- Sampul tapestry
The Sampul tapestry is a woolen wall-hanging that was found in Sampul, in the
Tarim Basin inside a 3rd-2nd century BCE mass grave.The
tapestry represents a soldier, probably Greek, and aCentaur . It is probably Greek work from Central Asia (Greco-Bactria ), using more than 24 threads of different colors in a technique typical of the West.The soldier wears a tunique with motifs of rosettes. His headband could be a
diadem , the symbol of kingship in theHellenistic world, as represented on Greek coins. The presence of the Centaur as a motif, a typical element ofGreek mythology , floral motifs, and the realistic rendering further reinforce the identification of the soldier as a Greek. The tapestry was, curiously, fashioned into a pair of trousers, indicating that it may have been used as a decorative trophy.The existence of this tapestry tends to suggest that contacts occurred from around the 3rd century BCE between the Hellenistic civilizations of Central Asia and the
Tarim Basin , at the edge of the Chinese world.The tapestry is visible in the Xinjiang Museum,
Urumqi ,China .ee also
*
Greco-Bactrian kingdom
*Silk Road References
* The Silk Road, Frances Wood, ISBN 0-520-24340-4
* China's buried kingdoms, Time Life, ISBN 1-84447-050-4
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