HISTORY OF BUDDHISM: ARCHEOLOGY AND MATERIAL CULTURE

This course provides an introduction to the study of early Indian Buddhism for those with no or little previous knowledge of the subject. It will explore the cultural context, the main doctrines and scriptures, ethics, ritual and other practices, monastic life. The course will focus on arts, archaeology and cultural materials, and will explore these aspects through case-studies, mostly chosen amongst the most important archaeological sites of South Asia.
The course is an elective for the BA in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and North Africa.

By the end of this course unit students should normally:

- be able to place Buddhism in its social and historical context;
- have obtained a good knowledge and critical understanding of the main chronological and geographical themes of the forms of cultural history of ancient Buddhism in South Asia;
- be able to explain the fundamentals of Buddhism and link them to religious practices and artistic manifestations;
- know the main canonical and scriptural authorities;
- know the fundamentals and main motivations of monastic life and the relationship between monasteries and society;
- be able to identify some secondary and primary sources dealing with the topics described above.

No prerequisites: the course is for students with no or little previous knowledge of the subject.

History of Buddhism (South Asia): art history, archaeology and material culture.
The course will approach the subject through the following path:
1) Geography and general chronology (introduction)
2a) Life and Geography of the Buddha (readings from Buddhist texts)
2b) Birth and first spread of Buddhism: chronological problems and archaeological debate (readings on the historicity of the Buddha)
3a) The Maurya phase: sites, religious policies, epigraphy
3b) Expansion of early Buddhism in the North-West: sites and archaeological evidence
3c) The texts of the Maurya edicts
3d) Indo-Greeks (selected readings from the Minindapanha)
4a) How to read Buddhist art (Bharhut, Sanchi, Kanaganahalli)
4b) Gandhara (North-West, including Kapisa) and Mathura
5) Chinese travelogs and Buddhism in Late Antiquity
6) The End of Buddhism in South Asia (Reading: R. Salomon; Himanshu P. Ray)

H. Prabha Ray, Archaeology of Buddhism in Asia. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History.
Prabha Ray, H. (2014) The Return of the Buddha: Ancient Symbols for a New Nation. Routledge
Olivieri, Luca M. (2022) Stoneyards and Artists in Gandhara. The Buddhist Stupa of Saidu Sharif I, Swat (c. 50 CE)
Heirman, A. and S.P. Bumbacher,(2007) The Spread of Buddhism. Brill .
Salomon, R. (2018) The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara. Wisdom.
Strathern A. The Two Forms of Religion: Being and Nothingness. In: Unearthly Powers: Religious and Political Change in World History. Cambridge University Press; 2019:27-106
Williams, P., A. Tribe, A. Wynne (2012) Buddhist Thought. A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition. Routledge.

Selected texts and epigraphic material will be available on Moodle.

The final assessment of learning (exam) will be preceded by the submission and discussion of an essay (maximum 4000 words in Italian or English) on a topic of your choice in which you cite the reference texts.

oral

The final assessment is graded as follows: 18-22 (sufficient ability to orient oneself with respect to the chronology and geography of the areas of study, submission of a paper of a generic nature of less than 2000 words with sufficient bibliography); 23-25 (good general knowledge and ability to study specific areas of study in depth, submission of a paper on a specific topic of more than 2000 words with basic bibliography); 26-29 (excellent general knowledge and ability to produce original in-depth studies on one or more topics related to the area of study submission of a related paper of 3000 words with basic bibliography); 30-30L (more than excellent general knowledge and ability to produce innovative insights on one or more topics related to the study area; submission of a related paper of 4000 words with bibliography updated to the most recent research).

Frontal classes illustrated with Power Points. The latter will be made available to the students together with bibliography and additional readings during the week when the class is taken on the University platform moodle.
Before the last class, the candidate is recommended to present a short (max. 4000 words in English or Italian) research essay on a topic selected by the candidate that references and cites the texts we have studied. The essay can be 5-10 pages including the introduction and references. The APA style can be adopted for references (see e.g. https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/research-and-documentation/apa-style/what-is-apa.html ; https://libguides.csudh.edu/ld.php?content_id=52097964 ). The essay should be submitted before the last class, so that suggestions can be made on both form and content before the oral exam takes place.

For any inquires write to elisa.iori@unive.it