AHP 45: Vargas-O'Bryan, Ivette M. 2017. Review: The Dawn of Tibet. Asian Highlands Perspectives 45:98-104. (original) (raw)

If you want to learn more about the pre-Buddhist heritage of Tibet and the Western Himalayas, one name stands out: John Vincent Bellezza. Unlike any other, we encounter a uniqueness in Bellezza's works, a breadth of detail, insight, and personal struggle that has been unsurpassed in archaeology and Tibetan Studies these days. Bellezza's numerous publications that include such groundbreaking works as Divine Dyads (1997), Calling Down the Gods (2005), the significant contributions of Zhang Zhung: Foundations of Civilization in Tibet (2008), Death and Beyond in Ancient Tibet, and the critical two volume set, Antiquities of Zhang Zhung (2010), have provided robust studies on Tibet's pre-Buddhist heritage in an unconventional style that at once incorporates his skills as an archaeologist with one of cultural historian, anthropologist, travel journalist, explorer, and storyteller. When I read this new work, my assumptions about Tibet as a land whose colorful history and civilization was most impacted by Buddhism shortly after the seventh century were shaken again. My attention was drawn to periods long before the Buddhist presence revealed through forgotten lands, writings, and ritual customs that point to a Tibetan civilization far more ancient, complex, and historically important on a global scale than I could have imagined. Presenting such complexity does come with a price because Bellezza's integrative, ambitious approach has its complications. Yet his unwillingness to restrict himself to the strictures and disciplinary boundaries of academia order to find answers on the ground, and to assert challenging connections may reveal some treasures of the past. From the very beginning in The Dawn of Tibet, Bellezza is particularly interested in the civilization known to Tibetan tradition as Zhang Zhung, which was based in western Tibet, also known as Upper Tibet. However, his search and discoveries go further back to a time that pre-dates and yet, impacts this mysterious civilization. This synthesis in ten chapters of his previous studies also provides a progression of his theories and an increasingly systematic documentation of findings following and surpassing other archaeologists and anthropologists before him. It also highlights the impact of Western and Chinese scholars and expeditions. The book begins with a brief synopsis of his personal history of exploration in Tibet and his documentation of around 700 sites. His documentation of monuments, rock art, and ruins are linked with old literary tales and contemporary ritual customs that form the basis for the history and culture of pre-Zhang Zhung and the Zhang Zhung civilization.