[Electronic] Historical Atlas of South India

http://www.ifpindia.org/histatlas/
03 May 2008

[Electronic] Historical Atlas of South India

Institut Francais de Pondicherry / French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), Pondicherry, India

Self-description:
"[...] The first phase [of the project - ed.] was completed early in 2005 and the outcome was a prototype for the Pudukkottai (Central Tamil Nadu) region, which works both from a CD-Rom and on the Internet. This work provided the team an opportunity to explore multidisciplinary approaches in research using IT&C, with History and Archaeology on one hand and GIS and Informatics on the other hand. The prototype CD-Rom has already been used to present the project at various seminars and workshops, and has also been sent to scholars who would be interested in working with us in the future phases. In the current phase of the project (starting from 2005 May onwards), we intend to extend the scope to the entire states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as two pilot areas in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka [...]. The idea behind initiating the two new pilot areas is to prepare for the extension of the project area further north so that the entire South India could be covered during the subsequent phase. The primary source of data for Tamil Nadu will be contributed by the Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur. [...]

[Web version of the prototype on Historical Atlas of South India] "The bulk of the basic materials comes from the epigraphic records (nearly 9,000) for the period from AD 600 to 1600. Archaeology provides resources for the pre-600 period. Literature is useful as a supplementary source. Besides these original sources, there are a few secondary works, particularly on art, which provide data for the maps. The photo collection of IFP provides also material for illustrations. Clicking next, you will now have an overview of the Atlas, but with information on Pudukottai area only."

Site contents:
* Time Line (Stone Age, New Stone Ahe, Iron Age [(Megalithic], Ancient History I [Sangam], Ancient History II [Pre-Pallava], Medieval I [Pallava], Medieval II [Chola], Medieval III [Vijayanagar]);
* Knowledge (Political, Cultural, Social, Economic);
* Team (Subbarayalu, Y. (French Institute of Pondicherry - IFP) - Project Co-ordinator, Rajan, K. (Tamil U., Thanjavur), Aloka Parasher Sen (Central U., Hyderabad), Rajan Gurukkal. P.M. (Mahatma Gandhi U., Kottayam), Kesavan Veluthat (Mangalore U.), Balasubramanian, D. (IFP), Frederic Borne (IFP));
* Sources [a bibliography over 90 books and articles in English - ed.]

URL http://www.ifpindia.org/histatlas/

Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ifpindia.org/histatlas/

Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at-coombs.anu.edu.au)

* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]:
Corporate Info./ Study
* Publisher [academic - business - govt. - library/museum - NGO - other]:
Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]:
Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000
- under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

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Georeferenced locations of historical Chinese and Japanese temples

An invaluable item for anyone studying pilgrimage and travel to religious places in ancient China and Japan.

http://www.mountainsongs.net/


21 Apr 2008
Mountain Songs - [Ancient] Chinese Poetry [and georeferenced Temples]

www.mountainsongs.net, San Francisco, CA, US.

Self-description:
"Mountain Songs, Shanzhige, is a bilingual, database website, fully searchable, which connects ancient (and some modern) Chinese poetry to the sites where the poetry was written or written about. It enables you to experience the same sights that the poets themselves viewed hundreds of years ago."

