Balalyk Tepe 5th-7th C. CE
I was hoping to find more images of the original frescoes themselves but mostly found artistic reproductions. The sources I could find on this attribute the site to Hephthalite nobles or a princely clan of theirs. Dates vary a bit, some stating these predate the Sassanid-Turk invasion of 560 CE. Grégoire Frumkin (Archaeology in Soviet Central Asia) states the paintings were mostly destroyed in the second half of the sixth century, indicating these were possibly destroyed by the Sassanids or Turks.
There are apparently fourteen rooms and multiple corridors to Balalyk Tepe but I couldn't find greater details as to what painting is from what room, what room's paintings were destroyed to what extent, or whether certain items date from different times. Eleanor Sims (Peerless Images: Persian Painting and Its Sources) states Balalyk Tepe may date after the Sassanid-Turk invasion. The Hephthalites retained independent principalities after their empire was destroyed. It wasn't until 625 CE that the Turks formally deposed these principalities and took over the area. Also the Islamic/Arab invasion occurred in 651 CE and is a possible culprit of the destruction.
The hairstyle of the men and the unique right-pointing triangular dress is similar to a coin dated to the reign of Kavad I (488-531 CE), coins of Chach (city ruled by the Hephthalites for a time), the bowl inscribed with "Dhenakk the Hun", and other art attributed to the Hephthalites.
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| Couldn't locate source for this unfortunately. |
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| Couldn't locate source for this either. Reverse image search turned up nothing. |
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| Image credit: Nadeem - Eran ud Turan. |
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| Hephthalites of Balalyk Tepe (left), Sogdians of Panjakent (right) by Sharafat Arabova. |
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balalyk_Tepe_festivities.jpg
https://twitter.com/historianofiran/status/1199114550643220480
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Figure_of_a_banquet,_Balalyk_Tepe,_6th-7th_century.jpg
http://www.patriciaekim.com/making-digital-vision
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_from_Balalyk-tepe.jpg
https://twitter.com/BiruniKhorasan/status/1448962943555616768
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balalyk_Tepe_mural.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balalyk_tepe_Banquet_scene_6-7th_century_CE.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balalyk_Tepe_mural_detail.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balalyk_Tepe_painting,_1st_half_of_7th_century_CE.jpg
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/ancient-and-unique-uzbekistan-surkhandaryo-region-iii/
https://twitter.com/eranudturan
https://twitter.com/historianofiran/status/1237478385758191617
Quote:
https://books.google.com/books?id=XUyajzkDJ50C&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=gdUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA116#v=onepage&q&f=false
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