Early Christian Remains of Inner Mongolia: discovery, reconstruction and appropriation
The early Christian presence in Inner Mongolia forms the subject of this book. These Nestorian remains must primarily be attributed to the Öngüt, a Turkic people closely allied to the Mongols. Writing in Syriac, Uighur and Chinese scripts and languages, the Nestorian Öngüt drew upon a variety of religions and cultures to decorate their gravestones with crosses rising from lotus flowers, dragons and Taoist imagery. This heritage also portrays designs found in the Islamic world. Taking a closer look at the discovery of this material and its significance for the study of the early Church of the East under the Mongols, the author reconstructs the Nestorian culture of the Öngüt. The reader will find many newly discovered objects not published before. At the same time this study demonstrates how many remaining objects were appopriated and, in many cases, vanished after their discovery. Tjalling Halbertsma, Ph.D. (2007) in the Arts, University of Leiden, has worked as an advisor to the President of Mongolia. His documentation of Nestorian objects from Inner Mongolia has been published by Monumenta Serica.
Kritieken 'The great value of this book lies in its documentation of previously unknown and rarely seen examples of Christian funerary remains from Inner Mongolia, some of which unfortunately have now disappeared. It is to be hoped that further investigations by both Chinese and foreign archaeologists can be done as soon as possible before the medieval Christian heritage of Inner Mongolia is lost forever. The photographs in this book may be all that we have in the future if the current rate of looting and destruction continues. For anyone interested in the history of Christianity in Central Asia and China this book is essential and will long remain an important reference source.' - KEN PARRY, Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology (4/2009) 'So, in many ways this book offers an important addition both to the history of the Mongols and to the history of the Far East. Halbertsma offers a good introduction to the subject and brings together and discusses an important body of material.' - LAURAN TOORIANS, ECA 6 (2009) 'In sum, Halbertsma has produced an admirable study, eclectic in its methodology, yet consistently meticulous and stimulating.' 'He has written a fascinating and lavishly illustrated book about the religion of a remarkably pragmatic lost Christian civilisation in Asia.' (...)'Early Christian Remains of the Inner Mongolia is a valuable study of the Öngüt Christian remains in Inner Mongolia, a lasting record of many now destroyed monuments, and, despite the author’s impartial academic tone, a shocking look at the carnage unleashed by museums and private collectors’ avid hunger for unprovenanced artifacts.' 'I find myself obliged to make a special effort to avoid over-praising this book, a treasure-house of information, drawn on a comprehensive array of sources, some of them hitherto untapped, and splendidly presented on the important subject of Christian presence in East Asia.' „Die Arbeit stellt die erste sowohl westliche als auch japanische und chinesische Forschungsergebnisse ausführlich berücksichtigende Dokumentation und Interpretation ,nestorianischen‘ Fundgutes – in der Hauptsache Grabsteine – im Damaoqi und Siziwangqi Banner der heutigen Inneren Mongolei dar.(…) Ein besonderes Verdienst der vorliegenden Arbeit ist nicht zuletzt die Publikation neuen Fundmaterials auf Grundlage eigener Feldforschungen des Vf. (…) Dies alles macht die Arbeit für zukünftige Forschungen in dieser Richtung unverzichtbar (…) insgesamt großen Wert für weitere Untersuchungen zum ,nestorianischen‘ Christentum auf dem Gebiet des heutigen China.“ 'The major strength of the work derives from the author’s obvious commitment to documenting and preserving these archaeological materials which are rapidly disappearing, due to grave looters, local farmers in need of building materials and inefficient or corrupt officials. It is nothing short of a labour of love.(...) In short, the volume is a must have for anyone concerned with either Syriac funerary material or the history of Christianity in Central Asia.'
Artikelen
Review: Michael Keevak, Becoming Yellow. A Short History of Racial Thinking, Asian Studies Review (forthcoming) Review: David Sneath and Christopher Kaplonski (eds.), The History of Mongolia, Asian Studies Review (forthcoming) Review: Timothy Brook; The Troubled Empire. China in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Journal of Asian History (forthcoming) Critique: Gregory Forth; Images of the Wildman in Southeast Asia. An anthropological perspective, Kraken, 3, 2011, p. 87-88 Discoveries: Petroglyphes of Kholtsootiin Gol Valley (Mongolia), Inora, 60, 2011, p.1-8 (with Bikhumar Omirbek) Mongolia’s "Homo sapiens Almas": a tale of two skulls, two hairs and two reconstructions, Kraken, 2, 2009, p. 41-57 'De steppe heeft maar één leven', Het Trage Vuur, maart (41) 2008 Some field notes and images of stone material from graves of the Church of the East in Inner Mongolia, China (with additional rubbings of seven stones by Wei Jian), Monumenta Serica, 53, 2005, p. 113-244 Some notes on past and present field research on gravestones and related stone material of the Church of the East in Inner Mongolia, China, in: Roman Malek (ed.), Jingjiao: The Church of the East in China and Central Asia (Collectanea Serica: Sankt Augustin) 2006, p 303-319. Some field notes and images of stone sculptures found at Nestorian sites in Inner Mongolia, China, in: Dietmar W. Winkler, Li Tang(eds.) Hidden Treasures and Intercultural Encounters: Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia(Orientalia-Patristica-Oecumenica Vol.1. Münster, et al: Lit Verlag), 2009, p. 51-69 Documentaire Belicht, Tijdschrift voor de Sociaal-Wetenschappelijke Bestudering van het Recht, 1994
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