Past Event: Archaeology Brown Bag Lecture Series

Please join us for a lecture in the 2021-2022 Yale Archaeology Brown Bag Series with Dr. John V. Bellezza, Senior Research Fellow with the Tibet Center, University of Virginia. His lecture is entitled: “If Anyone Says There is Nothing There, Better Go and Look for Yourself! Foundations of Civilization on the Uppermost Reaches of the Tibetan Plateau”. Due to COVID-19 traveling recommendations, the Brown Bag Series has continued virtually via Zoom.

Abstract: 

As I wandered around Tibet in the 1980s, I wondered about early civilization on the Plateau. In that period, the Chinese published a smattering of preliminary articles on tombs and rock art, but nothing substantial on the nature and scope of civilization before Buddhism arrived in Tibet in the 7th century CE. Even the Tibetans themselves were little acquainted with the pre-Buddhist achievements of their forebears. The prevailing historical narrative held that civilization was largely the product of Buddhist tradition. I was not so certain, so I hoisted my pack and embarked on three decades of exploration. This talk details my findings, their significance to Eurasian archaeology more generally, and the methods and theories that can be brought to bear on the study of Tibetic civilization during the Late Prehistoric era (ca. 1200 BCE to 600 CE).

The Yale Archaeology Brown Bag virtual Zoom lectures are supported by the Department of Anthropology, the Council on Archaeological Studies, and the Dean’s Fund for Research Workshops, Seminars and Colloquia. They are open to Yale students, faculty and university affiliates. Announcements can be found on the Brown Bag email list. For more information about attending please contact Michael Maddox (michael.maddox@yale.edu).