Lecture | VVIK lecture
Buddha on the Rocks: First Results of the Karakorum Rescue Project
- Date
- Monday 11 May 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- The lecture will be followed by drinks in the LIAS common room of the Herta Mohr Building (first floor)
- Address
-
Herta Mohr
Witte Singel 27A
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- 1.80
Abstract
The Karakorum Rescue Project conducted fieldwork in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Karakorum mountain range in Pakistan (2021-2023). The main aim was to explore and document the ancient trade routes that led from the Indian Subcontinent towards China from the early 1st millennium onwards, by means of archaeological study of rock carvings. So far, we have documented a large dataset of carvings, including early Buddhist rock art of stupas and Bodhisattvas, inscriptions in Brahmi and Kharosthi, prehistoric hunting and pastoral scenes, and wild animals. Due to the ongoing threat to many of these rock art assemblages, especially the Buddhist imagery, the project evolved into a heritage rescue operation with an active component of community outreach and knowledge exchange. This talk will offer an overview of the first results, and explore new methods and interdisciplinary approaches for future research in the region.
See also the project page on the Archaeologists Connected website: link.
Biography
Dr. Marike van Aerde is Assistant Professor in the World Archaeology department of Leiden University. Marike’s archaeological research focuses on ancient trade routes and exchange networks, spanning from ancient Egypt to the Indian Ocean area in the 1st millennium CE. Her work includes material analyses, petroglyphic documentation, and methodological applications of Network Theory. Collaborating with international PhD’s and MA’s, her work is rooted in scientific methodology, while also exploring wider, conceptual questions of cultural and social networks and how they evolved throughout the ancient world. She has recently led fieldwork campaigns in Pakistan and Egypt, and is a regular contributor to Leiden University's Honours Academy, where she teaches interdisciplinary classes on current issues and the archaeology of climate change.