geomancer
11-25-2013, 11:04 AM
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/ngs-adc112213.php
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 25-Nov-2013
Contact: Barbara Moffet
[email protected]
National Geographic Society
Archaeological discoveries confirm early date of Buddha's life
Evidence found at world's earliest Buddhist shrine in Nepal
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<center>https://media.eurekalert.org/multimedia_prod/pub/rel/65209_rel.jpg (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/65209.php?from=254847)</center>https://www.eurekalert.org/images/eutube/icon_image_tiny.gif IMAGE: (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/65209.php?from=254847) Archaeologists Robin Coningham (left) and Kosh Prasad Acharya direct excavations within the Maya Devi Temple, uncovering a series of ancient temples contemporary with the Buddha. Thai monks meditate.
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WASHINGTON—Archaeologists working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C. This is the first archaeological material linking the life of the Buddha — and thus the first flowering of Buddhism — to a specific century.
Pioneering excavations within the sacred Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site long identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, uncovered the remains of a previously unknown sixth-century B.C. timber structure under a series of brick temples. Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the center that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself.
Until now, the earliest archaeological evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the third century B.C., the time of the patronage of the Emperor Asoka, who promoted the spread of Buddhism from present-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh.
"Very little is known about the life of the Buddha, except through textual sources and oral tradition," said archaeologist Professor Robin Coningham of Durham University, U.K., who co-led the investigation. Some scholars, he said, have maintained that the Buddha was born in the third century B.C. "We thought 'why not go back to archaeology to try to answer some of the questions about his birth?' Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century B.C."
Early Buddhism revealed
The international team of archaeologists, led by Coningham and Kosh Prasad Acharya of the Pashupati Area Development Trust in Nepal, say the discovery contributes to a greater understanding of the early development of Buddhism as well as the spiritual importance of Lumbini. Their peer-reviewed findings are reported in the December 2013 issue of the international journal Antiquity. The research is partly supported by the National Geographic Society.
To determine the dates of the timber shrine and a previously unknown early brick structure above it, fragments of charcoal and grains of sand were tested using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques. Geoarchaeological research also confirmed the presence of ancient tree roots within the temple's central void.
Continues at: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/ngs-adc112213.php
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 25-Nov-2013
Contact: Barbara Moffet
[email protected]
National Geographic Society
Archaeological discoveries confirm early date of Buddha's life
Evidence found at world's earliest Buddhist shrine in Nepal
<tbody>
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
<center>https://media.eurekalert.org/multimedia_prod/pub/rel/65209_rel.jpg (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/65209.php?from=254847)</center>https://www.eurekalert.org/images/eutube/icon_image_tiny.gif IMAGE: (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/65209.php?from=254847) Archaeologists Robin Coningham (left) and Kosh Prasad Acharya direct excavations within the Maya Devi Temple, uncovering a series of ancient temples contemporary with the Buddha. Thai monks meditate.
<center>Click here for more information. (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/65209.php?from=254847)</center>
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
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https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/corner_br.jpg
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
https://www.eurekalert.org/images/clear.gif
</tbody>
WASHINGTON—Archaeologists working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C. This is the first archaeological material linking the life of the Buddha — and thus the first flowering of Buddhism — to a specific century.
Pioneering excavations within the sacred Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site long identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, uncovered the remains of a previously unknown sixth-century B.C. timber structure under a series of brick temples. Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the center that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself.
Until now, the earliest archaeological evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the third century B.C., the time of the patronage of the Emperor Asoka, who promoted the spread of Buddhism from present-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh.
"Very little is known about the life of the Buddha, except through textual sources and oral tradition," said archaeologist Professor Robin Coningham of Durham University, U.K., who co-led the investigation. Some scholars, he said, have maintained that the Buddha was born in the third century B.C. "We thought 'why not go back to archaeology to try to answer some of the questions about his birth?' Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the sixth century B.C."
Early Buddhism revealed
The international team of archaeologists, led by Coningham and Kosh Prasad Acharya of the Pashupati Area Development Trust in Nepal, say the discovery contributes to a greater understanding of the early development of Buddhism as well as the spiritual importance of Lumbini. Their peer-reviewed findings are reported in the December 2013 issue of the international journal Antiquity. The research is partly supported by the National Geographic Society.
To determine the dates of the timber shrine and a previously unknown early brick structure above it, fragments of charcoal and grains of sand were tested using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques. Geoarchaeological research also confirmed the presence of ancient tree roots within the temple's central void.
Continues at: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/ngs-adc112213.php