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PRODID:-//AT Content Types//AT Event//EN
VERSION:2.0
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260421T103909Z
CREATED:20240814T210318Z
UID:ATEvent-f3f38c88ae584fe69e2496acbcd12ce7
LAST-MODIFIED:20240814T210507Z
SUMMARY:Defining ‘Xian’
DTSTART:20181106T230000Z
DTEND:20181107T003000Z
DESCRIPTION:It is common knowledge that much more circulated than silk
  on the so-called “Silk Road” that connected China to the powerful
  and wealthy states that ruled over Inner Asia\, Central Asia\, and th
 e Middle East from the 6th to the 10th century CE. Textual sources\, a
 s well as archaeological and iconographical ones\, show clear evidence
  for instance that from the 6th to the 10th century CE\, Central Asian
 s that resided in China continuously maintained a local form of Zoroas
 trianism\, that Chinese literati designated by the character “xian �
 ��”. These sources\, however\, also shed a light on many contradicti
 ons. Tombs of the elite demonstrate adaptations of funerary practices\
 ; cross-examination of visual and textual material indicates inconsist
 encies regarding the identity of the gods that dominated the pantheon\
 ; and textual descriptions of xian rituals betray many idiosyncrasies.
  By questioning these discrepancies and trying to understand whether t
 hey resulted from mutations of Zoroastrianism as a consequence of its 
 evolution in a multi-cultural context\, or if they were mere misunders
 tandings by unfamiliar Chinese observers\, this talk will aim at offer
 ing a better understanding of the multi-faceted narrative of the diffu
 sion of Central Asian religions in China.
LOCATION:ISAW Lecture Hall
CONTACT:isaw@nyu.edu
CLASS:PUBLIC
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