Site contents:
* MOUNTAINS (a photograph and related Items [Poems, Poets, Temples, Other] for each of the following 152 mountains - Badachu Xishan; Baihefeng; Baitashan; Baodingshan; Beigushan; Beishan Dazu; Beiyue Hengshan; Bilianfeng; Cangshan; Chamundi Hill; Chichengshan; Cuiluoshan; Damingshan; Daqingshan; Daxiangshan; Dayuling Big Rice Barrel Ridge; Dinh Hoanh Son; Doddabetta; Dongshan Guiyang; Dongshan Huangmei; Dongshan Shangyu; Emeishan Moth Eyebrow Mountain; Fangshan; Fanjingshan; Fansipan Peak; Fenghuangshan Hangzhou; Fenghuangshan Tongguan; Fuboshan; Fufengshan; Guishan; Gushan Fuzhou; Gushan Hangzhou; Gushan Huizhou; Guxiufeng; Hagurosan; Haleakala; Hanyan Cold Cliff; Hemingshan; Hieizan; Houjusan; Huaguoshan; Huangshan Yellow Mountain; Huashan China Glory Mountain; Huoyanshan; Japan Alps; Jefferson; Jiaoshan; Jingshan; Jingshan; Jingtingshan; Jinshan; Jinshan Shanghai; Jiuhuashan; Jiulishan; Jiuzongshan; Kakeyamoku Iao Needle; Kinkeisan; Koyasan; Kugamisan; Kurokamiyama; Laoshan; Leshan; Lingyangshan; Longhushan Dragon Tiger Mountain; Lumenshan Luofushan; Lushan Hut Mountain; Maonshan; Maijishan Haystack Mountain; Maoshan; Mingshashan; Mingyan; NanPutuoshan; Nanshan Dazu; Nanshan Xiangyang; NanWutaishan; Nanyue Hengshan; Nilgiri Hills; Onnaminusan; Panlongshan; Pingposhan; Pipashan Longmen; Pomoshan; Putuoshan; Qianlingshan; Qilianshan; Qilinshan; Qingcheng Houshan; Qingchengshan Emerald City Mountain; Qingxiushan; Qingyuanshan; Qixingyan; Qiyunshan Greedy Cloud Mountain; Sanweishan; Shaoshishan; Shennufeng (Wushan); Sheshan; ShiGushan; Shijingshan; Shimenshan; Shizhongshan Stone Bell Mountain; Songshan; Suribachi; Taibaishan Shanxi; Taishan; Taishishan; Tavan Bogd; Tian Son Vietnam; Tianmushan; Tianshan; Tiantaishan Guizhou; Tiantaishan Heaven Terrace Mountain; Tianzhushan Heaven's Pillar Mountain; Tongbaishan; Wanshoushan; Western Ghats; Wudangshan; Wurufeng; Wutaishan Five Terrace Mountain; Wuyishan; Xiangbishan; Xianglufeng Lushan; Xianglufeng Shaoxing; Xiangshan; Xiangshan; Xiangshan (Dongshan) Longmen; Xianshan; XiaoJiuhuashan; Xiongershan; Xishan; Xishan Kunming; Xishan Longmen; Xuedoushan; Xuefengshan Snow Mountain; Yamadera; Yandangshan; Yinshan Gansu; Yinshan Neimenggu; Youbishan; Yueliangshan; Yuelushan; Yulongxueshan; Yunjushan; Yunlongshan; Yuquanshan; Yushan; Yuzhaishan; Zhongnanshan Far South Mountain; Zhurongfeng; Zijinshan; Zuanshitou; Zuobishan);

* POEMS (texts of the 820 poems in the vernacular and translation, plus the related Items: Mountains, Temples, Other);

* POETS (biographical notes and related Items: [Poems, Mountains, Temples, Other] for each of the 246 poets from the period 350 BC - 1961 AD);

* TRANSPOETS (images and biographical notes for the following people: Arthur Waley, Beata Grant, Burton Watson, Charles Q. Wu, David Hinton, David McCraw, Dongbo, Gary Snyder, Irving Yucheng Lo, John Thompson, Jon Kowallis, Jonathan Chaves, Kenneth Rexroth, Liam Kelley, Mike O'Connor, Paul Hansen, Paul Kroll, Paula Varsano, Qiu Xiaolong, Red Pine-Bill Porter, Ron Egan, Shigeyoshi Obata, Zhong Ling);

* TEMPLES (photographs, notes, georeferenced locations [using GoogleMap], and related Items: [Poems, Poets, Mountains, Other] for each of the 602 temples in China, India, Japan, Mongolia, and Vietnam);

* OTHER (photographs and notes on 1046 places in China, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam, plus the details of the related Items [Poems, Poets, Mountains, Temples]);

* SEARCH; * TRAVELS WITH DONGBO; * ABOUT US; * CONTACT US.

