Buddhist archaeology on the Shan Plateau: the first millennium AD

Buddhist archaeology on the Shan Plateau: the first millennium AD

Elizabeth Moore

Shan Buddhism & Culture   8-9 December 2007 SOAS, University of London

Abstract

The roots of Shan Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma) lie in the rich but little documented Bronze and Iron Age cultures of the present Shan States. The early Buddhist archaeology follows a pattern of resource and trade exchange, described in this paper within the Shweli, Myit Ngeh, Zawgyi-Belu and the Thanlwin River regions.

The Shweli around Mong Mit and Mogok has abundant teak and elephants,  resources complemented by the river side location of Tagaung on the Ayeyarwaddy. Recent excavations at Tagaung yielded distinct burial urns and terracotta roof tiles, ‘Pyu’ finger-marked bricks, findings stylistically dated to the early to middle of the first millennium AD supporting Tagaung’s legendary role as the first capital of the country. Finds along the Myit Ngeh, linking Muse to Mandalay, include a number of Bronze drums and cowrie containers of the ‘Dian cultural sphere’ dated to the early centuries AD. Artefacts from the Zawgyi-Belu zone are closely related to the Bronze-iron Halin-Samon  valley culture north and south of Mandalay of circa 700 BC-400 AD. Like the Shweli region, however, the Zawgyi-Belu finds also include ‘Pyu’ finger-marked bricks and terracotta roof tiles dated to about 100-300 AD. The region east of the Thanlwin includes the walled site of Keng Tung, with its archaeology, as in later periods, connected to the resources and artefacts of northwest Thailand.

The paper highlights the diversity of geographical regions and prehistoric artefacts from which Shan Buddhism in Myanmar emerged. These present a profile very different from the commonly depicted turbulent relationship of the Shan and Bamar.  Such views in many cases assume a near ‘epistemological-centric’ perspective whereby the Shan knowledge and beliefs are superior to those of the Bamar or vice versa.  The archaeological data by contrast underlines a complex exchange network that made the most of resource and location differences with records being oriented to place rather than ethnicity.

Elizabeth Moore

Head, Department of Art & Archaeology

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