Nicholas Sims-Williams (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197262856
- eISBN:
- 9780191753961
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262856.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
The recent developments in our understanding of the history of the Indo-Iranian languages and their speakers are surveyed and assessed in this book by a group of linguists and archaeologists. In the ...
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The recent developments in our understanding of the history of the Indo-Iranian languages and their speakers are surveyed and assessed in this book by a group of linguists and archaeologists. In the last few years, the materials available for the study of the older Indo-Iranian languages have increased dramatically: there have been discoveries of birch-bark scrolls bearing Buddhist texts in the Gandhari language of north-west India, and of leather documents in Bactrian, the ancient language of northern Afghanistan. Previously known data has been exploited in new ways using innovative techniques for compiling, manipulating, and disseminating electronic text and digital images. And archaeological finds in India, Pakistan, and Central Asia, including the ‘Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex’, have given rise to new hypotheses concerning the history and pre-history of the Indo-Iranian peoples. The volume also pays tribute to the pioneering work of the philologist Sir Harold Bailey (1899–1996).Less
The recent developments in our understanding of the history of the Indo-Iranian languages and their speakers are surveyed and assessed in this book by a group of linguists and archaeologists. In the last few years, the materials available for the study of the older Indo-Iranian languages have increased dramatically: there have been discoveries of birch-bark scrolls bearing Buddhist texts in the Gandhari language of north-west India, and of leather documents in Bactrian, the ancient language of northern Afghanistan. Previously known data has been exploited in new ways using innovative techniques for compiling, manipulating, and disseminating electronic text and digital images. And archaeological finds in India, Pakistan, and Central Asia, including the ‘Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex’, have given rise to new hypotheses concerning the history and pre-history of the Indo-Iranian peoples. The volume also pays tribute to the pioneering work of the philologist Sir Harold Bailey (1899–1996).
FRANTZ GRENET, JONATHAN LEE, PHILIPPE MARTINEZ, and FRANÇOIS ORY
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263846
- eISBN:
- 9780191734113
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263846.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter examines the rock carving in Rag-i Bibi in northern Afghanistan. The rock carving is situated a kilometre south of the village of Shamarq and its name literally means Veins of the Lady; ...
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This chapter examines the rock carving in Rag-i Bibi in northern Afghanistan. The rock carving is situated a kilometre south of the village of Shamarq and its name literally means Veins of the Lady; which, according to local sources, refers to Bibi Fatima. The chapter also discusses iconographic and historical comments on Rag-i Bibi and evaluates the application of three-dimensional laser scanning to the Rag-i Bibi relief.Less
This chapter examines the rock carving in Rag-i Bibi in northern Afghanistan. The rock carving is situated a kilometre south of the village of Shamarq and its name literally means Veins of the Lady; which, according to local sources, refers to Bibi Fatima. The chapter also discusses iconographic and historical comments on Rag-i Bibi and evaluates the application of three-dimensional laser scanning to the Rag-i Bibi relief.
Magnus Marsden
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- October 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190247980
- eISBN:
- 9780190492205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190247980.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Asian Politics
This chapter explores in greater detail the relationships between the professional, Islamic, and regional identities of traders. It does so by focusing on the northern Afghan town of Kunduz and on a ...
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This chapter explores in greater detail the relationships between the professional, Islamic, and regional identities of traders. It does so by focusing on the northern Afghan town of Kunduz and on a group of traders in that context who identify themselves as being Panjshiri. These Panjshiris are part of complex and transregional trade networks that bring together people, things, and places across various boundaries. Whereas an important element of being a trader in contexts such as this is the ability to be flexible, this chapter explores the lives and identities of traders who emphasise instead their commitment to Islamic principles. It focuses in detail on the varying life trajectories of three brothers in Kunduz, documenting these men’s varying relationships to both reform-minded forms of Islam and movements of armed militancy, including the Taliban.Less
This chapter explores in greater detail the relationships between the professional, Islamic, and regional identities of traders. It does so by focusing on the northern Afghan town of Kunduz and on a group of traders in that context who identify themselves as being Panjshiri. These Panjshiris are part of complex and transregional trade networks that bring together people, things, and places across various boundaries. Whereas an important element of being a trader in contexts such as this is the ability to be flexible, this chapter explores the lives and identities of traders who emphasise instead their commitment to Islamic principles. It focuses in detail on the varying life trajectories of three brothers in Kunduz, documenting these men’s varying relationships to both reform-minded forms of Islam and movements of armed militancy, including the Taliban.
Thomas Barfield
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199327928
- eISBN:
- 9780199388066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199327928.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter, which presents a comparison of local politics and dispute resolution in northern Afghanistan in the 1970s and 2000s, argues that the narrowly constructed Afghan Constitution of 2004, ...
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This chapter, which presents a comparison of local politics and dispute resolution in northern Afghanistan in the 1970s and 2000s, argues that the narrowly constructed Afghan Constitution of 2004, which vests all legitimate administrative authority in the Kabul government, is ill adapted to the realities of today’s Afghanistan. It is an authoritarian structure in a land that will no longer acquiesce to authority from the top. Rather than pursuing a ‘government-centric’ strategy that relies on formal institutions, a ‘governance-centric’ approach would give priority to reinforcing elements of self-rule at the local level and would reorient the national government’s focus to higher-level problems that are beyond the capacity of local communities to handle.Less
This chapter, which presents a comparison of local politics and dispute resolution in northern Afghanistan in the 1970s and 2000s, argues that the narrowly constructed Afghan Constitution of 2004, which vests all legitimate administrative authority in the Kabul government, is ill adapted to the realities of today’s Afghanistan. It is an authoritarian structure in a land that will no longer acquiesce to authority from the top. Rather than pursuing a ‘government-centric’ strategy that relies on formal institutions, a ‘governance-centric’ approach would give priority to reinforcing elements of self-rule at the local level and would reorient the national government’s focus to higher-level problems that are beyond the capacity of local communities to handle.
Ingeborg Baldauf
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199327928
- eISBN:
- 9780199388066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199327928.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter presents a case study of a provincial governor in northern Afghanistan. It describes his aspirations; the options and constraints he finds himself confronted with; and the various ...
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This chapter presents a case study of a provincial governor in northern Afghanistan. It describes his aspirations; the options and constraints he finds himself confronted with; and the various networks in which he seems to be embedded. The chapter shows how the rationality of this individual is directly influenced by family affairs as well as local and national politics, and demonstrates that politicians are caught in a dense web of various interests, obligations, and dependencies that constrain their decision-making and political behaviour.Less
This chapter presents a case study of a provincial governor in northern Afghanistan. It describes his aspirations; the options and constraints he finds himself confronted with; and the various networks in which he seems to be embedded. The chapter shows how the rationality of this individual is directly influenced by family affairs as well as local and national politics, and demonstrates that politicians are caught in a dense web of various interests, obligations, and dependencies that constrain their decision-making and political behaviour.