URL http://www.mountainsongs.net/

Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.mountainsongs.net/

Link reported by: Gary Flint (gary.actasia--at--gmail.com), forwarded by h-asia--at--h-net.msu.edu

* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]:
Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library/museum - NGO - other]:
Other
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]:
Essential
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000
- under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 1,000 [in fact, 897 links]

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Spice Ports: The Nutmeg and Pepper Trade

artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/english/cdaeley/hwc22/plans.htm

[Preliminary bibliography from Austin College, Sherman, Texas]

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Ports of the Arabian Peninsula : a guide to the literature.

http://dro.dur.ac.uk/161/

Dodgeon, H. and Findlay, A. M. (1979) Ports of the Arabian Peninsula : a guide to the literature. Working Paper. University of Durham, Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Durham.

Full text available in PDF format
3.5MB

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Arabian Trade and Pilgrimage Routes - 2003 lectures

http://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/mappingarabia/lectures/lectures.html

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Lectures
MAPPING THE TREASURES OF ARABIA
 
28 January - 21 March 2003
 
There is to be a series of public lectures accompanying the exhibition, initiated and organised by Marian Bukhari, presented in association with LMEI (London Middle East Institute) and the Department of Art & Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies, chaired by Dr. Anna Contadini:
 
 
5th February
Dr Geoffrey King
"Coastal Pilgrim routes from Syria to the holy cities"
12th February
John Lawton
"Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh trade routes"
19th February
Dr Majeed Khan
"Petroglyphs and Rock Art of Arabia"
26th February
Jonathan Potter
"Cartography and the mapping of Arabia"
5th March
Dr. Martin Lings
"Mecca, Madinah and the Pilgrimage"
12th March
Dr Saad Al Rashid
"Darb Zubaidah and the Hajj routes"
19th March
Dr Mustafa Aksay
"Hejaz Railway as one of the Hajj routes"

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Transportation Modes, Costs and Infrastructure in the 17th c.

Two resources (with logistical data) from afficionados of books from the "Ring of Fire" (RoF) anthology.

* Cooper, Iver P. 2007.
Hither and Yon: Transportation Modes, Costs and Infrastructure in 1632 and after.
Grantville Gazette, Vol. 11, May 2007.
http://www.grantvillegazette.com/articles/hither

* Bergstralh, Karen. 2007.
Adventures in Transportation: An Examination of Drags, Carts, Wagons and Carriages Available in the 17th century.
http://www.grantvillegazette.com/articles/Adventures_in_Transportatio.
Grantville Gazette, Vol. 11, May 2007.

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Trade Routes and Distances by Existing Lines and by the Panama Canal Authority

http://qed.princeton.edu/main/
Image:Trade_Routes_and_Distances_by_Existing_Lines_and_by_the_Panama_Canal.jpg

Source: U.S. Hydrographic Chart, 1912. W.S. Morison.
Trade Routes and Distances by Existing Lines and by the Panama Canal Authority

The Map shows global routes for full-powered steam vessels and routes for sailing vessels in nautical miles.
High resolution version (4000x1571, 2546 KB)

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Islamic Region: Major Trade Routes from 10th to 15th century

http://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/User:Student/Islamic_Region_-_Major_Trade_Routes



Source:
Medieval Routes to India: Baghdad to Delhi - A Study of Trade and Military Routes
Produced by H.C. Verma (Department of History - University of Delhi), Published by Mustafa Waheed, Printed at Islamia al Saudia Printers, Lahore, 1983.
http://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/User:Student/Islamic_Region_-_Major_Trade_Routes

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India - District Gazetteer - Nasik District: Trade Routes

http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/nasik/009%20Bank/010%20TradeRoutes.htm

