1889.] 



on Hie Civilization of Aueirnt Jn Ha. 



155 



A statuette, Indo-Greek or Indo- Roman in style, wanting the hands 

 and feet, was discovered by Dr. Bellew in the Gandhara country, care- 

 fully enclosed in a sepulchral chamber at the level of the ground in the 

 centre of a stupa. The statuette represents the standing Buddha, and 

 is characterized by Dr. Bellew as " better carved than the generality of 

 figures met with," and by Sir A. Cunningham as " fine."* 



The style of the statuette shows that it was executed during the 

 flourishing period of the Gandhara school, and its mutilated condition 

 proves that it was already old when deposited in the stupa. The form 

 of that building indicates that it was created not later than A. D. GOO, 

 nor much earlier than A. D, 500. 



It is thus evident, remarks Sir A. Cunningham, that the statuette 

 was utilized at a time " when the zeal of first converts had long since 

 died away, and the growing indifference of the people no longer required 

 the manufacture of new statues. Under such circumstances, I can 

 readily suppose that that the builders of the tope may have deposited 

 any piece of Buddhist sculpture that came to hand, just as B rah mans at 

 the present day will set up and worship any statue which may be found, 

 caring little for its state of mutilation, and still less for its possible 

 connexion with Jainism or Buddhism." 



This curious discovery thus confirms the evidence already adduced 

 to prove the propositions that the period A. D. 500 — 600 was one of 

 decay for Buddhism in Gandhara, that few new religious edifices were 

 erected doing that period, though their construction did not altogether 

 cease, and that the vigorous, local school of Indo- Hellenic art belongs 

 to an earlier time. 



My contention that the history of the Gandhara school of Dido- 

 Hellenic art, consecrated to the service of Buddhism, was practically at 

 an end by A. D. 450, may be met by the observation that Buddhist 

 monuments of later date are known to exist in the upper Kabul Valley 

 and elsewhere in the neighbouring countries. 



One of the latest stiipas, to which a date at all definite oa I i> rtgn- 

 ed, is that known as No. 10, at Hidda near Jalalabad. This building con- 

 tained a deposit of coins consisting of five gold solidi of the Byzautino 

 emperors Theodosius, Mareiau and Leo (A. D. 407 — 474), two very 

 debased imitations of the Iudo-Scythiau coinage, which may be assigned 

 to the sixth century, and no less than 202 Sassauian coins of various 

 reigus, but all agreeing in the absence of any trace of Muhummadan 

 influence. 



Masson and Wilson, arguing from these facts, reasonably came to 



* Cunningham, Descriptive Lint, Fo. 165; and Ai;:h<eoI . Rep. Vol. V, p. 42, with 

 quotations from Dr. Bellow's Report on Yusnfzai, the original of which I havo not seen. 

 U 



