Tibet Archaeology

and all things Tibetan

2019

New Book on Tibet Coming Soon!
Besting the Best
Warriors and Warfare in the Cultural and Religious Traditions of Tibet
A historical, ethnographic and archaeological study of martialism over the last three millennia

June-December 2018

Welcome to the twelfth anniversary issue of Flight of the Khyung, your vehicle to ancient Tibet! Beginning as a blog about my research activites, this online publication has grown over the years, supplying original articles (general interest and fully annotated …

February-May 2018

General introduction to Upper Tibetan rock inscriptions
Please note that the book under this title is no longer available on the Tibetan Archaeology website. It was freely circulated here for a more than a year. The manuscript is now being revised …

January 2018

Introduction to the stepped shrine rock art of Upper Tibet
Please note that the book under this title is no longer available on the Tibetan Archaeology website. It was freely circulated here for a more than a year. The manuscript is …

December 2017

Introduction to the stepped shrine rock art of Upper Tibet
Please note that the book under this title is no longer available on the Tibetan Archaeology website. It was freely circulated here for a more than a year. The manuscript is …

November 2017

Introduction to the stepped shrine rock art of Upper Tibet
Please note that the book under this title is no longer available on the Tibetan Archaeology website. It was freely circulated here for a more than a year. The manuscript is now being …

October 2017

Join us for another Flight of the Khyung, your portal to the riddles of ancient Tibet! This month’s newsletter contains the second part of an article about fierce wild animals in the rock art of Upper Tibet. There are many …

September 2017

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung, your time capsule to the Tibetan world of yore! This month’s newsletter supplies you with two more original articles on the rock art of the Western Tibetan Plateau. The first one, written by …

August 2017

Welcome to the 11th anniversary issue of Flight of the Khyung, the 133rd to appear since 2006! This month’s offering is all about Mustang, that legendary kingdom nestled high in the Himalaya of Nepal. The featured article introduces ancient rock …

July 2017

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we zoom to the top of the cosmic mountain! We begin this issue with the wild yak, the quintessential animal of Tibet. This article is dedicated to yet another kind of wild …

June 2017

Welcome to another high reaching Flight of the Khyung! We begin this month with a major exhibition of wild yaks in the rock art of Upper Tibet, the final part of a three-part article. The second feature in this newsletter …

May 2017

Welcome to Flight of the Khyung as we resume exploration of uppermost Tibet and beyond! Join us for another intellectual trek across lands less traveled. This month’s issue contains a fine selection of landmarks. We begin with an article on …

Flight of the Khyung - April 2017

April 2017

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we journey to uncover the secrets of ancient Tibet! Many of the places and things highlighted in these newsletters have been forgotten for 1000 years or more, this month’s issue being no …

March 2017

Tashi Delek! May the Year of the Fire Bird bring much true happiness and success to the world.
Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we jet to one of Tibet’s holiest lakes! Our destination is a mysterious retreat center …

February 2017

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we journey back in time and space to prehistoric Tibet! This newsletter explores two ancient necropolises discovered on the tablelands of western Tibet in 2010. These funerary sites consisting of temple-tombs and …

January 2017

Flight of the Khyung wishes you a Happy New Year! This month’s newsletter brings you the second part of an article about the end of the Bronze Age in uppermost Tibet. The focus of this issue is Upper Tibet’s place …

December 2016

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung: destination ancient Tibet! This month’s issue of the great bird features the first part of an article about the birth of civilization in uppermost Tibet, the highest land in the world. The momentous …

November 2016

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung! This month’s issue features a general interest article on the origins of Tibetan art, as seen through ancient rock carvings and paintings. It explores the relationship between rock art and the classical art …

October 2016

Welcome to Flight of the Khyung, your journey to the mysteries of ancient Tibet! This month’s newsletter boasts an article about recent archaeological discoveries in Ladakh, written by Dr. Quentin Devers et al. This work breaks new ground by tackling …

September 2016

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung, your very own vehicle to the marvels of ancient Tibet! This month’s offering is filled with the third and final part of an article about wild yak hunting in the rock art of …

August 2016

Welcome to the tenth anniversary edition of Flight of the Khyung, your portal to the ancient wonders of Tibet! This is the 121st monthly newsletter, bringing you all things Tibetan since August 2006.
I began Flight of the Khyung a decade …

July 2016

Welcome to another edition of Flight of the Khyung! As promised, this month we look at the wild yak hunters of ancient Tibet. The action-packed scenes of hunters chasing wild yaks featured below are as much as 3000 years old. These …

June 2016

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung and the tale of the swastika in uppermost Tibet! We explore the central role of this universal symbol …

May 2016

Welcome to Flight of the Khyung as we ascend to the highest of heights! In this month’s issue there is an article on the recent discovery of six rock art sites in Ladakh by anthropologist, explorer and rock art researcher Viraf Mehta. …

April 2016

This month’s Flight of the Khyung is ready for takeoff! The destination is ancient western Tibet. From tea drinking to stone houses to primitive art, we shall take in a veritable medley of sights, ideas and information. Let us begin …

March 2016

Welcome to Flight of the Khyung as we take in the most ancient bronzes of Tibet! This month’s newsletter presents the second part of an article on the art history and archaeometallurgy of pre-Buddhist copper alloy objects from the Western …

February 2016

Welcome to Flight of the Khyung as we continue to chart the treasures of the ancient Western Tibetan Plateau! On this and next month’s journey we visit bronze objects of stunning beauty and rarity. Many things you will see and …

January 2016

Flight of the Khyung wishes you a soaringly Happy New Year! This month’s newsletter presents the final in a series of articles on Spiti, a region on the margin of the Tibetan plateau in northwestern India. Since May of last …

December 2015

Flight of the Khyung welcomes you to the ancient strongholds of Spiti! Before we head to the summits though, my felicitations. A number of auspicious observances are held around the winter solstice worldwide. So, with that in mind, I wish …

November 2015

Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we continue our explorations on the western fringes of the Tibetan Plateau! This issue presents the last in a three-part article surveying the rock art of Spiti. There are many more intriguing …

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