India - District Gazetteer - Nasik District
Trade and Commerce - Trade Routes

Early Routes:
The ThaI pass had been an important trade route between the Deccan and the coast from the earliest times. [This account is based on the description of routes published in the Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency, Nasik District, 1883, Chapter VI.] The Nasik caves and mention of the town by Ptolemy point to Nasik as a place of importance from the second century before, to the second century after, the Christian era. About a hundred years later, the author of Periplus (247) mentions that trade passed from Broach in Gujarat to Paithan on the Godavari and to Tagar ten days further east. A part of this trade probably went through the Kundai pass, crossed the Nasik district, and left it by the Kasari pass in the Satmalas. From the ninth to the thirteenth century, while Devgiri, or Daulatabad, was one of the greatest capitals in the Deccan, and Supara was one of the chief centres of trade on the coast, the Thal Pass must have been the main route of traffic. Afterwards, in the fifteenth and early part of the sixteenth centuries, the bulk, of the trade passed further south between Ahmednagar and Chaul and between Bijapur and Dabhul or Kudal. In the sixteenth century, the establishment of Portuguese power at Bassein brought a large trade back to its old route by Nasik. In the seventeenth century, when foreign trade centered in Surat, the bulk of the commerce of the Deccan passed along the north and south routes mentioned in the Periplus. When Bombay took the place of Surat, trade once more set along the earliest route through the ThaI Pass, and this, for the last fifty years, has been the chief line of traffic in Western India.

Routes during British Period:
At the beginning of British rule there were no made roads. The chief routes of trade passed through Nasik and Malegaon. The Poona-Surat road with a length of 254 miles through Chakan, Narayan Gaon, the Viscera Pass, and Dothan, entered by the Sinnar pass, and touching Nasik and Dindori, left the district by the Rahud Pass and continued its course to Surat through Umbarthana the Nirpan Pass, the Vagh Pass and Gondevi. The Ahmednagar-Nasik road ninety-seven miles long passed through Rahuri, Sangamner and Sinnar. The Aurangabad-Nasik road and the road linking Malegaon with Baroda served the need of traffic.
The Bombay-Agra trunk road was the chief trade route traversing through Chandor, Nasik, Igatpuri, the ThaI pass, Shahapur and Bhiwandi. The Poona-Nasik road, the Nasik-Balsar road, the Malegaon-Kopargaon road, and the Nandgaon-Aurangabad road were the principal routes of trade. During the course of the present century the Bombay-Agra trunk road and Provincial roads were improved. A number of bridges were also constructed to facilitate easy transport.

Present Routes of Trade: The Bombay-Bhusaw [...]

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Ecology and Empire Along the Ancient Silk Roads

http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/conservation11.html

Ecology and Empire Along the Ancient Silk Roads
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/conservation11.html
Seattle, Washington, USA
By Rob Harris
Contact
Rob Harris
rob--at--rob-harris.net
Software
ArcGIS 8.3 and Windows XP
Printer HP Designjet 5500
Data Source(s)
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration/National Aeronautics and Space Administration Pathfinder Program, United Nations Environment Programme, U.S. Geological Survey, and historical and archaeological monographs and reports

[Elevation, Mean Annual Precipitation, Soil Production Index)
http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume19/images/cons_11a.jpg

The goal of this map is to provide a way to visualize the ecological context of the Silk Roads. The broad ecological zones of Asia and Europe - the steppes, deserts, montane forests, and alluvial floodplains - are approximated by modern land cover. Traversing these distinct ecological zones is a complex set of medieval trade routes that connected major cities and empires of the day. By examining the complex geography of these trade routes, the map seeks to enrich our understanding of the relationship between ecology, economy, and empire during one of the most important periods in human history.

