1 June 1999, Asianart.com
Thogchags are Tibetan talismans made of bronze and meteoric metals dating as far back as the Bronze Age. While precise dates for the Tibetan Bronze Age have yet to be formulated, archaeological evidence from various sites around the country indicate that it started around the beginning of the Second Millennium BCE. An unbroken tradition of producing amulets extends into the Iron Age and Buddhist periods creating a cultural legacy several thousand years old.

© John Vincent Bellezza
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29 April 2004, Asianart.com
The art of Tibet reaches deep into prehistory. Before the advent of Buddhism in the 7th century A.D., metalworking, painting and carving on stone were already well developed and had assumed a fair degree of refinement. This artistic heritage reflects the sophisticated cultural and religious life of the early Tibetans. Extant examples of this ancient art closely correspond with the rich tapestry of beliefs, traditions and myths set in the pre-Buddhist period, as revealed in later historical accounts and the oral tradition. The representations, narratives and way of life presented in this visual tableau serve to illustrate in broad strokes the character and form of pre-Buddhist civilization in Tibet. There is no more illustrative an indication of early civilization on the Tibetan Plateau than this art.

© John Vincent Bellezza
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