EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Art, Archeology & Material Culture 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 84 Buddhist epistemology, especially that part, which relates to the idea of phenomenal world being produced through the function of human consciousness. To support my argument I also draw on aesthetic discourse of the late Ming — early Qing period, where the analogy of artistic practice with “creation of worlds” features prominently and is also to a great extent derived from the Buddhist concept of the constructed nature of phenomenal reality. The idea of the equivalence between pictorial and phenomenal realities in the sense that both are constructed — by picto- rial means in the case of the former and by means of the consciousness in the latter — seems to apply to Shitao's theory and play essential role in his account of operations of ‘the one line’. Lullo Sheri A. (Union College) Toilet Sets from Chinese Burials and Regions to theWest, 4th c. BCE-3rd c. CE: A Comparative Analysis Key words: Toiletries, Han Dynasty, Inner Asia, Crimea This paper takes as its starting point toilet boxes and their contents found in Warring States through Han dynasty burials in China (4th c. BCE-3rd c. CE). These lacquered boxes were placedwith both females andmales and contain essential tools for an individual’s personal beautification rituals, including bronze mirrors, combs, cosmetic powders, and tweezers. Often, these boxes are also repositories for a host of other personal items, such as scholars’ tools and sewing supplies. Recent studies have highlighted similar lacquered toilet boxes that have been found at sites reaching as far west as Crimea. This initial study adds to the aforementioned valuable research by considering the purpose of these items in burial and the social dimensions of toiletries, making-up, and other personal rituals. It is argued that these sets are not merely trivial markers of personal beautification, but rather, a fruitful lens through which to understand facets of culturally specific beauty ideals and associated social behaviors. This paper compares the Chinese material to that of the other known toiletry sets to the west in an exploration of the flow of goods and social practices both eastward and westward from the perspective of the enhancement of elite social networks (Schortman 1989). In an effort to unpack these boxes even further, this study also looks into other components of toiletry sets common to both Chinese examples and northern and western iterations, such as cosmetics and the act of making up, the inclusion of precious stones encrusted into the ornamentation of some boxes, and collections of sewing supplies. E. Schortman, “Interregional Interaction in Prehistory: The Need for a New Perspective.” American Antiquity, Vol. 54, No. 1 (Jan 1989), 52–65. Montella Andrea (Università degli Studi di Napoli) Foreign Burial Practices in China during VI-VII centuries: The Role of Byzantine Coins in Funerary Contexts Key words: Sogdians, Solidus, Bracteates, burial practices, Zoroastrianism Since the 1950s numerous solidi and their imitations have been found in heartland China. Except for one Byzantine gold coin unearthed from a seventh century hoard, the other ones all came from tombs. These tombs are dated from the last quarter of VI century to the first half of VIII century and their owners were foreigners. Inside graves, gold coins were usually placed inside the mouth of the deceased or used to covers over his/ her eyes. Furthermore, coins in the mouth or over the eyes were found in Xinjiang, in particular at Astana Cemetery, where they were associated with “spectacles” sewn to a sort of mortuary mask, usually made of silk. According to the issues published so far, it is possible to divide gold coins in three broad categories: official solidi minted in Constantinople; imitations whose prototypes can be ascertained; gold bracteates struck on a thin sheet that unlikely had any monetary value. Since the latter group is more conspicuous than the others we can surely assert that they have a purely symbolic purpose. Specie hence were involved in some kind of mortuary ritual, probably acting as the so-called Charon's obol, well-known in Mediterranean World. They seem to have a very close relationship with Central Asia populations, in particular Sogdian ones. The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of Byzantine gold coins unearthed in Chinese area in order to better figure out foreign — in particular Sogdian — funerary customs. It should be noticed