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Tea-Horse Road, or 茶马古道 (Cha Ma Gu Dao)

http://www.chinaexpat.com/article/2007/04/11/history/ancient-tea-horse-road.html

Gartner, Josh. 2007.
The Ancient Tea-Horse Road
Published April 11th, 2007

Tea-Horse Road, or 茶马古道 (Cha Ma Gu Dao)
(Gartner 2007).



[...]
During the Song Dynasty (960-1127) the Tea-Horse Road flourished and posts saw up to 2,000 traders per day. Annual volume of tea going to Lhasa - and often beyond - reached 7,500 tons, carried over the laborious 2,300 km trek from Xishuangbanna to the Tibetan capital. Each war horse fetched between 20 and 60 kgs of tea depending on quality and the going rate. [...]

[tmc's note: the above figures suggest that Tibet exported annually up to approx. 7,500,000 kg/20kg of tea for a horse = 375,000 horses (which is an improbably high figure), and that the volume of imported tea head to be carried by some 7,500,000 kg/60kg per carrier = 125,000 porters. tmc, 1 Nov 2007]

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The ancient city of Gerha = Qariyat Al-Fau

http://www.ainalyaqeen.com/issues/19990217/feat9en.htm
Weekly Arab Political Magazine
February 17, 1999
[...]
Al-Ansari, who is considered the founder of archaeology in Saudi Arabia, presented a paper on Qariyat Al-Fau (Fau Village) which in classical texts is referred to as 'Gerha', its Greek name.

Al-Ansari said that this ancient city, which is situated at the centre of the Arabian peninsula between Al-Salil and Najran and on the edge of the Empty Quarter on the old trade route, was the political, economic and cultural capital of the Mu'in state between the fourth century B.C. and up to the first century B. C. After that, it became the capital of the Kendah Kingdom, until the fourth century A.D.
He pointed out that although the city is described by the word 'qariyah', or village, the original meaning of the word in Arabic is not the same as it is today. The root of the word actually meant a large city, settled and open to the outside world and it was from that original sense of the word that Holy Mecca takes its other name, 'Umm Al-Qura', or Mother of Cities.

Qariyat Al-Fau was designated a city as the excavations that have taken place there have found that the city was not surrounded by walls, was open to the outside world and had established relations with the civilisation that existed between the Tigris and the Euphrates; it had reached a very advanced stage of human development and deserved to be named a city. Dr Al-Ansari showed slides of the excavations of the ruins of the city, which began in 1972, showing silver coins from that period as well as the city's temples, the cemeteries where royalty were buried, and also public cemeteries.
[...]

Amazon.com: Qaryat Al-Fau: Books: Rahman Al-Ansary by Rahman Al-Ansary.
www.amazon.com/ Qaryat-Al-Fau-Rahman-Al-Ansary/dp/0312657420

Qaryat
 http://www.ksu.edu.sa/sites/Colleges/RelicAndTourismCollege/Archaeologicalsites/Pages/Qaryat.aspx
Qaryat (Al-Fau)
 The ancient town of Qaryat is situated at about 700 km southwest of Riyadh. Its archaeological ruins known today as al-Fau, a name derived from its geographical location at a passageway through Tuwaiq mountains range where it intersects with wadi al-Dawasir , overlooking the northwestern edge of the Empty Quarter desert.
  Confirmed from texts found at the site during excavations, Qaryat had been mentioned in ancient South Arabian documents as the capital of Kinda kingdom from the 1st century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. In antiquity the town flourished as a major trading post, located at the heart of ancient caravan roads, it had gained importance by its control over the only pass via Tuwaiq mountains range, from western and southwestern to eastern Arabia. Archaeological remains at the site, indicate that the town expanded to about 2 km north – south, and about 750 m. east – west.
   The archaeological excavations carried out by King Saud University team, from 1970 to 2003, uncovered two major sectors of the town. The first; is a residential, consisted of houses, squares, streets and a market place. The second; is a sacred, consisted of temples and tombs. The general architectural plan is very indicative of pre-Islamic town in Arabia.

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