of the artifacts is typical of the late Hellenistic 2nd or 1st century BCE, the Hadda sculptures are usually dated (although with some uncertainty), to the 1st century CE or later (i.e. one or two centuries afterward). This discrepancy might be explained by a preservation of late Hellenistic styles for a few centuries in this part of the world. However it is possible that the artifacts actually were produced in the late Hellenistic period. Given the antiquity of these ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coroplast (artisan)
A coroplast (or koroplast) was a modeler of terracotta figurines in Greek antiquity. Coroplastic studies, the study of ancient terracotta figurines, involves the analysis of the types and sources of clays used, the methods of production employed, the chronology, context, distribution and display of the objects, and their social, political, economic, sacred and historical meaning. A Coroplast's Dump was located at an archaeological site on the north slope of the Areopagus. Local koroplast workshops existed also in many other Greek centers. Thus, the excavations in Tauric Chersonesos yielded very rich results for this small colony. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qashqadaryo Region
Qashqadaryo Region ( uz, Qashqadaryo viloyati, Қашқадарё вилояти, قەشقەدەريا ۋىلايەتى; old spelling ''Kashkadarya Region'', russian: Кашкадарьинская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekistan, located in the south-eastern part of the country in the basin of the river Qashqadaryo and on the western slopes of the Pamir-Alay mountains. It borders with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Samarqand Region, Bukhara Region and Surxondaryo Region. It covers an area of 28,570 km2. The population is estimated 3,408,345 (2022), with 57% living in rural areas. The regional capital is Qarshi (278,300 inhabitants). Administrative divisions The Qashqadaryo Region consists of 13 districts (listed below) and two district-level cities: Qarshi and Shahrisabz. There are 12 cities (Qarshi, Shahrisabz, Gʻuzor, Qamashi, Beshkent, Koson, Kitob, Muborak, Yangi Nishon, Tallimarjon, Chiroqchi, Yakkabogʻ) and 117 urban-type settlements in the Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dalverzin Tepe
Dalverzin Tepe is an ancient archaeological site founded by the Graeco-Bactrian Kingdom and located near to the modern city of Denau in the Surxondaryo Region of Uzbekistan. The city was founded in the 3rd century BC and rose to prominence in the Kushan period when two important Buddhist temples were built here. Dalverzin Tepe was excavated by the famed Soviet archeologist Galina Pugachenkova. History Delverzin Tepe was a Hellenistic settlement founded by the Graeco-Bactrians in the 3rd century BC. Built on the northern bank of the Amu Darya, it was originally a small, fortified town constructed around a central citadel. In the Kushan period (1st - 3rd centuries AD), Delverzin Tepe grew and flourished under the Kushans. Galina Pugachenkova believes that Delverzin Tepe was the original capital of the Kushan Empire. The original citadel was rebuilt and the walls were strengthened, making the fortifications twice as thick. Key features from this time include large houses built a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khalchayan
Khalchayan (also ''Khaltchaïan'') is an archaeological site, thought to be a small palace or a reception hall, located near the modern town of Denov in Surxondaryo Region of southern Uzbekistan. It is located in the valley of the Surkhan Darya, a northern tributary of the Oxus (modern Amu Darya). Terracotta statues The site is usually attributed to the early Kushans, or their ancestors the Yuezhi/Tocharians. It was excavated by Galina Pugachenkova between 1959 and 1963. The interior walls are decorated with clay sculptures and paintings dated to the mid-1st century BCE, but they are thought to represent events as early as the 2nd century BCE. Various panels depict scenes of Kushan life: battles, feasts, portraits of rulers. Some of the Khalchayan sculptural scenes are thought to depict the Kushans fighting against a Saka tribe. The Yuezhis are shown with a majestic demeanour, whereas the Sakas are typically represented with side-wiskers in more or less grotesque attitudes."The k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Padmavati Pawaya
Padmavati, identified with modern Pawaya in Madhya Pradesh, was an ancient Indian city mentioned in several classic Sanskrit texts, Malatimadhavam of Bhavabhuti, Harshacharita of Bana, and Sarasvatīkaṇṭhabharaṇa of Raja Bhoja. Bhavabhuti describes the city with tall mansions and temples with shikharas and gates, located between Para and the Sindhu rivers. It is also mentioned in inscriptions like the Kokkala Grahapati inscription of Khajuraho. The inscription mentions that the city had rows of tall mansions. The dust used to arise because of running of strong horses. Identification Alexander Cunningham identified Padmavati with present Narwar near Gwalior. M B Garde carried out excavations at Pawaya in 1924-25, 1933–34 and 1941. He identifies Pawaya with ancient Padmavati rejecting Cunningham’s identification with Narwar. Coins of several Naga kings, who have been dated between 210-340 AD, have been found at Pawaya. Antiquities Among the antiquities found at P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Golden Age of India by historians. The ruling dynasty of the empire was founded by the king Sri Gupta; the most notable rulers of the dynasty were Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Skandagupta. The 5th-century CE Sanskrit poet Kalidasa credits the Guptas with having conquered about twenty-one kingdoms, both in and outside India, including the kingdoms of Parasikas, the Hunas, the Kambojas, tribes located in the west and east Oxus valleys, the Kinnaras, Kiratas, and others.Raghu Vamsa v 4.60–75 The high points of this period are the great cultural developments which took place primarily during the reigns of Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta I. Many Hindu epics and literary sources, such as Mahabharata and Ramay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sasanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named after the House of Sasan, it endured for over four centuries, from 224 to 651 AD, making it the longest-lived Persian imperial dynasty. The Sasanian Empire succeeded the Parthian Empire, and re-established the Persians as a major power in late antiquity alongside its neighbouring arch-rival, the Roman Empire (after 395 the Byzantine Empire).Norman A. Stillman ''The Jews of Arab Lands'' pp 22 Jewish Publication Society, 1979 International Congress of Byzantine Studies ''Proceedings of the 21st International Congress of Byzantine Studies, London, 21–26 August 2006, Volumes 1–3'' pp 29. Ashgate Pub Co, 2006 The empire was founded by Ardashir I, an Iranian ruler who rose to power as Parthia weakened from internal strife and wars with th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rubab (instrument)
Rubab, robab or rabab (Pashto/Persian: رُباب, Kashmiri : رَبابہٕ, Sindhi: (Nastaleeq), रबाब (Devanagari), Azerbaijani/ Turkish: Rübab, Tajik/ Uzbek ''рубоб'') is a lute-like musical instrument.David Courtney, 'Rabab'Chandra & David's Homepage/ref> The rubab is one of the national musical instruments of Afghanistan; and is also commonly used in Pakistan in areas inhabited by the Pashtun and Baloch, and also played by Sindhi people in Sindh, by Kashmiri people in Kashmir, and by the Punjabis of the Punjab. Three variants of the rubab are the ''Kabuli rebab'' of Afghanistan, the ''Seni rebab'' of northern India, and the ''Pamiri rubab'' of Tajikistan. These proliferated throughout West, Central, South and Southeast Asia. The Kabuli rebab originates from Afghanistan, and it derives its name from Arabic '' rebab'' 'played with a bow'; in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, however, the instrument is plucked and is distinctly different in construc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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